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Me Being Me Is Exactly as Insane as You Being You
A heartfelt, humorous story of a teen boy’s impulsive road trip after the shock of his lifetime—told entirely in lists!
Darren hasn't had an easy year.
There was his parents’ divorce, which just so happened to come at the same time his older brother Nate left for college and his longtime best friend moved away. And of course there’s the whole not having a girlfriend thing.
Then one Thursday morning Darren's dad shows up at his house at 6 a.m. with a glazed chocolate doughnut and a revelation that turns Darren’s world inside out. In full freakout mode, Darren, in a totally un-Darren move, ditches school to go visit Nate. Barely twenty-four hours at Nate’s school makes everything much better or much worse—Darren has no idea. It might somehow be both. All he knows for sure is that in addition to trying to figure out why none of his family members are who they used to be, he’s now obsessed with a strangely amazing girl who showed up out of nowhere but then totally disappeared.
Told entirely in lists, Todd Hasak-Lowy's debut YA novel perfectly captures why having anything to do with anyone, including yourself, is:
1. painful
2. unavoidable
3. ridiculously complicated
4. possibly, hopefully the right thing after all.
Darren hasn't had an easy year.
There was his parents’ divorce, which just so happened to come at the same time his older brother Nate left for college and his longtime best friend moved away. And of course there’s the whole not having a girlfriend thing.
Then one Thursday morning Darren's dad shows up at his house at 6 a.m. with a glazed chocolate doughnut and a revelation that turns Darren’s world inside out. In full freakout mode, Darren, in a totally un-Darren move, ditches school to go visit Nate. Barely twenty-four hours at Nate’s school makes everything much better or much worse—Darren has no idea. It might somehow be both. All he knows for sure is that in addition to trying to figure out why none of his family members are who they used to be, he’s now obsessed with a strangely amazing girl who showed up out of nowhere but then totally disappeared.
Told entirely in lists, Todd Hasak-Lowy's debut YA novel perfectly captures why having anything to do with anyone, including yourself, is:
1. painful
2. unavoidable
3. ridiculously complicated
4. possibly, hopefully the right thing after all.
656 pages, Hardcover
First published March 24, 2015
About the author
Todd Hasak-Lowy
19 books43 followersVERY SHORT BIO:
My name is Todd, and I’ve been writing books for about fifteen years. I started writing books for adults, but now I write books for kids and teenagers, too. My most recent book is a middle-grade novel called 33 MINUTES. I’ve also published a short story collection THE TASK OF THIS TRANSLATOR and the novel CAPTIVES. In addition to writing fiction, I teach creative writing. I live in Evanston, Illinois (just outside Chicago), with my wife, two daughters, a dog, and two cats.
MUCH LONGER AND NOT NECESSARILY INTERESTING BIO:
I was born in Detroit and raised in its suburbs. I’m the second of three brothers. All of us were born in May. Other than my immediate family, the most important part of my childhood was going to Camp Tavor in Three Rivers, Michigan. Tavor is part of a Labor-Zionist youth movement called Habonim-Dror. After high school I spent a year in Israel living on a kibbutz (sort of a collective farm). I worked in irrigation.
I attended the University of Michigan as an undergrad. I majored in Near Eastern and North African Studies. I knew by around age 20 that I wanted to become a professor, and I knew that I wanted to study Israel and the Middle East. But it took me a while to decide which field or discipline I wanted to pursue.
I wound up settling on Comparative Literature. I attended the University of California, Berkeley for graduate school, where I started in 1994. There I studied Hebrew and Arabic literature, though by the time I was writing my dissertation I was only working on Hebrew literature. The weird thing about being at Berkeley, especially at first, was that I really had no idea how to study literature. My major at Michigan had been interdisciplinary, with an emphasis on history. I had always loved reading novels, but had never done so with much systematic instruction. Suddenly I was attending arguably the top school for studying literature in the world, and I was lost. My first few semesters at Berkeley, were, needless to say, difficult.
But when I started making sense of fiction (and narrative in general), the payoff was huge. I still remember, sitting in my younger brother’s apartment (both my brothers moved to San Francisco around the time I moved to Berkeley), reading some comic or graphic novel that was clearly in the tradition of R. Crumb or Harvey Pekar. I was amazed how the author was able to represent an entire imagined world, and that this world was utterly specific and alive, and that the author was creating all this through some remarkable combination of decisions, techniques, ideas, etc.
I guess that may have been an epiphany of sorts. It was definitely, for me, a before and after moment. I suddenly realized in some way, Oh, this [this=writing stories] is really interesting, and somehow no longer 100% mysterious, and so maybe I could do it. I had always had a creative impulse (one that largely manifested itself from a young age with my behaving like a clown), but I never had a form or a medium to work in. Now I sensed I may have found one. I started writing a few months later, with the help of two novels (Nicholson Baker’s The Mezzanine and Yaakov Shabtai’s Past Continuous). These two works, each in its own way, offered me very particular models for forging my own prose. My voice as a writer, such as it is, came out almost fully formed right away. Sometimes you get lucky.
During the second half of graduate school (graduate school lasted a LONG time, eight years), I worked on my dissertation and—when I had both time and inspiration—wrote short stories on the side. In other words, most of the time I wasn’t writing fiction. I was fortunate to be put in touch with Simon Lipskar, who agreed to become my agent after seeing a few of my early stories. He helped me slowly put together a collection.
In 2002, I relocated with my wife and daughter to Gainesville, Florida, because I got a job teaching Hebrew language and literature
My name is Todd, and I’ve been writing books for about fifteen years. I started writing books for adults, but now I write books for kids and teenagers, too. My most recent book is a middle-grade novel called 33 MINUTES. I’ve also published a short story collection THE TASK OF THIS TRANSLATOR and the novel CAPTIVES. In addition to writing fiction, I teach creative writing. I live in Evanston, Illinois (just outside Chicago), with my wife, two daughters, a dog, and two cats.
MUCH LONGER AND NOT NECESSARILY INTERESTING BIO:
I was born in Detroit and raised in its suburbs. I’m the second of three brothers. All of us were born in May. Other than my immediate family, the most important part of my childhood was going to Camp Tavor in Three Rivers, Michigan. Tavor is part of a Labor-Zionist youth movement called Habonim-Dror. After high school I spent a year in Israel living on a kibbutz (sort of a collective farm). I worked in irrigation.
I attended the University of Michigan as an undergrad. I majored in Near Eastern and North African Studies. I knew by around age 20 that I wanted to become a professor, and I knew that I wanted to study Israel and the Middle East. But it took me a while to decide which field or discipline I wanted to pursue.
I wound up settling on Comparative Literature. I attended the University of California, Berkeley for graduate school, where I started in 1994. There I studied Hebrew and Arabic literature, though by the time I was writing my dissertation I was only working on Hebrew literature. The weird thing about being at Berkeley, especially at first, was that I really had no idea how to study literature. My major at Michigan had been interdisciplinary, with an emphasis on history. I had always loved reading novels, but had never done so with much systematic instruction. Suddenly I was attending arguably the top school for studying literature in the world, and I was lost. My first few semesters at Berkeley, were, needless to say, difficult.
But when I started making sense of fiction (and narrative in general), the payoff was huge. I still remember, sitting in my younger brother’s apartment (both my brothers moved to San Francisco around the time I moved to Berkeley), reading some comic or graphic novel that was clearly in the tradition of R. Crumb or Harvey Pekar. I was amazed how the author was able to represent an entire imagined world, and that this world was utterly specific and alive, and that the author was creating all this through some remarkable combination of decisions, techniques, ideas, etc.
I guess that may have been an epiphany of sorts. It was definitely, for me, a before and after moment. I suddenly realized in some way, Oh, this [this=writing stories] is really interesting, and somehow no longer 100% mysterious, and so maybe I could do it. I had always had a creative impulse (one that largely manifested itself from a young age with my behaving like a clown), but I never had a form or a medium to work in. Now I sensed I may have found one. I started writing a few months later, with the help of two novels (Nicholson Baker’s The Mezzanine and Yaakov Shabtai’s Past Continuous). These two works, each in its own way, offered me very particular models for forging my own prose. My voice as a writer, such as it is, came out almost fully formed right away. Sometimes you get lucky.
During the second half of graduate school (graduate school lasted a LONG time, eight years), I worked on my dissertation and—when I had both time and inspiration—wrote short stories on the side. In other words, most of the time I wasn’t writing fiction. I was fortunate to be put in touch with Simon Lipskar, who agreed to become my agent after seeing a few of my early stories. He helped me slowly put together a collection.
In 2002, I relocated with my wife and daughter to Gainesville, Florida, because I got a job teaching Hebrew language and literature
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 546 reviews
July 20, 2015
A+ idea, C- execution
The main problem was that there were too many lists that had nothing to do with the story. Only one or two developments in the story were actually interesting. 80% of the book was exposition, telling random stuff about the characters' pasts that were mostly not entertaining or funny.
Also, the romance in the story was kind of horrible. The girl was completely flat and made no sense, and the main character idolized her strange behavior and built her up so much in his mind in a way that is just insane. Such a bad story, on that front.
I wanted to like this book, but it fell flat.
The main problem was that there were too many lists that had nothing to do with the story. Only one or two developments in the story were actually interesting. 80% of the book was exposition, telling random stuff about the characters' pasts that were mostly not entertaining or funny.
Also, the romance in the story was kind of horrible. The girl was completely flat and made no sense, and the main character idolized her strange behavior and built her up so much in his mind in a way that is just insane. Such a bad story, on that front.
I wanted to like this book, but it fell flat.
Read
July 22, 2017Intenté retomarlo y no puedo. Leí 3/4 del libro y no quiero seguir.
El concepto del libro me parece muy bueno, pero no puedo conectar con los personajes ni la historia. Me encanta el tema principal del libro, pero ya no puedo.
El concepto del libro me parece muy bueno, pero no puedo conectar con los personajes ni la historia. Me encanta el tema principal del libro, pero ya no puedo.
July 9, 2015
This review appears on Happy Indulgence. Check it out for more reviews!
Me Being Me Is Exactly as Insane as You Being You is a story told entirely in lists. Lists about Darren's family, his thought processes, the music he plays, the lunch that he eats, what he tells his therapist...you get the idea. For those of you who love to digest everything in neat, categorical, bite-sized lists, this book would be for you. But for those of you who want to just get to the point of it all, without being told the exact details of a car or a list of the days of the week right in the middle of a story, Me Being Me could be frustrating.
Lucky for me, I really like lists, and enjoyed the original storytelling of Me Being Me. It's amazing how I became invested in Darren's life, as the book listed out his feelings, sporadic thoughts and fears, adjectives and exchanges, text messages and phone calls. Behind some of the lighter exchanges, are some deep encounters which Darren will have dealing with his parent's divorce, seeing both of them move on, discovering his dad is gay, re-connecting with his stoner brother in college.
This is one of the most realistic male perspectives I've ever read, of a teenager who isn't particularly verbose. Newsflash, teenage guys don't just think about sex every waking moment. Conversations are kept short, without fear of going too deep. Darren manages to avoid every topic that could lead to meaningful discussions...which makes him pretty hard to sympathise with, or get to know. I find it hard to describe Darren to you, upon finishing this 600 page book other than surly and actually kind of average.
I couldn't see the obsession with Zoe though, who Darren has an encounter with early in the book and continues to pine over for the bulk of it. Even though there's a lot going on in his life, he is always thinking about Zoe. Zoe is dark, angsty and clearly has more than a few issues of her own, so I really couldn't see what was so great about her. Especially when Darren kept on wanting her to be different or to change in his mind. But perhaps there was something in her that Darren could really relate to.
More than once, Me Being Me made me raise my eyebrows about the liberty of pot smoking in the book. I know it happens, and I know it's out there, but seriously, to that degree? I don't enjoy reading about people getting high all the time. It's just not for me.
Although Nate was a grounding force to Darren's life, from time to time he would say a few ignorant phrases about their gay dad that I found quite offensive.
Me Being Me Is Exactly As Insane As You Being You is a novel and interesting way of telling a story. The lists were creative and well-thought out, although there were times when we were given a bit too much information that didn't seem to add too much value to the story. Despite not being invested in the romance, pot smoking and some of it's characters, I enjoyed the honest male perspective. But if you take the lists away and look at the overall story? Nothing spectacular.
Thank you to Simon and Schuster Australia for sending me this book for review.
Me Being Me Is Exactly as Insane as You Being You is a story told entirely in lists. Lists about Darren's family, his thought processes, the music he plays, the lunch that he eats, what he tells his therapist...you get the idea. For those of you who love to digest everything in neat, categorical, bite-sized lists, this book would be for you. But for those of you who want to just get to the point of it all, without being told the exact details of a car or a list of the days of the week right in the middle of a story, Me Being Me could be frustrating.
Lucky for me, I really like lists, and enjoyed the original storytelling of Me Being Me. It's amazing how I became invested in Darren's life, as the book listed out his feelings, sporadic thoughts and fears, adjectives and exchanges, text messages and phone calls. Behind some of the lighter exchanges, are some deep encounters which Darren will have dealing with his parent's divorce, seeing both of them move on, discovering his dad is gay, re-connecting with his stoner brother in college.
This is one of the most realistic male perspectives I've ever read, of a teenager who isn't particularly verbose. Newsflash, teenage guys don't just think about sex every waking moment. Conversations are kept short, without fear of going too deep. Darren manages to avoid every topic that could lead to meaningful discussions...which makes him pretty hard to sympathise with, or get to know. I find it hard to describe Darren to you, upon finishing this 600 page book other than surly and actually kind of average.
I couldn't see the obsession with Zoe though, who Darren has an encounter with early in the book and continues to pine over for the bulk of it. Even though there's a lot going on in his life, he is always thinking about Zoe. Zoe is dark, angsty and clearly has more than a few issues of her own, so I really couldn't see what was so great about her. Especially when Darren kept on wanting her to be different or to change in his mind. But perhaps there was something in her that Darren could really relate to.
More than once, Me Being Me made me raise my eyebrows about the liberty of pot smoking in the book. I know it happens, and I know it's out there, but seriously, to that degree? I don't enjoy reading about people getting high all the time. It's just not for me.
Although Nate was a grounding force to Darren's life, from time to time he would say a few ignorant phrases about their gay dad that I found quite offensive.
Me Being Me Is Exactly As Insane As You Being You is a novel and interesting way of telling a story. The lists were creative and well-thought out, although there were times when we were given a bit too much information that didn't seem to add too much value to the story. Despite not being invested in the romance, pot smoking and some of it's characters, I enjoyed the honest male perspective. But if you take the lists away and look at the overall story? Nothing spectacular.
Thank you to Simon and Schuster Australia for sending me this book for review.
May 29, 2016
I loved the concept of a story told entirely in list format, but I'd say 1/4 of the lists were pointless, and it felt a bit too...whiney? Darren's dad comes out as gay and he doesn't deal with it very well, and meanwhile he's falling in love with a girl called Zoey, who he's known all of two days. I can't believe I read over 600 pages, and didn't feel like I got a story out of it. Hm.
February 12, 2015
5 reasons why it may or may not be a good idea to write (or read) a novel composed entirely of lists:
1. For the sheer novelty of it.
2. Because, amidst the sheer volume of young-adult literature being produced these days, it is a creative use of form that might make a book stand out (much like Jeff Kinney's blending of cartoon and novel in his Diary of a Wimpy Kid series (and in the million copycat series spawned by DoaWK))
3. It can, at times, be a downright clever way to tell a story.
4. It can, at times, be an obstacle to the telling of a story, and even start to appear as a cheap facade dressing up a story you probably wouldn't have bothered with writing/reading in the first place, if it weren't for the lists.
5. For a novel written in lists to be truly be successful, there needs to be a reason why the novel was written in lists. This is an opportunity for some serious "meta" shit to take place. A little metaphor about lists and life included at the end is probably not good enough, despite many of the preceding lists being enjoyable to read, and carrying out the plot in a surprisingly well-paced manner.
*I won this book from Goodreads Giveaways, but that in no way has influenced the sharing of my true feelings about this book.
1. For the sheer novelty of it.
2. Because, amidst the sheer volume of young-adult literature being produced these days, it is a creative use of form that might make a book stand out (much like Jeff Kinney's blending of cartoon and novel in his Diary of a Wimpy Kid series (and in the million copycat series spawned by DoaWK))
3. It can, at times, be a downright clever way to tell a story.
4. It can, at times, be an obstacle to the telling of a story, and even start to appear as a cheap facade dressing up a story you probably wouldn't have bothered with writing/reading in the first place, if it weren't for the lists.
5. For a novel written in lists to be truly be successful, there needs to be a reason why the novel was written in lists. This is an opportunity for some serious "meta" shit to take place. A little metaphor about lists and life included at the end is probably not good enough, despite many of the preceding lists being enjoyable to read, and carrying out the plot in a surprisingly well-paced manner.
*I won this book from Goodreads Giveaways, but that in no way has influenced the sharing of my true feelings about this book.
April 7, 2019
dnf at 28%
i tried. i really did. i hate darren so much lmao and zoey seems like a "im not like other girls" type so nahhh. the way he treated his dad coming 0ut was ignorant and stupid. the way he talked about girls was gross and im not here for it !!!!!
adiós to this trash. 3
i tried. i really did. i hate darren so much lmao and zoey seems like a "im not like other girls" type so nahhh. the way he treated his dad coming 0ut was ignorant and stupid. the way he talked about girls was gross and im not here for it !!!!!
adiós to this trash. 3
February 12, 2016
Darren es un adolescente normal de quince años que está pasando por la etapa en la que tener novia y perder la virginidad es lo más importante en la vida. Sus padres se divorciaron y pronto Darren se enterará porqué y eso lo dejará con mil preguntas, emociones, frustraciones que nosotros como lectores podremos percibir por medio de unas interminables listas.
El formato del libro se me hizo bastante original, el problema es que la trama es un poco plana. No me mal interpreten, llega a ser entretenido, pero es seguir paso a paso y día a día la vida de Darren aunque nada realmente importante pase. Sus idas a la escuela, sus interacciones, y demás. No sé, no le encontré una trama demasiado interesante, la verdad.
Pero como es un libro para adolescentes, obviamente toca todos los temas. Sexo, alcohol, drogas, depresión, etc. No sé porqué los libros juveniles siempre tienen que tocar esos temas y como si fuera necesario drogarse o tener relaciones precoces en la adolescencia. Me hubiera gustado que tuviera un poco más de aventura o misterio y no fuera nada más el drama de un niño que se cree el incomprendido.
Además hay una chica llamada Zoey en la historia que ¡POR DIOS! No pude con ella, giraba los ojos cada que salía con alguna de sus rarezas ¿de verdad existe gente así? Y si existe ¿de verdad alguien las encuentra tan fascinantes? En mi mente, nope, esa clase de gente me saca de quicio. Pero bueno.
Siempre leo estos libros con la mente abierta y mentalizada a que no soy el público porque no soy adolescente. Pero no me gustaría recomendarlo a ningún adolescente cercano a mi, especialmente porque es muy deprimente, o sea, Darren no tiene una vida triste pero se empeña en verla así, y pues no me gusta la negatividad. Ya bastante con sus cambios hormonales y sentimientos de incomprensión como para además leer un libro donde alienta esas emociones negativas. Le dí dos estrellas porque el formato me gustó y tuvo sus momentos entretenidos, pero personalmente y hablando con toda sinceridad, el libro no me gustó.
Peeeeero, sé que a muchas personas les gustan estos libros dramáticos. Me recordó mucho a John Green y David Levithan, así que creo que si les gustaron sus libros, les gustará éste.
March 2, 2016
3.5 Al fin pude terminarlo, este libro fue un gran reto en muchos sentidos para mí, mi primer libro grande en inglés, esto hizo que me costará avanzar, obviamente por todas aquellas palabras nuevas para mí, pero al mismo tiempo me sentí muy orgullosa de haberlo logrado y aprendí mucho. Otro aspecto que hizo que me costará avanzar fue que este libro trata más acerca del desarrollo y descripción de personajes que del seguimiento de una trama, por lo tanto había ocasiones que el libro se tornaba aburrido y difícil de avanzar, sin embargo, hubo partes del libro que me gustaron mucho, especialmente todo lo que siente y piensa nuestro personaje principal; Darren.
El libro tiene una forma de narración muy original que nunca había leído en otro libro, describe todo en listas, esto me gustaba muchas veces pero en otras, te reta como lector, ya que debes prestar mucha atención y esto puede tornarse en un punto negativo para el libro al perder el lector la secuencia de la historia e ir tratando de recordar la descripción principal de cada lista, sin embargo es muy original. En este libro encontraras personajes profundos y que te costará trabajo entender porque actúan de cierta forma, esto a veces me desesperaba pero también razonando ese aspecto es parte de la naturaleza humana. Al final del libro me identifiqué mucho con el personaje principal, aunque me hubiese gustado saber un poco más allá del final de libro, las últimas palabras en las páginas finales me gustaron mucho.
El libro tiene una forma de narración muy original que nunca había leído en otro libro, describe todo en listas, esto me gustaba muchas veces pero en otras, te reta como lector, ya que debes prestar mucha atención y esto puede tornarse en un punto negativo para el libro al perder el lector la secuencia de la historia e ir tratando de recordar la descripción principal de cada lista, sin embargo es muy original. En este libro encontraras personajes profundos y que te costará trabajo entender porque actúan de cierta forma, esto a veces me desesperaba pero también razonando ese aspecto es parte de la naturaleza humana. Al final del libro me identifiqué mucho con el personaje principal, aunque me hubiese gustado saber un poco más allá del final de libro, las últimas palabras en las páginas finales me gustaron mucho.
January 18, 2016
Gracias a V&R Editoras por el ejemplar
Exijamos más libros con ideas innovadoras como este. Pero también exijamos protagonistas con menos hormonas.
Exijamos más libros con ideas innovadoras como este. Pero también exijamos protagonistas con menos hormonas.
April 16, 2016
Un libro ameno, divertido y bastante peculiar, porque toda la novela está escrita en forma de listas.
¿Curioso, no?
¿Curioso, no?
June 18, 2015
http://www.divabooknerd.com/2015/06/t...
Me Being Me Is Exactly as Insane as You Being You is a storyline made entirely of lists, in which Darren seems to find solace as a coping mechanism. The ass has just fallen out of his world, he's depressed, latches onto girls hoping for a girlfriend and dreams of his own band, I suspect in the hope to find said girlfriend. His mother would rather throw herself into her work than spend time with her family, and his divorced father has just dropped a doozy of a secret in Darren's lap. Darren is a likable character, we're told he's intelligent but sadly never shown any proof. But he's creative and an incredible bassist, who misses playing with his brother's band. Darren reminded me of Charlie in The Perks of Being A Wallflower, naive and awkward, but has a strange appeal that is never quite fully explored. I loved Zoey, her character had the makings of a John Green novel. Quirky and flighty, but sadly just as she started to become interesting, she disappeared.
I loved Darren's father, so incredibly loving and tolerable of his son while he worked through his issues. He was a big part of Darren's life, whether Darren wanted him there or not and with his mother always on the road, he desperately needed a parental figure in his life.
But beyond the quirky format, it brings to light deep and thought provoking issues such as substance abuse, sexuality and loneliness. I felt incredibly sorry for Darren but once his father's secret was revealed, he became another angry and angst riddled teen that seemed withdraw from the only person who was genuinely there for him.
As much as I appreciated it's uniqueness, I didn't see the overall picture. I was waiting for the AH HA! moment that never arrived. It was entertaining, but the format left me feeling disconnected and unable to immerse myself within the storyline. I found the lists difficult to read with it's stop start format.
A quirky and unique coming of age, that in the right hands will indulge readers, immerse them and leave you on a high. I enjoyed it for the most part, but with a disconnection to the characters and storyline. Don't let it's length fool you, it's remarkably easy to breeze through.
Me Being Me Is Exactly as Insane as You Being You is a storyline made entirely of lists, in which Darren seems to find solace as a coping mechanism. The ass has just fallen out of his world, he's depressed, latches onto girls hoping for a girlfriend and dreams of his own band, I suspect in the hope to find said girlfriend. His mother would rather throw herself into her work than spend time with her family, and his divorced father has just dropped a doozy of a secret in Darren's lap. Darren is a likable character, we're told he's intelligent but sadly never shown any proof. But he's creative and an incredible bassist, who misses playing with his brother's band. Darren reminded me of Charlie in The Perks of Being A Wallflower, naive and awkward, but has a strange appeal that is never quite fully explored. I loved Zoey, her character had the makings of a John Green novel. Quirky and flighty, but sadly just as she started to become interesting, she disappeared.
I loved Darren's father, so incredibly loving and tolerable of his son while he worked through his issues. He was a big part of Darren's life, whether Darren wanted him there or not and with his mother always on the road, he desperately needed a parental figure in his life.
But beyond the quirky format, it brings to light deep and thought provoking issues such as substance abuse, sexuality and loneliness. I felt incredibly sorry for Darren but once his father's secret was revealed, he became another angry and angst riddled teen that seemed withdraw from the only person who was genuinely there for him.
As much as I appreciated it's uniqueness, I didn't see the overall picture. I was waiting for the AH HA! moment that never arrived. It was entertaining, but the format left me feeling disconnected and unable to immerse myself within the storyline. I found the lists difficult to read with it's stop start format.
A quirky and unique coming of age, that in the right hands will indulge readers, immerse them and leave you on a high. I enjoyed it for the most part, but with a disconnection to the characters and storyline. Don't let it's length fool you, it's remarkably easy to breeze through.
May 6, 2015
3 Perfectly valid reasons why you should read Me Being Me:
1) The Format
It’s written in list form, which I absolutely loved. (And obviously inspired the style of this review!) It made reading Me Being Me such a breeze, and made it super easy to slip in and out of the book, although I found myself struggling to put the book down with the promise of “just one more list” all too alluring! The lists are a nice mixture of short and sweet and chunkier points, and these really helped with the pacing of the story.
2) The Characters
Darren is a wonderful narrator and I couldn’t help but like him. He has a ton of shit to deal with, he’s trying to cope with his parent’s divorce, his brother has gone away to college and he doesn’t really have any friends. Then his dad drops this huge bombshell and it’s understandable why Darren reacts as he does. Darren’s relationship with both his parents is so well written and just plain wonderful, it’s realistic, natural and both his parents are so present. There’s no missing parent syndrome in this book, they play a huge role in Darren’s life, and you have no idea how wonderful it was to read. I also want to give a huge shoutout to Ray, because he was a character who Darren should have struggled to get along with, but he didn’t. I wish there had been more Ray in the book, because I loved him. And Zoe, who isn’t all that present throughout the book, but has a huge role in the story anyway was a character who I probably should have hated, but I didn’t. I can’t talk too much about her, but I just loved her character and her interactions with Darren. I wanted to see more of them together, but I understand why we weren’t given that.
3) The Ending
There was this wonderful openness about the ending, which I normally hate with a passion because I want to know EVERYTHING about the characters’ futures, but with Me Being Me, the open ending worked perfectly. I already know what will happen with Darren and Zoe, in my head at least, and I love how Hasak-Lowy ended it.
1 Thing I’d like to say to Todd Hasak-Lowy:
THANK YOU FOR NOT MAKING COUNSELLING THE ROOT OF ALL EVIL. It’s appreciated a lot.
1) The Format
It’s written in list form, which I absolutely loved. (And obviously inspired the style of this review!) It made reading Me Being Me such a breeze, and made it super easy to slip in and out of the book, although I found myself struggling to put the book down with the promise of “just one more list” all too alluring! The lists are a nice mixture of short and sweet and chunkier points, and these really helped with the pacing of the story.
2) The Characters
Darren is a wonderful narrator and I couldn’t help but like him. He has a ton of shit to deal with, he’s trying to cope with his parent’s divorce, his brother has gone away to college and he doesn’t really have any friends. Then his dad drops this huge bombshell and it’s understandable why Darren reacts as he does. Darren’s relationship with both his parents is so well written and just plain wonderful, it’s realistic, natural and both his parents are so present. There’s no missing parent syndrome in this book, they play a huge role in Darren’s life, and you have no idea how wonderful it was to read. I also want to give a huge shoutout to Ray, because he was a character who Darren should have struggled to get along with, but he didn’t. I wish there had been more Ray in the book, because I loved him. And Zoe, who isn’t all that present throughout the book, but has a huge role in the story anyway was a character who I probably should have hated, but I didn’t. I can’t talk too much about her, but I just loved her character and her interactions with Darren. I wanted to see more of them together, but I understand why we weren’t given that.
3) The Ending
There was this wonderful openness about the ending, which I normally hate with a passion because I want to know EVERYTHING about the characters’ futures, but with Me Being Me, the open ending worked perfectly. I already know what will happen with Darren and Zoe, in my head at least, and I love how Hasak-Lowy ended it.
1 Thing I’d like to say to Todd Hasak-Lowy:
THANK YOU FOR NOT MAKING COUNSELLING THE ROOT OF ALL EVIL. It’s appreciated a lot.
September 2, 2015
While the concept of writing an entire book in list form sounds good in theory, unfortunately the execution of it wasn't the best. I just feel like a lot of the chapters were completely redundant, both in terms of not adding any information about the plot, and also not really doing anything in terms of entertainment. I'm not going to lie, I skipped reading some of the lists e.g. a list of all the band members in Darren's high school jazz band (I mean, really, a list of 10+ names isn't going to be useful at all, seeing as though maybe 1 or 2 of them are actually important enough to turn up later on in the novel).
Ignoring all the redundancy and focusing on the plot itself- it was probably quite realistic. But on the other hand, it was so realistic that it was boring. The book honestly just seemed like it was focusing on some average Joe who lives down the street, and while I do like realism in my contemporaries, it was a bit much in this book. The lists also kind of took away from the momentum of the story, and it was hard to connect to any of the characters.
Well, all in all, interesting idea that unfortunately wasn't really successful.
Ratings
Overall: 4/10
Plot: 2/5
Romance: 2/5
Writing: 2.5/5
Characters: 2/5
Cover: 3/5
Ignoring all the redundancy and focusing on the plot itself- it was probably quite realistic. But on the other hand, it was so realistic that it was boring. The book honestly just seemed like it was focusing on some average Joe who lives down the street, and while I do like realism in my contemporaries, it was a bit much in this book. The lists also kind of took away from the momentum of the story, and it was hard to connect to any of the characters.
Well, all in all, interesting idea that unfortunately wasn't really successful.
Ratings
Overall: 4/10
Plot: 2/5
Romance: 2/5
Writing: 2.5/5
Characters: 2/5
Cover: 3/5
January 2, 2022
Este libro no tiene muchas buenas reseñas,me puse un poco triste al leerlas ya que este libro fue un regalo por Navidad. Me hizo venir con las expectativas un tanto bajas.Pero,sorpresa! Me gustó mucho más de lo que esperaba!
La narracion es por listas,pero es una novela.Si,suena muy raro! Pero esta tan bien escrita que aún en listas y descripciones te metes en la historia y empatizas con los personajes.
Disfrute mucho la lectura 💗
Darren estuvo pasando por problemas familiares,sociales,dilemas personales,la adolescencia Jajaja de verdad que lo comprendo.Estoy orgullosa de como acabo todo.
Si,bueno,al principio me caía un poco mal Darren pero conforme lo fui conociendo esto cambio y realmente ganó un pedacito de mi corazón.
Y la parte del amor? Amooo!!
Por el simple hecho de cómo está escrita ya es un buen punto para que te atrevas a leerlo. Se los recomiendo,seguro será una nueva experiencia literaria!!
La narracion es por listas,pero es una novela.Si,suena muy raro! Pero esta tan bien escrita que aún en listas y descripciones te metes en la historia y empatizas con los personajes.
Disfrute mucho la lectura 💗
Darren estuvo pasando por problemas familiares,sociales,dilemas personales,la adolescencia Jajaja de verdad que lo comprendo.Estoy orgullosa de como acabo todo.
Si,bueno,al principio me caía un poco mal Darren pero conforme lo fui conociendo esto cambio y realmente ganó un pedacito de mi corazón.
Y la parte del amor? Amooo!!
Por el simple hecho de cómo está escrita ya es un buen punto para que te atrevas a leerlo. Se los recomiendo,seguro será una nueva experiencia literaria!!
October 5, 2015
Having not bought a book for myself for what seems like an age, I felt moving house was a good enough celebration and an opportunity to browse around a brand new Waterstones (at least new to me)! I haven’t been keeping up with Booktube or blogs recently, mostly due to the new job and moving, so I wasn’t sure what I wanted but I knew I wanted it to be something I’d never heard of before. Honestly, I was in that store for an hour before deciding what to get but I saw this cover paired with the concept of a novel written in lists and after reading the first few pages, the next thing I knew I was at the till, handing over my gift card and walking out of the shop, consciously resisting reading and walking (which I highly advise against).
This book is a YA contemporary made up entirely of lists. Some of these are a mere page long whilst others go on for a dozen or more so the pacing of the novel is extremely quick despite being a whopping 657 pages! I read this in less than 24 hours; I just couldn’t put it down.
I feel that some people could think that the list format would be a little gimmicky but I really enjoyed the way the headings were set out like chapter headings and the lists made up not only the main bulk of the story but also sometimes gave additional background information on the characters.
The characters themselves were annoying in parts but I completely forgave them because they were written in such a realistic way. Todd Hasak-Lowy did a marvellous job of making these teenagers seem like real people; it is very rare that a protagonist in YA fiction actually has parents but in this book, Darren’s whole family is a huge part of the narrative. The way this author tackles topics such as sex, love and LGBT themes is really well done and really got inside the mind of a teenage protagonist.
One trope that is used in this book that some people may not like is the idea of the ‘manic pixie dream girl’. I would usually find this a little irritating as well but in this case, I think that the situation was very well explained and made sense in the context of these characters’ lives.
Overall this is a book that seems to be dividing a lot of people but I can honestly say that I loved it; I loved it in the way I love a warm blanket and a cup of tea; a YA contemporary that does not quite reach the lofty heights of John Green in my opinion, but is definitely up there with the David Levithans and James Dawsons of the YA fiction world for me.
This book is a YA contemporary made up entirely of lists. Some of these are a mere page long whilst others go on for a dozen or more so the pacing of the novel is extremely quick despite being a whopping 657 pages! I read this in less than 24 hours; I just couldn’t put it down.
I feel that some people could think that the list format would be a little gimmicky but I really enjoyed the way the headings were set out like chapter headings and the lists made up not only the main bulk of the story but also sometimes gave additional background information on the characters.
The characters themselves were annoying in parts but I completely forgave them because they were written in such a realistic way. Todd Hasak-Lowy did a marvellous job of making these teenagers seem like real people; it is very rare that a protagonist in YA fiction actually has parents but in this book, Darren’s whole family is a huge part of the narrative. The way this author tackles topics such as sex, love and LGBT themes is really well done and really got inside the mind of a teenage protagonist.
One trope that is used in this book that some people may not like is the idea of the ‘manic pixie dream girl’. I would usually find this a little irritating as well but in this case, I think that the situation was very well explained and made sense in the context of these characters’ lives.
Overall this is a book that seems to be dividing a lot of people but I can honestly say that I loved it; I loved it in the way I love a warm blanket and a cup of tea; a YA contemporary that does not quite reach the lofty heights of John Green in my opinion, but is definitely up there with the David Levithans and James Dawsons of the YA fiction world for me.
September 25, 2016
La peor decepción del año,si te llama la atención este libro no lo leas por favor.
March 22, 2017
Leider konnte mich das Buch gar nicht überzeugen. Den zweiten Stern hat es nur bekommen, da ich die Idee mit den Listen so toll fand.
May 22, 2015
I had high hopes for this book - a story told in lists? I love lists! It's an interesting concept and I applaud Hasak-Lowy for trying this format. Unfortunately, there were many lists that just didn't add to the book and other lists that just went on and on. The book easily could have been half the length! So much potential for the storyline and the format - it just fell short of my expectations. I would suggest it as an interesting read. It probably would be better enjoyed in small chunks - for the format and your arm muscles.
March 2, 2016
Esperaba más de este libro, creo que tenía una idea muy buena pero que no fue bien ejecutada. Siento que cambiaba tanto de tema que no sabría decir bien de que se trata, lo más rescatable de este libro es la forma en la que estaba escrito, la cual me pareció muy original y te mantenía enganchado.
January 19, 2016
3.5
Leer reseña en mi blog
Ya he leído libros narrados por mensajes de texto y por cartas, así que me pareció una idea original que éste esté escrito por listas.
Temía que debido a esto las descripciones fueron nulas, que no llegara a conectar con los personajes o que no me pudiera adentrar en la historia; sin embargo, el libro si te permite todo esto.
Tenemos a Darren, un chico de 15 años, sus padres se divorciaron y no se pueden ni ver, su hermano con el que se lleva muy bien se fue a la universidad, un día decide visitarlo, pero quiere evitar a toda costa a su padre, así que le pide a un chica llamada Zoe el favor de llevarlo, Darren se siente atraído hacia ella pero Zoe es una chica sumamente reservada, por lo que se ve envuelto en todo tipo de sentimientos para intentar llegar a ella, si sumas eso a TODAS las demás cosas que han estado sucediéndole, encontrarás que la vida de Darren es en definitiva todo menos perfecta, o por lo menos buena.
Darren es un chico que me ha causado un poco de conflicto, no consigo saber si me gusta o no, lo que si sé con certeza es que en el principio me gustaba menos que al final, es un personaje realista, tiene muchos temores y inseguridades, el secreto que le revela su padre solo hace que aumenten y que su vida esté llena de dudas por doquier, pero la evolución del personaje me ha gustado mucho; Darren pasa por una etapa difícil con problemas rodeándolo, pero sufre un cambio perceptible, se vuelve una persona más fuerte y decidida a que lo tomen en cuenta, alguna que otra actitud suya no llegó a gustarme del todo.
"Soy de hablar muy poco y en general actúo como si no estuviera aquí, pero lo cierto es que absolutamente aquí y tengo muchas cosas que decir, y que yo sea yo es exactamente tan loco como que tú seas tú."
En el libro tenemos listas cortas y largas, varias de ellas nos aportan poco a poco información y descripciones de los personajes y ciertas situaciones que les han ocurrido o que están ocurriendo, es una forma fresca de contar una historia.
Como les decía anteriormente, no sabía si me llegaría a gustar la forma en que está narrado el libro, una lista permite descripciones prácticamente de nada, pero vaya sorpresa que me llevé al ver mi error.
Me ha parecido un libro original, tanto por la forma en la que está escrita como por la historia. El secreto del padre de Darren es una de las cosas que hace que el libro tome fuerza, a partir de eso vemos a Darren más confuso con su vida, y aunque puede que eso sea el detonante, no gira entorno al secreto, podemos ver diferentes aspectos de la vida de Darren.
Hubieron muchas cosas que me dieron risa, principalmente todas esas escenas donde las hormonas estaban sueltas al mil, que aunque me parecieron en cierta manera algo exageradas, al menos a mí me pareció que le daba cierto humor a la historia (lo sé, soy rara).
En ciertos momentos se me hizo un poco floja la historia, siento que me encontré con descripciones algo innecesarias e irrelevantes, pero en general se lee bastante rápido y la historia se disfruta.
Los personajes fueron lo que más me gustó del libro, Darren me pareció un personaje realista al igual que todos los demás, cada personaje tiene sus problemas, unos peores que otros pero no menos importantes, y el autor sabe darle su lugar a cada uno.
"Tal vez sea ese el objeto de todo: encontrar a la persona indicada con quién escribir tus listas"
La originalidad del autor es algo que sobresale mucho durante la historia, el libro cuenta con esos momentos divertidos, los desesperantes y los de reflexión.
El "secreto" del padre de Darren me pareció que no se le dio mucho más importancia, es decir, fue algo que a cualquier persona sorprende, pero una vez que nos enteramos de él y vemos en algunos momentos a Darren tratando de procesarlo, se queda ahí, me hubiera gustado conocer al papá del Darren.
La verdad es que el libro me ha sorprendido, la sinopsis en realidad no te explica nada de la historia pero te deja con cierta curiosidad, así que lo empecé sin saber tenerle muchas expectativas, y aunque no se convirtió en mi libro favorito, si me dejó un buen sabor de boca.
Leer reseña en mi blog
Ya he leído libros narrados por mensajes de texto y por cartas, así que me pareció una idea original que éste esté escrito por listas.
Temía que debido a esto las descripciones fueron nulas, que no llegara a conectar con los personajes o que no me pudiera adentrar en la historia; sin embargo, el libro si te permite todo esto.
Tenemos a Darren, un chico de 15 años, sus padres se divorciaron y no se pueden ni ver, su hermano con el que se lleva muy bien se fue a la universidad, un día decide visitarlo, pero quiere evitar a toda costa a su padre, así que le pide a un chica llamada Zoe el favor de llevarlo, Darren se siente atraído hacia ella pero Zoe es una chica sumamente reservada, por lo que se ve envuelto en todo tipo de sentimientos para intentar llegar a ella, si sumas eso a TODAS las demás cosas que han estado sucediéndole, encontrarás que la vida de Darren es en definitiva todo menos perfecta, o por lo menos buena.
Darren es un chico que me ha causado un poco de conflicto, no consigo saber si me gusta o no, lo que si sé con certeza es que en el principio me gustaba menos que al final, es un personaje realista, tiene muchos temores y inseguridades, el secreto que le revela su padre solo hace que aumenten y que su vida esté llena de dudas por doquier, pero la evolución del personaje me ha gustado mucho; Darren pasa por una etapa difícil con problemas rodeándolo, pero sufre un cambio perceptible, se vuelve una persona más fuerte y decidida a que lo tomen en cuenta, alguna que otra actitud suya no llegó a gustarme del todo.
"Soy de hablar muy poco y en general actúo como si no estuviera aquí, pero lo cierto es que absolutamente aquí y tengo muchas cosas que decir, y que yo sea yo es exactamente tan loco como que tú seas tú."
En el libro tenemos listas cortas y largas, varias de ellas nos aportan poco a poco información y descripciones de los personajes y ciertas situaciones que les han ocurrido o que están ocurriendo, es una forma fresca de contar una historia.
Como les decía anteriormente, no sabía si me llegaría a gustar la forma en que está narrado el libro, una lista permite descripciones prácticamente de nada, pero vaya sorpresa que me llevé al ver mi error.
Me ha parecido un libro original, tanto por la forma en la que está escrita como por la historia. El secreto del padre de Darren es una de las cosas que hace que el libro tome fuerza, a partir de eso vemos a Darren más confuso con su vida, y aunque puede que eso sea el detonante, no gira entorno al secreto, podemos ver diferentes aspectos de la vida de Darren.
Hubieron muchas cosas que me dieron risa, principalmente todas esas escenas donde las hormonas estaban sueltas al mil, que aunque me parecieron en cierta manera algo exageradas, al menos a mí me pareció que le daba cierto humor a la historia (lo sé, soy rara).
En ciertos momentos se me hizo un poco floja la historia, siento que me encontré con descripciones algo innecesarias e irrelevantes, pero en general se lee bastante rápido y la historia se disfruta.
Los personajes fueron lo que más me gustó del libro, Darren me pareció un personaje realista al igual que todos los demás, cada personaje tiene sus problemas, unos peores que otros pero no menos importantes, y el autor sabe darle su lugar a cada uno.
"Tal vez sea ese el objeto de todo: encontrar a la persona indicada con quién escribir tus listas"
La originalidad del autor es algo que sobresale mucho durante la historia, el libro cuenta con esos momentos divertidos, los desesperantes y los de reflexión.
El "secreto" del padre de Darren me pareció que no se le dio mucho más importancia, es decir, fue algo que a cualquier persona sorprende, pero una vez que nos enteramos de él y vemos en algunos momentos a Darren tratando de procesarlo, se queda ahí, me hubiera gustado conocer al papá del Darren.
La verdad es que el libro me ha sorprendido, la sinopsis en realidad no te explica nada de la historia pero te deja con cierta curiosidad, así que lo empecé sin saber tenerle muchas expectativas, y aunque no se convirtió en mi libro favorito, si me dejó un buen sabor de boca.
September 30, 2017
Zur Rezension auf meinem Blog:
http://jennys-buecherkiste.blogspot.d...
Rezension:
An diesem Buch ist mir als erstes ein Zusatz auf dem Cover ins Auge gesprungen: „Ein Roman in Listen“. Da ich ein absoluter Fan von Listen bin, war ich sehr neugierig, wie der Autor ein gesamtes Buch lediglich in Listen erzählen wollte. Solche besonderen Stilmittel bergen immer die Gefahr, „gut gedacht, aber schlecht gemacht“ zu sein. Tatsächlich ist es bei diesem Buch jedoch der umgekehrte Fall. Mit dem Listen-Stil kam ich wunderbar zurecht. Das Buch ließ sich locker und flüssig lesen, gerade weil nicht jede Seite vollständig bedruckt ist, wenn die Liste nur ein oder zwei Punkte beinhaltet. Außerdem hat der Autor es auf faszinierende Art geschafft, tatsächlich fortlaufende Handlungen zu erzählen. Tagesabläufe, Gedanken, Dialoge und Beschreibungen der Umgebung werden auf ungewöhnliche Weise geliefert. Ich konnte der Handlung folgen und habe alles für die Geschichte Wichtige mitbekommen, obwohl ich Listen mit Spanischvokabeln gelesen habe. In der Umsetzung ist dieses Buch wirklich gelungen.
Leider hat der Autor keine interessante Geschichte zu erzählen gefunden. Die ersten 100 Seiten haben mir noch gefallen, sodass ich einen guten Start ins Buch hatte. Wie der Klappentext bereits erwähnt, steht Darrens Vater eines Morgens in der Küche und teilt ihm etwas mit. Es handelt sich um ein durchaus ernsthaftes Thema, das der Autor sehr sanft behandelt. Darren reagiert mit seinen 15 Jahren sehr reif auf die Eröffnung. Er gibt offen zu, Schwierigkeiten zu haben, das zu verarbeiten. Er informiert sich und stellt Nachforschungen an, um mehr als eine vage Vorstellung zu haben. Er denkt viel über das Thema nach und passt seine Weltsicht dementsprechend an. Das Buch schien mir mit seiner Reife und Sanftheit wunderbar geeignet, um Jugendlichen ein gutes Beispiel zu sein.
Leider ist die Geschichte nach diesem gelungenen Beginn völlig abgestürzt. Es gab kaum noch Handlung, stattdessen folgten ellenlange Listen mit Darrens blühendsten Fantasien. Er beginnt zu rauchen. Sein Bruder, der mir anfangs noch sympathisch war, stellt sich als ununterbrochen high heraus und dreht Darren auch immer wieder Drogen an. Bier trinkt er auch mehr als er sollte. Und eine Menge Listen befassen sich mit sexuellen Handlungen zwischen ihm und verschiedenen Mädchen. Unterbrochen wird der ständige aufgrund seines Alters vollkommen illegale Drogenkonsum nur von Kapiteln, in denen er der verschwundenen Zoey hinterher schmachtet. Natürlich kann das durchaus realistisch sein, aber es ist ansonsten einfach überhaupt gar nichts anderes mehr passiert. Irgendwie ist aus dem schönen Anfang ein oberflächliches Teenager-Selbstfindungs-Zeug geworden – nur ohne die schlussendliche Selbstfindung. Das Buch wurde zäh, langweilig, abgedreht und die restlichen 550 Seiten sind mehr als langatmig gewesen. Es gibt tatsächlich keinen Zielpunkt, kein Fazit worauf diese Geschichte hinausläuft, weder der ernsthafte Anfang noch die betrunkene, bekiffte, voll gequalmte Schmachterei. Die gelungene Umsetzung ist leider völlig verschwendet worden an eine Geschichte, die überhaupt nichts zu erzählen hat.
Fazit:
Ein Buch vollständig in Listenform zu schreiben, ist dem Autor wunderbar gelungen. Das Buch liest sich locker und flüssig und auf faszinierende Art entsteht daraus tatsächlich eine Geschichte. Zu Beginn hat mich auch der Inhalt überzeugt, denn ein ernstes Thema wird sehr sanft, reif und realistisch besprochen. Leider stürzte die Geschichte ziemlich bald völlig ab. Es gab kaum noch Handlung, es ging nur noch um Drogen und Schmachterei. Alles drehte sich im Kreis, wurde langweilig, langatmig und zäh. Die tolle Idee mit den Listen ist an eine fürchterliche, handlungslose Geschichte verschwendet worden. „Dass Ich Ich bin, ist genauso verrückt wie die Tatsache, dass Du Du bist“ bekommt nur wegen der Listen noch zwei Schreibfedern.
http://jennys-buecherkiste.blogspot.d...
Rezension:
An diesem Buch ist mir als erstes ein Zusatz auf dem Cover ins Auge gesprungen: „Ein Roman in Listen“. Da ich ein absoluter Fan von Listen bin, war ich sehr neugierig, wie der Autor ein gesamtes Buch lediglich in Listen erzählen wollte. Solche besonderen Stilmittel bergen immer die Gefahr, „gut gedacht, aber schlecht gemacht“ zu sein. Tatsächlich ist es bei diesem Buch jedoch der umgekehrte Fall. Mit dem Listen-Stil kam ich wunderbar zurecht. Das Buch ließ sich locker und flüssig lesen, gerade weil nicht jede Seite vollständig bedruckt ist, wenn die Liste nur ein oder zwei Punkte beinhaltet. Außerdem hat der Autor es auf faszinierende Art geschafft, tatsächlich fortlaufende Handlungen zu erzählen. Tagesabläufe, Gedanken, Dialoge und Beschreibungen der Umgebung werden auf ungewöhnliche Weise geliefert. Ich konnte der Handlung folgen und habe alles für die Geschichte Wichtige mitbekommen, obwohl ich Listen mit Spanischvokabeln gelesen habe. In der Umsetzung ist dieses Buch wirklich gelungen.
Leider hat der Autor keine interessante Geschichte zu erzählen gefunden. Die ersten 100 Seiten haben mir noch gefallen, sodass ich einen guten Start ins Buch hatte. Wie der Klappentext bereits erwähnt, steht Darrens Vater eines Morgens in der Küche und teilt ihm etwas mit. Es handelt sich um ein durchaus ernsthaftes Thema, das der Autor sehr sanft behandelt. Darren reagiert mit seinen 15 Jahren sehr reif auf die Eröffnung. Er gibt offen zu, Schwierigkeiten zu haben, das zu verarbeiten. Er informiert sich und stellt Nachforschungen an, um mehr als eine vage Vorstellung zu haben. Er denkt viel über das Thema nach und passt seine Weltsicht dementsprechend an. Das Buch schien mir mit seiner Reife und Sanftheit wunderbar geeignet, um Jugendlichen ein gutes Beispiel zu sein.
Leider ist die Geschichte nach diesem gelungenen Beginn völlig abgestürzt. Es gab kaum noch Handlung, stattdessen folgten ellenlange Listen mit Darrens blühendsten Fantasien. Er beginnt zu rauchen. Sein Bruder, der mir anfangs noch sympathisch war, stellt sich als ununterbrochen high heraus und dreht Darren auch immer wieder Drogen an. Bier trinkt er auch mehr als er sollte. Und eine Menge Listen befassen sich mit sexuellen Handlungen zwischen ihm und verschiedenen Mädchen. Unterbrochen wird der ständige aufgrund seines Alters vollkommen illegale Drogenkonsum nur von Kapiteln, in denen er der verschwundenen Zoey hinterher schmachtet. Natürlich kann das durchaus realistisch sein, aber es ist ansonsten einfach überhaupt gar nichts anderes mehr passiert. Irgendwie ist aus dem schönen Anfang ein oberflächliches Teenager-Selbstfindungs-Zeug geworden – nur ohne die schlussendliche Selbstfindung. Das Buch wurde zäh, langweilig, abgedreht und die restlichen 550 Seiten sind mehr als langatmig gewesen. Es gibt tatsächlich keinen Zielpunkt, kein Fazit worauf diese Geschichte hinausläuft, weder der ernsthafte Anfang noch die betrunkene, bekiffte, voll gequalmte Schmachterei. Die gelungene Umsetzung ist leider völlig verschwendet worden an eine Geschichte, die überhaupt nichts zu erzählen hat.
Fazit:
Ein Buch vollständig in Listenform zu schreiben, ist dem Autor wunderbar gelungen. Das Buch liest sich locker und flüssig und auf faszinierende Art entsteht daraus tatsächlich eine Geschichte. Zu Beginn hat mich auch der Inhalt überzeugt, denn ein ernstes Thema wird sehr sanft, reif und realistisch besprochen. Leider stürzte die Geschichte ziemlich bald völlig ab. Es gab kaum noch Handlung, es ging nur noch um Drogen und Schmachterei. Alles drehte sich im Kreis, wurde langweilig, langatmig und zäh. Die tolle Idee mit den Listen ist an eine fürchterliche, handlungslose Geschichte verschwendet worden. „Dass Ich Ich bin, ist genauso verrückt wie die Tatsache, dass Du Du bist“ bekommt nur wegen der Listen noch zwei Schreibfedern.
April 11, 2015
También en: El Extraño Gato del Cuento
Con un nombre tan largo y curioso, algo así como “Yo siendo yo es igual de loco que tú siendo tú”, era imposible no notar este libro. Solo que no me esperaba lo que leí.
¿Cómo diablos le haces para escribir una historia como ésta? Todo el bendito libro está narrado en… ¡Listas! Primero pensé que era una especie de introducción, solo que las páginas avanzaban y las listas continuaban y continuaban. Listas como “3 Palabras que dije antes de la noticia” o “10 Cosas que probablemente estaría pensando” o “2 Escenarios en los que me imagino”, cosas así, algunas bastante graciosas la verdad. Definitivamente Me Being Me Is Exactly as Insane as You Being You se lleva un montón de puntos por su estilo narrativo, Todd Hasak-Lowy ha abierto un nuevo mundo para mí, ya nada será lo mismo.
La historia es bastante buena también, cada vez hay más y más libros LGTB publicados, lo cual se agradece muchísimo, nos ayuda a entender y aceptar al mundo. Pero ¿qué pasa si en el desayuno tu padre te dice que es gay? Por muy maduro que seas, por más que estés de acuerdo que ser homosexual es la cosa más natural de la vida, de qué es shock, es shock. Darren Jacobs, mientras intenta digerir la dona que se acaba de comer, intenta digerir también la pequeña noticia que su, hasta entonces, bastante heterosexual y recién divorciado padre, le suelta. Más las otras bombas que su familia le va soltando durante el año.
Darren Jacobs es un chico de 15 años con la mente bastante curiosa y un poquito subido de peso, idolatra a su hermano mayor, tiene el mismo problema que yo cuando estaba en el colegio, es un año mejor que todos en su clase por lo que se siente en desbalance de vez cuando, preguntándose que quizá estaría mejor con la clase que sí tiene su edad. Y encima de todo, no es la persona más sociable exactamente. Tuve dejavus hasta por la puras, kitten.
Me Being Me Is Exactly as Insane as You Being You es el ejemplo extendido de la frase “Estoy bien”, ese momento en el que quisieras gritar, patear, golpear, reclamar, llorar un poco pero sabes sería injusto y egoísta para la persona que te lo pregunta, por lo que pones buena cara, sonríes, dices estar bien y que sigan contando sus problemas, mientras vas acumulando poco a poco toda la presión, porque de verdad quieres ser una buena persona, quieres estar ahí para apoyar y aconsejar a las personas que quieres y te necesitan. El problema viene cuando explotas.
Otro de los detalles que me gustó de Me Being Me Is Exactly as Insane as You Being You es que no idealiza los problemas mentales, algo que pudo ser bastante fácil, pero Todd Hasak-Lowy nos trae el lado duro, la decisión drástica que a veces se deben tomar para cuidar de las personas que queremos.
Lo único negativo que le encontré al libro es que tienen una cantidad importante de marihuana, no es ningún tipo de apología a este planta pero sí es mencionado más de un par de veces.
Entonces, kitten, ¿Qué tan loco es que nosotros seamos nosotros?
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Con un nombre tan largo y curioso, algo así como “Yo siendo yo es igual de loco que tú siendo tú”, era imposible no notar este libro. Solo que no me esperaba lo que leí.
¿Cómo diablos le haces para escribir una historia como ésta? Todo el bendito libro está narrado en… ¡Listas! Primero pensé que era una especie de introducción, solo que las páginas avanzaban y las listas continuaban y continuaban. Listas como “3 Palabras que dije antes de la noticia” o “10 Cosas que probablemente estaría pensando” o “2 Escenarios en los que me imagino”, cosas así, algunas bastante graciosas la verdad. Definitivamente Me Being Me Is Exactly as Insane as You Being You se lleva un montón de puntos por su estilo narrativo, Todd Hasak-Lowy ha abierto un nuevo mundo para mí, ya nada será lo mismo.
La historia es bastante buena también, cada vez hay más y más libros LGTB publicados, lo cual se agradece muchísimo, nos ayuda a entender y aceptar al mundo. Pero ¿qué pasa si en el desayuno tu padre te dice que es gay? Por muy maduro que seas, por más que estés de acuerdo que ser homosexual es la cosa más natural de la vida, de qué es shock, es shock. Darren Jacobs, mientras intenta digerir la dona que se acaba de comer, intenta digerir también la pequeña noticia que su, hasta entonces, bastante heterosexual y recién divorciado padre, le suelta. Más las otras bombas que su familia le va soltando durante el año.
Darren Jacobs es un chico de 15 años con la mente bastante curiosa y un poquito subido de peso, idolatra a su hermano mayor, tiene el mismo problema que yo cuando estaba en el colegio, es un año mejor que todos en su clase por lo que se siente en desbalance de vez cuando, preguntándose que quizá estaría mejor con la clase que sí tiene su edad. Y encima de todo, no es la persona más sociable exactamente. Tuve dejavus hasta por la puras, kitten.
Me Being Me Is Exactly as Insane as You Being You es el ejemplo extendido de la frase “Estoy bien”, ese momento en el que quisieras gritar, patear, golpear, reclamar, llorar un poco pero sabes sería injusto y egoísta para la persona que te lo pregunta, por lo que pones buena cara, sonríes, dices estar bien y que sigan contando sus problemas, mientras vas acumulando poco a poco toda la presión, porque de verdad quieres ser una buena persona, quieres estar ahí para apoyar y aconsejar a las personas que quieres y te necesitan. El problema viene cuando explotas.
Otro de los detalles que me gustó de Me Being Me Is Exactly as Insane as You Being You es que no idealiza los problemas mentales, algo que pudo ser bastante fácil, pero Todd Hasak-Lowy nos trae el lado duro, la decisión drástica que a veces se deben tomar para cuidar de las personas que queremos.
Lo único negativo que le encontré al libro es que tienen una cantidad importante de marihuana, no es ningún tipo de apología a este planta pero sí es mencionado más de un par de veces.
Entonces, kitten, ¿Qué tan loco es que nosotros seamos nosotros?
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June 21, 2015
This book was provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This did not influence my review in any way.
I am not sure I have ever read such a tedious 600 + pages. This book is told entirely in lists. LISTS! And it is more than 600 pages. I am not sure why anyone ever thought this was a good idea. There is a story here – but what is it? Darren is fifteen and going through some major life changes as his parents reveal the real reason for their divorce, the girl of his dreams disappears from his life without a trace, and his brother has left him for college. You could call this a coming-of-age novel. I normally love those. Not this time.
The concept of the entire book told in lists seems interesting and novel to start with. You’re excited, this is new and different. I got through about fifty pages of this (because to start with, it’s super easy to read) and then I realised – I have to read another six hundred pages of this to get through. Suddenly it became a chore. Because some of the lists are completely useless and add nothing to the story at all. For example:
“7 Days Since Saturday, April 26, That Darren Hasn’t Thought about Zoey within the First Four Minutes of Waking Up, Not That He Understands What Was So Special about Those Days, When He Was Definitely Thinking About Her Before Breakfast Was Over Anyway
1. Thursday, May 22
2. Tuesday, June 17
3. Thursday, July 3
4. Monday, July 21
5. Sunday, July 27
6. Friday, August 8
7. Monday, August 25”
A completely unnecessary list, taking up a whole page, and what did it add to the story? Absolutely nothing! What a waste of paper. Waste of a tree! There were many more pages like this so, yeah I’ll admit, I started skimming.
Writing style aside, I felt even the story was bland. I didn’t even like or dislike any of the characters – all I felt was indifference. This story could not stir up any emotion for me – which is rare for me! But I couldn’t get invested, didn’t feel involved the way I do in a good story. For a coming-of-age story, I didn’t notice any change in Darren over the course of the novel. I did not understand his obsession with Zoey, with whom he had hardly exchanged any words with before she randomly follows his to … where did his brother live again? I can’t even remember. That is the impression this book left on me and if it had been written in regular prose as opposed to lists I don’t think I would remember it at all.
1.5 stars
I am not sure I have ever read such a tedious 600 + pages. This book is told entirely in lists. LISTS! And it is more than 600 pages. I am not sure why anyone ever thought this was a good idea. There is a story here – but what is it? Darren is fifteen and going through some major life changes as his parents reveal the real reason for their divorce, the girl of his dreams disappears from his life without a trace, and his brother has left him for college. You could call this a coming-of-age novel. I normally love those. Not this time.
The concept of the entire book told in lists seems interesting and novel to start with. You’re excited, this is new and different. I got through about fifty pages of this (because to start with, it’s super easy to read) and then I realised – I have to read another six hundred pages of this to get through. Suddenly it became a chore. Because some of the lists are completely useless and add nothing to the story at all. For example:
“7 Days Since Saturday, April 26, That Darren Hasn’t Thought about Zoey within the First Four Minutes of Waking Up, Not That He Understands What Was So Special about Those Days, When He Was Definitely Thinking About Her Before Breakfast Was Over Anyway
1. Thursday, May 22
2. Tuesday, June 17
3. Thursday, July 3
4. Monday, July 21
5. Sunday, July 27
6. Friday, August 8
7. Monday, August 25”
A completely unnecessary list, taking up a whole page, and what did it add to the story? Absolutely nothing! What a waste of paper. Waste of a tree! There were many more pages like this so, yeah I’ll admit, I started skimming.
Writing style aside, I felt even the story was bland. I didn’t even like or dislike any of the characters – all I felt was indifference. This story could not stir up any emotion for me – which is rare for me! But I couldn’t get invested, didn’t feel involved the way I do in a good story. For a coming-of-age story, I didn’t notice any change in Darren over the course of the novel. I did not understand his obsession with Zoey, with whom he had hardly exchanged any words with before she randomly follows his to … where did his brother live again? I can’t even remember. That is the impression this book left on me and if it had been written in regular prose as opposed to lists I don’t think I would remember it at all.
1.5 stars
June 21, 2015
15 year-old Darren Jacobs is grappling with:
1) his parents' recent divorce
2) his father's coming out as gay
3) his body image
4) his sexual feelings
5) his confused emotions about at least 2 girls
6) the way that his parents suddenly seem like different people
7) the way that his parents have lives that don't necessarily have him at the center
8) general weirdness
Darren has a lot on his emotional plate, and being a fairly typical 15 year old boy, he is not really emotionally equipped to deal with it all. Much has been written about the fact that this novel is told entirely through a series of lists. Does it work as a narrative style? Does it add anything to the story? Or is it merely a gimmick? I would argue that the lists create an effective emotional remove for Darren -- not to mention a fantastic source of humour. Unfortunately, the author got a bit carried away with list-making and the novel would have been improved with a tighter edit. As a coming-of-age story, Darren barely gets out of the starting gate -- but I thought it was a worthwhile take on the very modern life of a 15 year old boy. I feel a bit guilty for not giving it 4 stars, because I really liked it quite a lot of the time . . . but it undeniably bogged down.
A more complete review can be found at http://tracbook.blogspot.com/2015/06/....
1) his parents' recent divorce
2) his father's coming out as gay
3) his body image
4) his sexual feelings
5) his confused emotions about at least 2 girls
6) the way that his parents suddenly seem like different people
7) the way that his parents have lives that don't necessarily have him at the center
8) general weirdness
Darren has a lot on his emotional plate, and being a fairly typical 15 year old boy, he is not really emotionally equipped to deal with it all. Much has been written about the fact that this novel is told entirely through a series of lists. Does it work as a narrative style? Does it add anything to the story? Or is it merely a gimmick? I would argue that the lists create an effective emotional remove for Darren -- not to mention a fantastic source of humour. Unfortunately, the author got a bit carried away with list-making and the novel would have been improved with a tighter edit. As a coming-of-age story, Darren barely gets out of the starting gate -- but I thought it was a worthwhile take on the very modern life of a 15 year old boy. I feel a bit guilty for not giving it 4 stars, because I really liked it quite a lot of the time . . . but it undeniably bogged down.
A more complete review can be found at http://tracbook.blogspot.com/2015/06/....
Shelved as 'didnt-finish'
July 31, 2016Keine Lust mehr nach 1/3. Das Buch ist in Listen geschrieben, was ich richtig cool finde und weswegen ich es überhaupt lesen wollte. Dieser Stil funktioniert auch ziemlich gut, obwohl es manchmal anstrengend ist aus den ellenlangen Listentiteln den eigentlichen Sinn herauszulesen.
Mein Problem mit dem Buch ist Protagonist Darren. Nervig und unsympathisch. Manches kann man ihm sicher verzeihen, wenn man sich vor Augen hält, dass er ein 15jähriger Teenager ist. Da muss ich mir einfach selbst eingestehen, dass das zwar realistisch ist, ich darüber aber nichts lesen will. Andere Sachen fand ich trotzdem unglücklich dargestellt oder formuliert. Insbesondere wie Darren auf das Geständnis seines Vaters reagiert oder manchmal auch wie er von Mädchen denkt. Das fand ich einfach unangenehm und es gibt bessere Wegen sich auszudrücken und trotzdem einen realistischen Jugendlichen zu zeichnen. Vielleicht bevorzuge ich auch einfach die kultivierten John-Green-Teenager :P
Mein Problem mit dem Buch ist Protagonist Darren. Nervig und unsympathisch. Manches kann man ihm sicher verzeihen, wenn man sich vor Augen hält, dass er ein 15jähriger Teenager ist. Da muss ich mir einfach selbst eingestehen, dass das zwar realistisch ist, ich darüber aber nichts lesen will. Andere Sachen fand ich trotzdem unglücklich dargestellt oder formuliert. Insbesondere wie Darren auf das Geständnis seines Vaters reagiert oder manchmal auch wie er von Mädchen denkt. Das fand ich einfach unangenehm und es gibt bessere Wegen sich auszudrücken und trotzdem einen realistischen Jugendlichen zu zeichnen. Vielleicht bevorzuge ich auch einfach die kultivierten John-Green-Teenager :P
October 20, 2015
8 reasons why books need to stay books and Buzzfeed listicles need to stay Buzzfeed listicles and they shouldn't go and try to copy each other's concepts (reasons that also simultaneously sort of tell what the book is about)
1. okay, so your father is gay, and you need a whole book to get over that fact, good for you, wow, I have so many other things to do in this open & tolerant 21st century society then panic and rant about my gay dad
2. okay, so you're in love with a manic pixie dream girl because you're a teenager and 20 pages into the book, it's pretttty clear where that story line will be going
3. except I need to read 600+ pages of listicles first
4. at least half of which the book could have done without
5. seriously, dude, enough with the listicles already
6. no one cares in what order you eat the cookies you bought, just so you could make a listicle named Cookies In The Order In Which I Ate Them and then attach to each cookie a completely unrelated rambling about one of your Gigantic Teenage Problems that you might as well NOT HAVE WRITTEN AS A LISTICLE but as a normal chapter in a normal book
7. okay, so you play bass in a very mediocre rock band that's never going to go anywhere
8. okay and then suddenly the book is done.
3 ways I need to say goodbye to this book right now
1. okay book
2. bye now
3. see you NEVER
1. okay, so your father is gay, and you need a whole book to get over that fact, good for you, wow, I have so many other things to do in this open & tolerant 21st century society then panic and rant about my gay dad
2. okay, so you're in love with a manic pixie dream girl because you're a teenager and 20 pages into the book, it's pretttty clear where that story line will be going
3. except I need to read 600+ pages of listicles first
4. at least half of which the book could have done without
5. seriously, dude, enough with the listicles already
6. no one cares in what order you eat the cookies you bought, just so you could make a listicle named Cookies In The Order In Which I Ate Them and then attach to each cookie a completely unrelated rambling about one of your Gigantic Teenage Problems that you might as well NOT HAVE WRITTEN AS A LISTICLE but as a normal chapter in a normal book
7. okay, so you play bass in a very mediocre rock band that's never going to go anywhere
8. okay and then suddenly the book is done.
3 ways I need to say goodbye to this book right now
1. okay book
2. bye now
3. see you NEVER
October 17, 2017
Musste ich schon auf Grund des Covers haben, und die Idee, einen kompletten Roman in Listenform zu schreiben, hat mich ebenfalls neugierig gemacht.
Alles in allem war das Buch ein interessantes Leseerlebnis, auch wenn manche "Listen" eher eine Art "Wie fülle ich diese Seite" war, als tatsächliche Information, die die Handlung vorantreibt. Überhaupt die Handlung: das Durcheinander eines fast 16jährigen, der erfährt, dass sein Vater schwul ist, sein Bruder die Uni nicht schafft, die Mutter in ihrer Karriere immer erfolgreicher wird, und dann auch noch ein interessantes Mädchen in seinem Umkreis... viel Stoff für ein gutes Buch. Leider schneidet der Autor diese Themen aber eher an, geht aber nicht wirklich in die Tiefe bzw. lässt alles sehr offen, sodass ich mich frage, ob eine Fortsetzung der Geschichte geplant (oder schon erschienen?) ist.
Aber grundsätzlich bin ich von diesem Buchprojekt angetan, eine nette Lektüre für abends im Bett, auch wenn das Buch ein rechter Klops ist.
Alles in allem war das Buch ein interessantes Leseerlebnis, auch wenn manche "Listen" eher eine Art "Wie fülle ich diese Seite" war, als tatsächliche Information, die die Handlung vorantreibt. Überhaupt die Handlung: das Durcheinander eines fast 16jährigen, der erfährt, dass sein Vater schwul ist, sein Bruder die Uni nicht schafft, die Mutter in ihrer Karriere immer erfolgreicher wird, und dann auch noch ein interessantes Mädchen in seinem Umkreis... viel Stoff für ein gutes Buch. Leider schneidet der Autor diese Themen aber eher an, geht aber nicht wirklich in die Tiefe bzw. lässt alles sehr offen, sodass ich mich frage, ob eine Fortsetzung der Geschichte geplant (oder schon erschienen?) ist.
Aber grundsätzlich bin ich von diesem Buchprojekt angetan, eine nette Lektüre für abends im Bett, auch wenn das Buch ein rechter Klops ist.
November 10, 2015
Me Being Me is Exactly as Insane as You Being You by Todd Hasak-Lowy is an interesting novel that consists only of lists. In it Darren deals with his new normal, his parents are divorced, his dad is gay, his best friend has maven away, his older brother's at college and he doesn't have a girlfriend. But when a mysterious girl decides to come with him to visit his brother he realizes that he's falling in love. If only she hadn't been sent away to a hardcore boarding school as soon as they got back, now what will Darren do? In this book you follow Darren as he navigates his new life.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 20, 2016
Todd Hasak-Lowy's debut YA novel is simply a must read. With it's unique approach of telling a story entirely using lists, it tells the story of Darren Jacobs and his struggles in dealing with his parent's divorce, as well as his somewhat-of-a-douchebag brother, and his longing for someone he hardly knows. Although the idea of using lists can become a little much at times (I've had to go back and read what the list was even relating to a few times) I completely recommend this book to anyone. I may even be tempted to make a return to this book in the near future.
May 23, 2016
I was provided with this book in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts are my own.
I really enjoyed this book overall. Such a unique writing style and it covers some really important themes that is not often seen in YA books. It was humorous without taking away from the main storyline, and had just the right amount of feels. Would definitely recommend. Full review on my blog.
I really enjoyed this book overall. Such a unique writing style and it covers some really important themes that is not often seen in YA books. It was humorous without taking away from the main storyline, and had just the right amount of feels. Would definitely recommend. Full review on my blog.
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