I’ve known the name Shane Dawson since I was about 13 and first started watching YouTube, but for a long time, I wasn’t a fan of him. I didn’t understand his crude humor, and I found him abrasive rather than funny. In the past few years, however, I started growing more fond of his internet presence. And especially this year with his new video format, he has me laughing at every video, and I find myself unable to wait for his next videos because they’re some of my favorite content on YouTube at the moment.
Because of my newfound appreciation for Shane, I decided I’d pick up his two books of essays to learn more about him and see if they’re just as funny as he is on camera. And wow. If you’re a fan of 2018 Shane Dawson, do not pick up this book.
It’s a slap in the face because it reverts right back to that problematic, gross 2011 humor. This book was back to back jokes about rape, bestiality, incest, and other distasteful topics that made me frown in disgust rather than laugh. He also references his history of being fat with very fatphobic hindsight, so much so that it was almost disturbing to read. I thought some of these stories were entertaining, especially because I’ve seen his mom and other people he mentioned in his videos and it’s interesting to hear more about growing up and his childhood, but he would make self-aggrandizing jokes rather than opening up to the audience, and most of those jokes were just so poorly done.
Even the stories inside the book felt so fake. There are several points where you just know he’s making up a story or dialogue, and it’s so obvious. I don’t know how he got away with writing about a situation that’s so obviously fake, but I was rolling my eyes at half the dialogue because it was just so clear that he was embellishing his stories for a joke. By the end of the book, I didn’t trust what was real and what wasn’t because he made everything hyperbolic in order to deliver a mediocre punchline.
If I were Shane, I would be ashamed that this book exists. He’s grown so much since this point in his life, especially in the way his humor has evolved, and even though he says he wants to be able to joke around in a way that’s harmless and say things that other people are afraid to, most of the humor in this book is just plain offensive. I know he’s learned from his mistakes so I’m still going to try his second book, but skip this one if you’re a fan of Shane. It’s very messy.