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The Bad One
Some families can appear ideal from the outside, and still feel like agony to be a part of. The Bad One is about what it’s like to be a scapegoat, how to reclaim your story, heal yourself and finally live your life in truth.
350 pages, Hardcover
Published July 7, 2020
54 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
March 25, 2025
I don't know if this book is for everyone, but it definitely is for me. I am an anvil kid, too.
"I have always liked the way alcohol makes me feel, because it makes me feel like I don't have to be me." This line on the first page caused me to beat the book maniacally against my forehead. Safety not guaranteed. Proceed with Caution.
I also grew up in Chautauqua County, NY and bathed in the same sewer pipe water as Tyler, just a few years later. Our families' damage is a little different, but the way I treated myself as a young adult is nearly identical. So in that sense, this memoir felt a bit like driving by a burning building and seeing my name scrawled upon it.
I was introduced to Tyler's writing by a guy I dated. He was a big Tucker Max fan. And thus, I also became a Tucker Max fan (feminists, holler), but TheBunnyBlog was the stuff I would read and try to decode like a cipher well into adulthood. Again, and I'm not sure how many stupid analogies I can apply here, it was like looking into a mirror. This young woman was writing for her life in a way that was raw, darkly comical, and undecided. Her conclusions about what to make of her own stories were still not drawn. At the time, I was attending an all women's college. Not the kind where you burn bras, but the kind where you have a mental breakdown if you don't get engaged by the start of your senior year. There was no one—and I mean absolutely no one—in my world who I could talk to. But when I read Tyler's writing, I felt hope. Like I might have a rare disease, but someone out there was working on a cure, and I could too. So Tyler inspired me to start writing when I was 23. I wrote everyday , though always privately, and this became the beginning of my understanding that my life to date had not been normal or kind.
For someone acquainted with Tyler's blog writing, The Bad One's tone is immediately different. This is a woman who has come to an understanding with her past. The stories are raw and challenging, but they are not presented in a theatrical manner. This is not a trauma dump memoir. Each story colors in another small white space of how Tyler came to be, the formula that made her, and the code she cracked to find relief. What I love most about this book is it is written 100% from Tyler's experience. It's not trying to sell you a philosophy or a plan for becoming. She is deliberate in telling only her own story. She comes to the realization that adults, at some point, become responsible for their own healing. There's no handing the bill back to your parents when you're 29.
I had some clue of how it would "end" but every moment getting there was necessary and deserved.
Her graphics are imaginative. And the use of the full black pages to depict nightmares and present-day revelations felt deeply satisfying.
Tyler is one of the most daring authors around. She always has been. The anvil kids get it. Would it be cheesy to say thank you? Too late.
"I have always liked the way alcohol makes me feel, because it makes me feel like I don't have to be me." This line on the first page caused me to beat the book maniacally against my forehead. Safety not guaranteed. Proceed with Caution.
I also grew up in Chautauqua County, NY and bathed in the same sewer pipe water as Tyler, just a few years later. Our families' damage is a little different, but the way I treated myself as a young adult is nearly identical. So in that sense, this memoir felt a bit like driving by a burning building and seeing my name scrawled upon it.
I was introduced to Tyler's writing by a guy I dated. He was a big Tucker Max fan. And thus, I also became a Tucker Max fan (feminists, holler), but TheBunnyBlog was the stuff I would read and try to decode like a cipher well into adulthood. Again, and I'm not sure how many stupid analogies I can apply here, it was like looking into a mirror. This young woman was writing for her life in a way that was raw, darkly comical, and undecided. Her conclusions about what to make of her own stories were still not drawn. At the time, I was attending an all women's college. Not the kind where you burn bras, but the kind where you have a mental breakdown if you don't get engaged by the start of your senior year. There was no one—and I mean absolutely no one—in my world who I could talk to. But when I read Tyler's writing, I felt hope. Like I might have a rare disease, but someone out there was working on a cure, and I could too. So Tyler inspired me to start writing when I was 23. I wrote everyday , though always privately, and this became the beginning of my understanding that my life to date had not been normal or kind.
For someone acquainted with Tyler's blog writing, The Bad One's tone is immediately different. This is a woman who has come to an understanding with her past. The stories are raw and challenging, but they are not presented in a theatrical manner. This is not a trauma dump memoir. Each story colors in another small white space of how Tyler came to be, the formula that made her, and the code she cracked to find relief. What I love most about this book is it is written 100% from Tyler's experience. It's not trying to sell you a philosophy or a plan for becoming. She is deliberate in telling only her own story. She comes to the realization that adults, at some point, become responsible for their own healing. There's no handing the bill back to your parents when you're 29.
I had some clue of how it would "end" but every moment getting there was necessary and deserved.
Her graphics are imaginative. And the use of the full black pages to depict nightmares and present-day revelations felt deeply satisfying.
Tyler is one of the most daring authors around. She always has been. The anvil kids get it. Would it be cheesy to say thank you? Too late.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 28, 2020
Erin Tyler's "The Bad One" is a portrait of trauma presented in a way that has no regard for the reader's comfort. It's a story that is not often told, but one whose telling empowers those that identify with the struggles and anxiety that are present within dysfunctional families and even well-meaning families that are unconsciously misguided. Tyler describes her role as a family "scapegoat": she is held to high standards while simultaneously never given the support to meet those standards. She suffers with an eating disorder, binge drinking, and depression largely in silence. In telling this story she is able to reframe and reclaim her experiences.
This memoir is definitely a montage of sorts and includes flashbacks as well as dream sequences. It is a plot-based story and focuses more on what happened as opposed to leaning into character development or a linear storytelling.
At the end of the book, Tyler speaks about how she needed to actually tell her story, as opposed to just coming to terms with it herself. Her sharing will be very worthwhile for anyone who has struggled with controlling parents or families, disordered eating, or coming to terms with their childhood.
The book is accompanied by Tyler's original digital illustrations.
This memoir is definitely a montage of sorts and includes flashbacks as well as dream sequences. It is a plot-based story and focuses more on what happened as opposed to leaning into character development or a linear storytelling.
At the end of the book, Tyler speaks about how she needed to actually tell her story, as opposed to just coming to terms with it herself. Her sharing will be very worthwhile for anyone who has struggled with controlling parents or families, disordered eating, or coming to terms with their childhood.
The book is accompanied by Tyler's original digital illustrations.
July 24, 2020
A very solid memoir about the author's life dealing with her toxic, bullying family, and the assorted issues she carried into adulthood as a result of that. I'd recommend this for anyone who has lived with narcissist parents, or parents who heavily favor one child and blame everything that goes wrong on another (in Tyler's words, the 'scapegoat'). It's not the most transcendental book that's ever been written, like I've seen some reviews say, but it's quite good.
The book is illustrated by Tyler, with some interesting stylistic choices (in various places, it switches to white text on black background, etc) and different fonts to illustrate thoughts, expressions, etc. There's certainly something you'll get out of the physical version that is impossible to replicate in a digital version, but I still think it's weird not to offer an e-reader version. A price point at $28 is simply a high barrier for a lot of people.
The book is illustrated by Tyler, with some interesting stylistic choices (in various places, it switches to white text on black background, etc) and different fonts to illustrate thoughts, expressions, etc. There's certainly something you'll get out of the physical version that is impossible to replicate in a digital version, but I still think it's weird not to offer an e-reader version. A price point at $28 is simply a high barrier for a lot of people.
January 5, 2021
This book touched my soul. It is raw with emotion, an honest heart laid bare. Amazingly well written. Read this book.
September 20, 2021
To call this a book is an understatement. It is that and so much more. It is, perhaps, the most unique presentation of a memoir I will ever read.
This is the kind of storytelling that you didn't know was possible until you read it and you think, "WHY HAS NO ONE DONE THIS BEFORE!?"
The fact that there is an audio book could almost be considered a sin. THAT'S how utterly blown away the hard copy left me. PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE, do yourself a favor and get the physical book. Erin's creativity and talent deserve it.
THE BAD ONE is not only one of the best books I have ever read, it ranks up there with movies, TV shows, graphic novels, and documentaries as one of the best works of art I have ever consumed. Erin's life story is a work of art and I am forever going to be grateful to her for telling it.
Many people will begin their healing after reading this.
HIGHEST OF PRAISE.
This is the kind of storytelling that you didn't know was possible until you read it and you think, "WHY HAS NO ONE DONE THIS BEFORE!?"
The fact that there is an audio book could almost be considered a sin. THAT'S how utterly blown away the hard copy left me. PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE, do yourself a favor and get the physical book. Erin's creativity and talent deserve it.
THE BAD ONE is not only one of the best books I have ever read, it ranks up there with movies, TV shows, graphic novels, and documentaries as one of the best works of art I have ever consumed. Erin's life story is a work of art and I am forever going to be grateful to her for telling it.
Many people will begin their healing after reading this.
HIGHEST OF PRAISE.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews