The You You Are: A Spiritual Biography of You

Severance

by Ricken Lazlo Hale

This book is drawn from the universe of Severance, the globally acclaimed hit Apple Original series from director and executive producer Ben Stiller and creator Dan Erickson.

Are you ready to meet the person who truly makes you “You”: You?

In his quinquennial tome, Dr. Ricken Lazlo Hale, PhD guides You on a brave journey of self-learnedness. Fertile with mind-engorging insights, The You You Are is an invitation to merge with your true “You,” and expel from your essence the dead-eyed conventionalism that has defined your life since infancy.

For the first time ever, Dr. Ricken’s luminous writings are available in digital format, only on Apple Books. Though librarians strongly urge reading his complete oeuvre, this ebook — featuring the inaugural eight chapters from The You You Are — is sure to tickle both the completist and the layman. In addition, enjoy an exclusive letter of apology from the author himself, addressed to none other than YOU.

In Severance, Mark Scout (Adam Scott) leads a team at Lumon Industries, whose employees have undergone a severance procedure, which surgically divides their memories between their work and personal lives. This daring experiment in “work-life balance” is called into question as Mark - a widower who happens to be Dr. Ricken Hale’s brother in law - finds himself at the center of an unraveling mystery that will force him to confront the true nature of his work … and of himself.

Watch Severance, now streaming on Apple TV+.

Genres: Fiction, Audiobook, Humor, Self Help, Short Stories, Science Fiction, Comedy

39 pages, ebook

First published February 18, 2022

Reviews

[Scarymommy]

Page 197 slaps. Highly recommended.

[Calamity Jane]

Bullies are nothing but bull and lies. I am looking forward to reading the book in its entirety, but every time I order a copy, it gets stolen off my front steps. So frustrating.

[Marc Sloop]

I'm trying to come up with a decent review of this but unfortunately I sound like a sad old hamburger waiter prattling on about sauces.

[Kristin Schroeder]

I enjoyed each page equally.

[Katie Knotts]

I stole this book off of someone’s front stoop. The book was so profound it inspired me to turn myself in.

[Arpit Roopchandani]

This book opened up the world for me. Practically changed my whole life.
Wish I could be friends with the author 😪

[Chema]

The Me Me IS liked this a lot.

[claire]

give the apple tv marketing team a raise

[Kaiky C]

From page 197:
"Our job is to taste free air. Your so-called boss may own the clock that taunts you from the wall, but, my friends, the hour is yours."

A legitimately inspiring quote from a not-so-legit book.

[Anniek]

devon ... girl .....

[Emily M]

fuck it i am counting the 84 page Apple release as a read book.

[Janet Hessert]

This book is an idolatrous text, and should be brought to the authorities immediately.

[Coraline]

My innie enjoyed each page equally.

[Athena Noctua]

An except from Chapter 5: An Acrostic Poem Experience by the Author, Ricken Hale

DESTINY

D is for Dreaming, the start of it all.
E is for Energy, breaking down walls.
S is for Stewardship, of home and of earth.
T is for Terror, which gives us more worth.
I is for Eyes, which observe us with love - until…
N meaning Newness, rains down from above; and
Y that’s a question we needn’t now ponder, for Destiny, friends, shall deliver all yonder.

(I wish this was real.)

[Nora Suntken]

I’ve never read something that simultaneously felt so silly and so earnest. There were points on my walk where I was genuinely having to bite my tongue to stop laughing and others where I was like … wait a damn minute Ricken you might’ve done something. The audiobook is a must in my opinion because it just adds a degree of unseriousness to it all while maintaining the implicit, DEEPLY serious intentions behind the piece. It is a fun companion to the show and while I do wish they put the whole thing out, this added some complexity to characters and also made me a newly anointed member of the people religion or whatever.

[Ionarr]

Despite only reaching a state of partial enlightenment due to the unfortunate delay in the complete book, I feel confident is saying my life has indeed been changed and I look forward to continuing my journey to become the Me I Am, with the help and magnanimous guidance of Dr Ricken Hale, PhD.

[Simon Hazelden]

The book is fictional, if it existed, I probably wouldn't look at it long enough to read the title, but in the context of the brilliant Apple plus TV show "Severance", a portrayal of an extreme dystopian work-life balance dream/nightmare, the book is a revolutionary masterpiece.
Quotes such as "Bullies are nothing more than BULL and LIES. At the centre of Industry is DUST"... mindblowing.

[Lou Schonder]

A smorgasbord for the soul without the food!

[Gretchen Miller]

in need of a 7 minute reflection break

[Becca Deverter]

Page 197 SLAPS

[Ally]

I was thrilled when my partner told me that "The You You Are" legit exists, and was even more delighted when I discovered it was FREE* in Apple Books! Kudos to the creative marketing team for giving us a fun way to enjoy and engage with Severance beyond the show.

I am a satire lover so this was perfect for me. I listened to the audiobook (gotta have that Ricken voice spout his wisdom), and have the ebook on my virtual shelf because... why not? THEY'RE FREE!** Free at last!

*Take that Capitalism!
**I highly doubt this is a nod to our four Severance pals finding true freedom, but a girl (who makes meaning out of everything) can dream. 😆

[Kyrylo Brener]

I enjoyed each page equally!

---

Але насправді підхід епл до всесвіту северенс в мене викликає величезне захоплення і ця жартівлива книга, така собі сатира над коачінг літературою, зайве тому підтвердження. Дуже смішно написано, хоча місцями авторам вдалось знайти дивний баланс між справді ідіотією та серйозними речами, які випадково проговорює абсолютно дуркуватий і нарцисичний (хоча при цьому добрий) персонаж Рікена.
Але загалом звісно це зроблено більше щоб посміятись, пару місць було де я прям вголос.

[B.]

A real “Sister Act” of a book. It’s simply nowhere near as profound as it thinks it is. Although I suppose it’s the sort of drivel I’d expect from a man who is unable to tell a beehive from a wig.

MBTI for preteens.

[Dan Hemme]

A true masterpiece for the first eight chapters. I implore the publishers to release the entire manuscript.

[Ashlyn Wheat]

“What separates man from machine is that machines cannot think for themselves.
Also, they are made of metal, whereas man is made of skin.”

If this were the only piece of literature I had ever read, I, too, would lead an office revolt.
Transformative work (also peak brain rot consumption)

[Steve]

I hear this is changing my life, but I'm not sure because I'm not the one actually reading it

[♡ sincerely, marisa ♡]

nobody works harder that the advertisement at Apple TV.

ghostwriting a whole ass book for severance fans 😂

it was actually really good & I loved the narration.

read this if you love severance 😝

[ND]

You actually can read a book from series?!? Love it.

Apple tv is setting a new standard for TV!

[Erik Wilson]

I’ve been reading this a work lately, but struggling to remember much about it? Some might say it breaks the entire literature world. Might even be inspired to start an uprising from the macrodat department.

[Dylan Bekker]

Dr. Ricken Hale has created what is quite possibly the greatest book I have ever read. From the opening page where I heard a shocking (but ultimately untrue) revelation about young Mozart, I was captivated with Hale’s ability to teach me about the me that I am. The only reason I didn’t rate it 5 stars is because it’s only 50 or so pages long, it needed to be 500 or more.