Book recommendations from a bad reader

But I'm trying to read more I swear

I have zero attention span

So if you’re like me, these books might just work for you! If my insane ass was able to sit through them, you should have no trouble. I don’t know if these are my favorite books of all time, but they might be. I am not a very literary person. But I know good writing when I see it! (hopefully good writing will make it onto this page one day).

Five Books I Tell People to Read

1) How We Fight For Our Lives by Saeed Jones

Admitting my bias right off the bat: Saeed is a dear friend and somebody who I love very deeply. But ignore that part! This book is breathtaking, and all my friends who do not know Saeed feel the same way I do. It’s extremely hard to put down. To know Saeed is to love and admire him, but reading this book will have the same effect. Before reading this book, I had never been so deeply and viscerally moved by a memoir. Mind you, I hadn’t read very many, and my perception of the few I had read in their entirety was often poisoned by the educational context in which I was reading them. Saeed showed me what a person could do with the english language, and just how effectively a reader could be brought into a room- a moment- a feeling- a trauma- an elixir… all through words and words only. As a movie person, I thought that capturing the feelings Saeed so masterfully captures in this book was only possible with a compelling performer, and immersive score, and thoughtful visual direction. After reading How We Fight For Our Lives, something became clear to me: either 1) Saeed Jones is the greatest living author (his newest poetry collection Alive at the End of the World being just as good as this memoir) OR 2) Books can do a lot more than I thought they could.

The answer clearly falls somewhere in-between the two options.

Saeed’s completed books are all available for purchase, and I recommend How We Fight For Our Lives as an entry point.

His Substack is recommended on my page, and his podcast “Vibe Check” with Sam Sanders and Zach Stafford is a must-listen. Everyone I’ve recommended it to has gotten hooked very quickly- INCLUDING PEOPLE WHO DON’T LISTEN TO PODCASTS.

2) The Toy Collector by James Gunn

ART BY KOJA

James Gunn’s hostile takeover of the world of nerds was no accident. This guy has understood the value of childish wonder accompanying your soul into adulthood since before I was born. The Toy Collector, like Guardians of the Galaxy, is emotionally autobiographical. It documents the version of James Gunn that he probably expected himself to become had he not spent his 20s working his ass off. It’s a dark, twisted, hilarious story with a contagiously unapologetic sense of self. This one is zany and irreverent on almost every page, but offers pretty much zero chance of hope for its protagonists. Objectively funny because James wrote a long hate letter to himself and is now living a dream he probably didn’t even know he could dream. The Toy Collector is bursting with a clear and refined voice. You read this shit and you know EXACTLY where Guardians of the Galaxy came from- the power of a grown-up who can dream like a kid. But while this story explores the whimsy of man-boyhood, it also dives right into perpetual immaturity’s dark side. Toy Collector is fucked up and cynical. James has compassion for the characters, but he’s not sugar coating them. He’s presenting several of them at their worst. The two main characters are particularly a little shitty, but like the rats in 2021’s The Suicide Squad and like the belligerent Raccoon in the Guardians franchise, Gunn is quick to remind us that everybody has a heart.

I read this when I was 13 and have probably read it once every year or two since. It’s endlessly human, mostly in the most uncomfortable and emotionally taxing ways.

3) The Prince and the Dressmaker by Jen Wang

One of the most moving graphic novels I have ever read. Jen Wang doubles as author and artist, and her art is just as beautiful as the text. I read this one for work, because my boss is doing a movie adaptation of this with one of the most impressive teams of creatives you could possibly imagine for a movie musical. But back to the book- this book, an infectiously joyous love story surrounding a drag performer, will make you cry tears of joy. It’s a story that is desperately needed right now. This isn’t just a humanization of drag performers (also desperately needed right now), this is a celebration of love and joy with a drag performer at the center. And the love and joy are endless. The two main characters are fully realized, their actions are all convincingly motivated, and the wholesome ending is earned. Man, there’s nothing I hate more than a forced happy ending and nothing I love more than one that’s been earned through great work with the characters and story. I won’t go much further into it- enjoy it yourself- but this is certainly a must-read.

4) I’m a Genius of Unspeakable Evil and I Want to Be Your Class President by Josh Lieb

Man oh man do I fucking love this book. Jon Stewart’s quote on the front, too small on the image I posted, reads “If War and Peace has a baby with The Breakfast Club and then left the baby to be raised by wolves, this book would be the result.” I’d add Election to the mix on that, but Stewart’s description is pretty damn accurate. This book had me absolutely hooked in fifth grade and it holds up with my cynical 22 year-old self. The main character is somebody I found darkly aspirational, and his evil is just as fun to indulge in as the little bits of good that slip out of him (he hates it when that happens- he much prefers being evil). I don’t even know if I would qualify this as a satire, but it has the pleasures, laughs, and indulgent joys of the sharpest satire you could read. This kid is a Lex Luthor-style genius running for class President to dunk on his flaccid, cold father who forces his family to endure his brand of suburban life’s liminal boredom alongside him. The emotion in it is real, the comedy pops with ferocity, and it ultimately never fails to be earnest. Even when it’s taking two paragraphs to describe an elaborate (but not-too-twisted) way this kid has managed to torture one of the adults in his life with his endless power. If you’ve got a kid over 8 years old who is a little shit, read them this book. They will feel represented in a beautiful way.

5) True and False by asshole David Mamet

Whether or not you are an actor, True and False by asshole freak David Mamet is an excellent read. It’s short, it’s punchy, and it’s exactly what many actors need to learn. Mamet rips nonsense like the Stanislavsky (or however you spell it) Method and similar acting techniques to shit. Are you sick of these fucking method actors? Are you wondering why some performers can convincingly sell you on characters without tapping into their emotional trauma? Do you think drama teachers who encourage their students to trigger themselves are charlatans who often ruin young actors’ lives and performances? This could be the book for you. I BELIEVE (and am too lazy to google it) it was Mamet who said something like “If you go to school to become an actor, the only role you’ll be able to play is an actor.”

I am so fucking sick of hearing all these ridiculous acting methods that force people to dig into real pain during fucking scenes. Acting is a fun thing to do. I’ve done it many times. I enjoy it, I have a blast. It’s one of my favorite things to do. Why? Because I read what’s on the fucking page, try to convince you of it, and then relax and enjoy myself when the camera stops rolling.

David Mamet is an absolute piece of shit and a proud bigot. But this book rules.

Anyways,

There’s your non-reader’s recommendation list. Feel free to let me know any takes you have in the comments, I will likely read them.

All my best to you, and remember to be kind and go out of your way to make somebody’s life easier today. And make a habit of it- you will be glad you did.

Love,

Cam