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Essays
by Ryan O'Connell
Hilarious and bawdy musings on disability, sex, family, and Hollywood, from Emmy-winning writer and creator of the Netflix series Special.
For years, Ryan O'Connell wished he was different. Raised in a small Southern California beach town described as "Laguna Beach with meth," his dad had taken off for greener pastures, and his alcoholic mom packed him lunches that wouldn't win any Top Chef: Quickfire challenges. On top of that, he had to be disabled and gay?! Luckily, Ryan always had a love for writing. There, he could "construct the narrative of my life before anyone can construct it for me." In essays that range from the poignant to the side-splitting, Ryan takes us along as he grapples with addiction, navigates the early days of writing for online media in NYC, and uses his voice to gain entrance into the cutthroat world of Hollywood, where he becomes a sought-after writer and creator. In other essays he asks the very important question: "Are Straight People Okay?" (short answer is no), explores the battle between your IRL vs URL identity, and ruminates on the healing power of being gay and on vacation. Finally, Ryan opens up his committed relationship and becomes a slut for the first time, keeping a diary of his sexual misadventures, and bravely healing his soul through his hole.
In the tradition of writers like Samantha Irby and David Sedaris, Inspiration Porn is a candid and often raunchy look at a life lived without apologies.
"O'Connell writes with a breezy style that feels like gossiping with a friend. A laugh-out-loud page-turner." ―Publishers Weekly (starred review)
"An entertaining collection of personal essays and self-discovery...O'Connell's essays shine when he describes discovering his voice through the written word... Fans will appreciate this humorous and heartfelt follow-up to his memoir, I'm Special (adapted into the Netflix TV series Special)." ―Library Journal (starred review)
"An effervescent success story from a disabled queer man who found self-love and acceptance." ―Kirkus Reviews
"A hot, hilarious, and heart-warming triumph. Ryan is the funniest writer I know, so I wasn't surprised that this book had me chuckling on practically every page, but nothing could have prepared me for the depth of his wisdom and the generosity of his insights." ―Coco Mellors, New York Times bestselling author of Blue Sisters
"Sex, drugs, fame, Provincetown, someone else's tuna sandwich. I don't care what the subject is, so long as Ryan O'Connell is writing about it, then I'm reading it. Inspiration Porn is a hilarious and profoundly honest collection of essays about what it means to lose, find, and love yourself amidst the dumpster fire of the 21st century." ―Grant Ginder, author of So Old, So Young
This information about Inspiration Porn was first featured
in "The BookBrowse Review" - BookBrowse's membership magazine, and in our weekly "Publishing This Week" newsletter. Publication information is for the USA, and (unless stated otherwise) represents the first print edition. The reviews are necessarily limited to those that were available to us ahead of publication. If you are the publisher or author and feel that they do not properly reflect the range of media opinion now available, send us a message with the mainstream reviews that you would like to see added.
Any "Author Information" displayed below reflects the author's biography at the time this particular book was published.
Ryan O'Connell is the Emmy-winning creator, writer, and star of Netflix's Special, which is based on his memoir, I'm Special: And Other Lies We Tell Ourselves. He's also written for other TV shows, including Will & Grace, Awkward, and Peacock's Queer as Folk revival, which he stars in. He lives in Los Angeles with his partner, Jonathan Parks-Ramage.
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