If you have ever been on YouTube, then I’m sure you’ve heard the name Tyler Oakley. This guy is absolutely everywhere. With over 5 million followers on Twitter, nearly 3 million followers on Facebook, 6 million Instagram followers, and a whopping 8 million subscribers on YouTube, let’s just call him the “King of the Internet.” Not only can he draw over 22 MILLION people to hear what he has to say on a weekly basis, but he’s a New York Time’s Best Selling Author as well. What can’t he do?
Tyler Oakley is openly gay, and is an advocate for the LGBTQ+ community. He has worked with numerous charities, with the most famous being the Trevor Project: a non-profit organization focused on helping LGBTQ+ youth struggling with suicide and depression. But enough about Tyler and all of the great things he’s done, for now. The book can tell you the rest.
Tyler Oakley’s Life From Cover to Cover
Tyler Oakley’s Binge dives into a large collection of personal essays written by Tyler himself, including interactions with family members, love interests, friends, and even childhood teachers. It seems impossible that in a mere 300 pages, someone can capture your attention and heart, and let you into their mind for a brief moment. Tyler does an amazing job at throwing curveballs left and right, and keeping things interesting from the get go. One of the first things that he confides in the reader is that Tyler isn’t even his real name! But I won’t be the one to tell you who Tyler really is, I’ll leave that to Binge.
There are a variety of stories told in this book, unlike any other I’ve read before. One chapter you’re reading about Tyler’s experience growing up as “a chubby kid”, and the next you’re reading a list of “20 Things I’d Do If I Were Beyoncé For The Day.” The best thing about this is that even though a lot of these chapters don’t necessarily have anything to do with each other, the style of writing is done in a way that makes you not want to put the book down, or even notice the transitions from chapter to chapter.
By far, the best chapter (in my opinion) is “The One That Got Away.” It’s a real tear jerker for sure, so make sure you have tissues ready.
What It Means To “Binge”
Interesting title choice, right? After the announcement was made that Tyler was going to be releasing a book, and it was going to be called Binge, you can only imagine the amount of people who’s heads were turning and minds racing, wondering just what this man could be writing about. Although Tyler does talk about a time in his life where he was dealing with personal health issues, that’s surprisingly not what this book is about at all. It makes for a great, emotional chapter, nearly bringing you to tears with rawness and realness coming from Tyler’s past experiences, but it also makes for an incredible overarching theme of this book. The word Binge has a negative connotation to it, but it shouldn’t always be seen and read as a bad thing, because there are so many good things in life that we should “over indulge” ourselves with. Tyler makes it a point to tell us through his life struggles and his ups and downs, that its OK to treat yourself when you want to. If something makes you happy, have more of that something in your life. If you like doing something that someone else may think is weird, who cares?! It’s something that defines you as a person and if it makes you happy, you should never, EVER, stop doing what makes you happy. Tyler reminds us that in life we tend to binge on the good, the bad, and the ugly, but that’s okay. Life doesn’t really have an rules or structure, and sometimes we do things we shouldn’t do, or aren’t proud of. But what’s important is remembering that because of that, it’s okay to “over indulge” on the best in life. It’s what makes us human, and all we can ever be, is the best us that we can be.
From your computer screen, to the palm of your hand in a book, Tyler Oakley perfectly executes storytelling through this emotional rollercoaster of a book, and draws you in, in hopes of another book coming soon…hopefully. Your “people” thank you for this book, and thank you for bringing us on your journey through your life.
For more information on Binge, or to purchase Binge, click here!