A Work in Progress by Connor Franta

Over the past week, I've read the book 'A Work in Progress', which is a memoir written by Connor Franta. Connor Franta is a you tuber, who gained quick fame from his funny and inspirational vlogs (video blogs). The book is about how he grew up, and what obstacles he has faced in the past and present due to his desire to be a you tuber. Throughout the book we learn mostly about his development as a child, and him realising that he is gay and how he dealt with other peoples' views about it. One of the most interesting things is Connor's perspective on him 'coming out'.

In the middle of the book, Connor explains in detail about how he felt when he realised he was gay. He claims that when he finally admitted it, he already kind of knew and so the only hard part was truthfully admitting to himself how he felt. He then goes on to tell us how he told his family/ close friends. The interesting thing about this was that he said that he wasn't sure how everyone was going to react to the news as it is Minnesota. He goes on to explain that he has never met anyone that is gay because in Minnesota, generally people aren't. This then led me to think, is this what small town America is like? Are the majority of people homophobic? It seemed like a crazy thing at first, but then I looked and realised that there are many states that actually ban anti gay marriage. It is a horrible thought to see that people, like Connor Franta, have to even car how they will be judged because they are gay. We should live in a world where we are free to be who we want when we want, and if that means that you choose to be gay then so be it. It doesn't matter who you are sexually attracted to, that doesn't change the person that you are, and nor should it ever.

In conclusion, Connor Franta talks about how he struggles to deal with the views and judgement of his being gay. It made me think a whole deal about how degrading some people can be for not accepting people's choices in life. It is horrible to think that many people live in a society where they are not accepted for who they are and has made me want to do something about it. Connor's book was great and so inspirational and I would definitely recommend it to a lot of people!