Inspiration Porn
Essays
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- $21.99
Publisher Description
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.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Actor and novelist O'Connell (Just by Looking at Him) reflects in this smart and funny collection on navigating relationships, addiction, and Hollywood as a gay man with disabilities. Born with cerebral palsy in 1986, O'Connell was hit by a car at age 20, which caused him to develop a muscle condition called compartment syndrome. ("I am apparently the Pokémon of disability," he jokes. "I gotta catch 'em all!") He describes how his disability shaped his sexuality, writing of one partner, "I'm in a war for you to see me as a person rather than a challenge." Throughout most of his 20s, he was celibate and grappled with addiction to alcohol and pain killers. After finding professional success—first as a blogger in the 2010s for the site Thought Catalog and then writing and starring in the Netflix adaptation of his memoir, I'm Special—he got sober. "The Slut Diaries" recounts his sexual escapades after opening up his relationship with his long-term boyfriend, a choice that helped him strengthen his confidence and embrace his sexuality. The subsequent piece, "6,875 Words About Love," gives an honest account of the complexity that freedom brought to his relationship. O'Connell writes with a breezy style that feels like gossiping with a friend. The result is a laugh-out-loud page-turner.
