“I’ll never be completely free from Brain. We’re in it together for life”
Hayley Morris, Me vs Brain, London, Century, 2023, p.284.
TIKTOK sensation Hayley Morris’ debut autobiography Me vs Brain: an overthinker’s guide to life, 2023. Me vs Brain follows Hayley’s life from early childhood to her adult life, that is overflowing with hilarious anecdotes putting the reader at ease about their own embarrassing moments and mistakes. Hayley writes from an honest and emotionally raw place throughout the book and creates the sense the reader is sitting and chatting with a friend. I have been a fan of Hayley’s videos for a while and discovered her less-serious approach to creating content unique from other creators. Hayley’s videos never fail to bring a smile to my face. Hayley explores her relationship with her Brain, anxiety and how to navigate the world of fart etiquette, identity, therapy and much more.
Me vs Brain incorporates the humour and creativity of her videos into written form making for an easy-read. The stories that resonated the most with me was Hayley’s struggle with finding a career that makes her happy and as a graduate who is in the same position of not knowing what career they want – this was a relatable and comforting element of the book. The message that stuck the most from these chapters was the idea that everything will work out and you have to go through the failures and roller coaster of emotions to find the right thing that makes you happy. The theme of anxiety is discussed in a personal, introspective way that helps the reader connect with Hayley and emulates fears, vulnerabilities and thoughts that are seen as taboo. By talking openly helps the discussion of anxiety become less taboo and honest.
Final thoughts…
Overall, this is an enjoyable, amusing and relatable read that should be read by anyone entering their 20s and trying to navigate the world. As someone who is entertained by ‘toilet’ humour, the use of poop and fart jokes was light-relief from the darker and emotive stories. A criticism of the writing is the chapters could have had an age or more detailed introduction to the anecdote to help place the stories in context and help the reader relate to the stories and age Hayley was when the events happened. Autobiographical books are not usually something I read a great deal of, but this had an intriguing approach that discusses topics of growing up, in a comfortable and reassuring style.
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