You're a Rock Star

2020-07-07 · review / recommendation · John · 3:42 · watch on YouTube

Topic: Books & writing · mode: Personal essay · tags: self promotion, timely hook, community lore

On release day, John tells Hank why A Beautifully Foolish Endeavor means so much to him: its hope never denies suffering yet insists on beauty, wonder and kindness, its characters take him out of himself, and, as An Absolutely Remarkable Thing made him quit the social internet, it has him rethinking how he uses his consciousness; he quotes glowing reviews and announces the launch livestream.

What is said

The parts of the video and what is said in each (★ — how much it matters to the video).

00:00:00 — A USA Today review; the book is out today and the launch is live tonight

• ★★ Delfina V. Barbiero (quoted): Delfina V. Barbiero's USA Today review calls the book's world grounded in reality, written before the pandemic yet with many parallels, and a hopeful read. — 00:00:00 · A Beautifully Foolish Endeavor, COVID-19 pandemic
• ★★★ Hank's second novel comes out today, and Hank and John will be live at 7 p.m. Eastern on the Vlogbrothers channel to celebrate. — 00:00:00 · A Beautifully Foolish Endeavor, Vlogbrothers

00:00:29 — Useful hope against despair; Booklist's starred review; laughing and crying; characters as a way out of himself

• ★★★ It really is a hopeful novel, John says, and he needs hope not abstractly but to get out of bed in the morning. — 00:00:29 · A Beautifully Foolish Endeavor, hope
• ★★★ For John despair is not just unpleasant but dangerous, and flimsy or simplistic hope does little to counteract it. — 00:00:29 · hope
• ★★★ The book manages one of the hardest tricks in fiction and life: never denying horror, suffering and injustice while acknowledging beauty, wonder and kindness; that hope is useful. — 00:00:29 · A Beautifully Foolish Endeavor, hope
• ★★ John quotes Booklist's starred review, which calls it a raucous, boldly inventive tale of alien technology, social media and influencers, the limits of the mind and what humans will do to get what they want. — 00:00:58 · A Beautifully Foolish Endeavor
• ★★ John thinks it is harder to make readers laugh out loud than cry; the book did both to him. — 00:00:58 · A Beautifully Foolish Endeavor
• ★★ The book is a parable for our time, but its characters are drawn so carefully that John cares about them on their own terms, in their own world. — 00:01:27 · A Beautifully Foolish Endeavor
• ★★★ Fiction is a way out of himself: John sees even spouse, children and brother in his own context, but Robin, Maya and Andy aren't his anything, and seeing through their eyes is magic. — 00:01:27 · perspective-taking

00:01:56 — An Absolutely Remarkable Thing made John quit the social internet; the sequel has him rethinking how he uses his consciousness

• ★★★ Hank's first book, An Absolutely Remarkable Thing, was the main reason John quit using the social internet in 2018. — 00:01:56 · An Absolutely Remarkable Thing
• ★★★ Reading it, John saw how online experience had fractured his attention, made him seek things he didn't want, and let corporations monetizing his attention shape his daily life. — 00:02:10 · An Absolutely Remarkable Thing, attention economy
• ★★★ The bigger, more ambitious sequel has John thinking not just about how he uses his phone but how he uses his consciousness, to what ends and to whose benefit. — 00:02:26 · A Beautifully Foolish Endeavor
• ★★ John quotes Book Riot: in plot and form the book warns against consolidating human power, argues for collaboration in storytelling and problem solving, and offers escapism, stinging social commentary and cautious optimism. — 00:02:53 · A Beautifully Foolish Endeavor

00:03:13 — Available now, the launch tonight on the Vlogbrothers channel, congratulations

• ★★★ A Beautifully Foolish Endeavor is available now wherever books are sold, and they launch it tonight at 7pm at youtube.com/vlogbrothers. — 00:03:13 · A Beautifully Foolish Endeavor, Vlogbrothers
• ★★ John congratulates Hank: he is so happy for him, in awe of him, and such a big fan. — 00:03:28

In the description and comments

• ★★ The description asks viewers to register for tonight's free livestream launch or attend other virtual tour events, and to order the book via bookshop.org to support local bookstores. — video description · A Beautifully Foolish Endeavor
• ★ The description points readers to discuss the book in Fans of An Absolutely Remarkable Thing (FAART) on Discord. — video description · An Absolutely Remarkable Thing

Threads in this video

• variation · Vlogbrothers videos titled with Smash Mouth's All Star lyrics (2020) — The title You're a Rock Star continues the All Star lyric titles.
• progress update · John: tour with Hank and Sarah for A Beautifully Foolish Endeavor and You Are an Artist (2020) — Hank's second novel comes out today, and Hank and John will be live at 7 p.m. Eastern on the Vlogbrothers channel to celebrate. (00:00:00)
• restate · Is it reasonable to be hopeful about the future? — The book manages one of the hardest tricks in fiction and life: never denying horror, suffering and injustice while acknowledging beauty, wonder and kindness; that hope is useful. (00:00:29)
• progress update · John: take a year off Facebook, Reddit, Instagram and Twitter, starting when P4A 2018 ends (2018) — Hank's first book, An Absolutely Remarkable Thing, was the main reason John quit using the social internet in 2018. (00:01:56)
• restate · Is the internet, including social media, good for people? — Reading it, John saw how online experience had fractured his attention, made him seek things he didn't want, and let corporations monetizing his attention shape his daily life. (00:02:10)
• outcome · A Beautifully Foolish Endeavor: Hank's sequel to An Absolutely Remarkable Thing (2018) — A Beautifully Foolish Endeavor is available now wherever books are sold, and they launch it tonight at 7pm at youtube.com/vlogbrothers. (00:03:13)
• closed · Hank asks viewers to pre-order A Beautifully Foolish Endeavor (2019) — The book is out: A Beautifully Foolish Endeavor is available now wherever books are sold. (00:03:13)
• restate · Can we imagine other people complexly, and what stops us? — Fiction is a way out of himself: John sees even spouse, children and brother in his own context, but Robin, Maya and Andy aren't his anything, and seeing through their eyes is magic. (00:01:27)
• came true · Hank: A Beautifully Foolish Endeavor will hit bookshelves within 12 months (2019) — A Beautifully Foolish Endeavor is available now wherever books are sold, and they launch it tonight at 7pm at youtube.com/vlogbrothers. (00:03:13)

Where the stories that moved here went next

• Hank asks viewers to pre-order A Beautifully Foolish Endeavor (2019) — promotion (not a request); last: closed, 2020-07-07
• Hank: A Beautifully Foolish Endeavor will hit bookshelves within 12 months (2019) — came true
• John: tour with Hank and Sarah for A Beautifully Foolish Endeavor and You Are an Artist (2020) — changed; last: progress update, 2020-12-29
• John: take a year off Facebook, Reddit, Instagram and Twitter, starting when P4A 2018 ends (2018) — changed; last: progress update, 2025-06-24
• A Beautifully Foolish Endeavor: Hank's sequel to An Absolutely Remarkable Thing (2018) — completed; last: milestone, 2021-07-16

Mentioned

Central: A Beautifully Foolish Endeavor · hope

Also: People: Delfina V. Barbiero

Works: An Absolutely Remarkable Thing

Organizations: Book Riot · Booklist · Library Journal · USA Today

Concepts: attention economy · perspective-taking

Events: COVID-19 pandemic

Characters: Andy Skampt · Maya · Robin (character, “A Beautifully Foolish Endeavor”)

Only in the description or credits: All Star · Bookshop.org · Discord

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