Note to Self is a Biography/Autobiography in which Connor Franta shows the more vulnerable side of himself to his fans in a somewhat diary-like manner. In Note to Self, Franta shares the internal struggles that the majority of society refuses to acknowledge, such as mental illness, self-love, and acceptance. Franta creates this biography through poetry, letters to himself, short essays, and even his original photography.  

One thing I find particularly interesting about Note to Self is how the idea of this book came to be. In the beginning, Franta had no intentions of any of this being transformed into something that would inspire and motivate others. All the short essays and letters merely began as notes to himself (hence the title). The quotes and poetry were created to help himself in therapeutic ways. After doing this for some time, Franta concluded that this collection he had was enough information to create an entire book. Thus, his second book, Note to Self, was born.  

Considering this book initially started out as a form of self-help for Franta, he dedicated the book to himself. I think this is cool because he can look back on this book, how he has progressed, and how the process of writing this book has impacted him.  

As far as the photography in this book is concerned, Franta took all the photos, and they all correlate with the poems/short essays that follow them, which is unbelievably impressive.  

Multiple times throughout this biography, Franta speaks out about mental illness, and he even opens up about his own experiences with clinical depression and social anxiety. I cannot possibly express how important it is that he does this. Mental health doesn’t get enough attention. So many people are affected by mental illness, so it’s very important to have people who are willing to speak out about it. Having people like this helps others who face mental illness feel a sense of comfort or relief that they aren’t the only ones who feel this way. It’s especially important that it comes from people such as Connor Franta, who, up until now, was seemingly perfect and put together in every way. As cliché as it sounds, it’s always helpful to be reminded that nobody is perfect and everyone is human.  

Franta’s book is very aware in the sense that within in this book, Franta acknowledges many issues in today’s society. He writes things as they are and refrains from sugar coating reality in any way. Franta writes,  

“How naïve are we  

To conceive thoughts 

And beliefs 

That a world which gives 

While we only receive 

Owes more 

To our wants 

And needs 

Oh, how I pity us” (Franta 59).  

Franta writes this with a negative tone, acknowledging the selfish nature of society.  

Overall, I really enjoyed the process of reading this book, and the way this book was composed. Connor Franta has a very unique, intelligent, and creative perspective on the topics discussed within this autobiography.