Dear Reader, Love Author: Josh Sundquist
Dear Reader,
First of all, thanks. Thanks for being a reader. A reader in general, and a reader specifically of my books. Without readers, writing a book would be weird and pointless.
Semi-Famous is my semi-scientific investigation into the phenomenon of fame. The biggest question I tried to answer was whether or not it was possible to be both very famous and very happy. Spoiler alert: it probably isn’t.
If you’re a nerd like me, you’ll be thrilled to learn that this book is organized like a typical school day. Yay! We’ll spend time together in English class, History, Math, Biology and more as we explore every angle of fame and semi-fame. We’ll even have a lunch period…and recess!
In addition to sharing research into the science, history and mathematics of fame, I had the sincere privilege of having conversations with actors, former child stars, athletes, and comedians about their own brushes with fame, semi-fame and infamy. I’ve chased fame myself over the years, so it was fascinating to explore an area that has captivated me for so long.
This was a very personal memoir to write, because I share many cringe-worthy stories from my own attempts at becoming famous. You’ll hear about my misguided efforts to compete on reality shows, present at awards events and host a television show, all of which I believed would catapult me to superstardom. Sure, I can laugh about it now (and write a book about it ha), but the truth is that kind of fame never would have brought me the kind of lasting contentment, joy and happiness that we all crave.
When given the choice between fame and happiness, I hope you choose happiness. And I hope I do, too. All this mental health stuff is something I continue to work on each and every day.
Thank you so much for taking the time to read Semi-Famous! Please feel free to DM me on Instagram and let me know what you think of the book.
Josh
As a semi-famous internet creator, Josh Sundquist knows what it's like to chase fame, but he also knows that more fame usually means more stress. So he set out on a pseudo-scientific investigation to find out if there is any way for fame and happiness to overlap.
He attempts to define the word “fame”—hint: it's harder than you'd think. He turns back time to identify the first facially-recognizable celebrity (you might know his former BFF Brutus). He digs into the numbers to debunk urban legends associated with stardom (ever heard of the 27 Club?). He talks to other semi-famous people (from K-pop sensations to former child stars) and asks them: Is this fame thing making you happy? If not, why are you doing it? If so, what's your secret? All while recounting funny stories about his own cringy fame-seeking (like his many attempts, and failures, to get onto MTV).
About the Author
Josh Sundquist is a Paralympic ski racer, cancer survivor, popular YouTube vlogger, motivational speaker, and Halloween enthusiast. He is the author of We Should Hang Out Sometime, Love and First Sight and the bestselling Just Don’t Fall. As a motivational speaker, Josh speaks to schools, conventions, and corporations across the world. He invites you to visit him at joshsundquist.com or follow him at @JoshSundquist.