By Ava Shaffer
Everything I Need I Get From You does for fangirls what The Wolf Of Wall Street did for finance bros. With a title based on the One Direction song I Want To Write You A Song, this narrative nonfiction deep dive examines fandom culture, mainly honing in on One Direction fans. Paired with personal anecdotes, dry humor of pop culture events, captivating research, and connections across fandoms, Everything I Need I Get From You is the book you need to read to understand the important cultural currency of teenage girls.
“The whole web is created in a girl’s image.”
I want to start by saying I am the exact audience this book means to target. I grew up with One Direction, taped posters to my bedroom walls from ceiling to floor, and can recite every single one of their song lyrics. (For those curious, Happily is by far my favorite.) So for me, this book was incredibly fascinating. It was a nostalgic trip down my cringey middle school memory lane. Everything I Need I Get From You does exactly what it intended to for the exact audience it was about and aimed towards.
“I like One Direction because their music reminds me of myself. I’m nineteen and I’m not nineteen. I get to hold the two images side by side and think about the ways in which I’m changing and the ways in which I will always be the same.”
I know a lot of negative reviews for this have to do with how One Direction-heavy the book was. I definitely agree that this wasn’t an overview of fandom in general and instead a deep dive into One Direction fandom and how it is reflective of fandom culture overall. But I didn’t mind that! As I mentioned, being a longtime directioner made me feel so connected to this book. I loved how specific all of the moments in this were. They were cultural events I lived through on Tumblr circa 2012, from reading about the girl whose lungs collapsed screaming at a One Direction concert, to #ProjectNoControl, to Babygate (geeze oh pete.) It was so interesting to hear these moments I remember from my developing years but told through an academic lens.
Everything I Need I Get From You highlights such niche moments in One Direction fan culture, I was astounded to be reading such specific events that I can remember so clearly. For example, I think it is absolutely hilarious and magical that this imagine was discussed in a real published book.
The more I read, the more nuanced this book got. It began light-hearted about the silly things One Direction fans do and say and write on their posters at concerts. But it really started to get darker when discussing the implications of Larry Stylinson and cancel culture. This book impressed me so much with the way it handled such controversal tiopics and highlighted specific subcultures within the One Direction fandom, such as queer fans and Black fans and what their interactions with their celebrity idols means for the overall culture of fans.
“Fandom is an interruption; it’s as simple as enjoying something for no reason, and it’s as complicated as growing up.”
In terms of the author, I don’t think a better person than Kaitlyn Tiffany could’ve written this book. I absolutely loved her voice, subtle humor, connection to One Direction, and respect for the often-ridiculed teenage girl. Tiffany’s personal stories and chapter about her connection to the Harry Styles song Kiwi was so tender and made me trust her as a writer and reporter for this topic.
“Most Saturday nights, I would put on something ugly, drink two beers in a frat and wait for someone to say something I could throw a fit about, then leave.”
Another riveting chapter for me was chapter 5 which discussed intergenerational feminine devotion to an artist. From Bruce Springsteen to Harry Styles, I was moved by how a community can be built around the mutual love for someone. Tiffany chose the most interesting people to interview and it was fascinating to hear so many different perspectives throughout this book.
“How important that Harry Styles and I were learning about love with such similar timing.”
Overall, this is the perfect book to read if you’re a fan of One Direction or interested at all in how fans influence social media, the music industry, and culture. One of my favorite GoodReads reviews for this book is from a user named Bailey that reads, “Me and my One Direction friends are passing this book around like a blunt.” And I’ll be doing the exact same!
“Their indefatigable belief that the dull, senseless pain of modern life could be undone– the world remade in the likeness of a pop song.”
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