I'm the Worst - by Nathan Clarkson (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

Actor and filmmaker Clarkson urges Christians to accept their inherent weakness in order to live more faithfully. --Publishers Weekly

When it comes to the world's problems, it seems we know who to blame: them. The other party, team, tribe, or belief system. It's natural to ignore the log in our own eye while seeing the specks in others', but it might just leave us all blind and bound.

Through personal stories, cultural anecdotes, scientific data, and biblical wisdom, Nathan Clarkson invites you to join him in a different, better way of living--one that begins with admitting our own failures and faults, and leads to forgiveness and redemption.

There's freedom in God's grace--freedom for you and for the rest of the imperfect world too.

Review Quotes

Actor and filmmaker Clarkson (A Good Man) urges Christians to accept their inherent weakness in order to live more faithfully. He notes that while it's tempting to lay "blame for the ills of the world" at the feet of the "other"--those of different religions, political parties, ethnicities--all humans are flawed and "responsible for the darkness that exists in the world." Acknowledging this is less an admission of failure than a recognition that God has given humanity "a definition of goodness that none of us could possibly reach," but must strive toward regardless. Readers can use this knowledge to admit their brokenness and forgive themselves and others, which will bring them closer to God. The author also decries modern-day hero worship and cancel culture, suggesting that the latter gains traction from self-conscious fears that "the accusing eyes of the moral mob may make us their next victim."--Publishers Weekly (9/29/2025 12:00:00 AM)

Any Christian will tell you that we are sinners in need of God's grace. But Nathan Clarkson, with heartbreaking vulnerability and deft use of research, makes that reality vividly personal and concrete. You will walk away with a deeper knowledge of how to accept God's love for yourself and extend it to others in an increasingly prideful and tribal world.--Joseph Holmes, film critic, podcaster, and writer (9/29/2025 12:00:00 AM)

Clarkson's approachability and vulnerability will cause readers to reflect on their own lives and face their own brokenness. That can be scary to do, but reading Clarkson's work feels like talking to a friend who you can trust and who has been there before. Rather than feeling like a condemnation, the book reads like an encouragement. He handles sensitive topics with grace and compassion, and I would happily recommend this work for people at any point on their Christian journeys.--Zak Schmoll, PhD, founding editor of An Unexpected Journal and author (9/29/2025 12:00:00 AM)

Honest. Raw. Relatable. Deeply transformative. I'm the Worst is the mirror held up in front of our faces that we all need right now. Nathan Clarkson speaks to every one of us who has ever felt like we could "good kid" our way into love and belonging--every one of us who has thought we could use our perfectionism and overachievement like bright, blinking neon camouflage for all our many flaws, paradoxically blending in by forever standing out. He offers the go-to battle plan for taking back our lives one honest confession at a time. If the plank in your eye is starting to feel more like a pretty white-picket fence you keep putting up around a prison, Nathan is the trustworthy guide who will point you back to freedom. Read this excellent book!--Mary Marantz, best-selling author and host of The Mary Marantz Show (9/29/2025 12:00:00 AM)