What to read, watch, and listen to if you lovedGuts
Raina Telgemeier · Book · 2019
If you loved Guts, start with Eighth Grade (Bo Burnham, 2018) — a film on the same thread. Below: 4 films, 4 series and 2 podcasts, each matched to Guts across media.
What hooked you in Guts was the raw, honest vulnerability found in navigating the overwhelming anxiety of growing up.
Films on the same thread
Inside Out 2
Kelsey Mann · Film · 2024
Explores: Emotional development, Teenage angst, Mental health.
Much like the internal landscape explored in Guts, this story illustrates how new emotions and mental health challenges complicate the delicate process of maturing and finding emotional balance.
Eighth Grade
Bo Burnham · Film · 2018
Shares a thread with Guts: Coming-of-age.
If you appreciated the candid look at childhood anxiety in Guts, you will recognize that same authentic, awkward struggle in this portrayal of an adolescent facing middle school pressures.
Inside Out
Pete Docter · Film · 2015
Explores: Emotional Growth, Mental Health, Importance of Sadness.
This film mirrors the focus on emotional resilience seen in Guts, providing a visual representation of how understanding our internal feelings is essential to overcoming difficult life transitions.
The Book of Life
Jorge R. Gutierrez · Film · 2014
Explores: Day of the Dead, Family Expectations, Following Your Heart.
While Guts deals with physical phobias, this story captures that similar spirit of gathering courage to face personal obstacles and family expectations while remaining true to your own heart.
Series on the same thread
Goosebumps
R.L. Stine · Series · 1995
Explores: Overcoming Fears, Monsters, Small Town Secrets.
The characters in this anthology series face various fears just as the protagonist does in Guts, highlighting the universal experience of confronting scary situations to build inner strength.
Heartstopper
Alice Oseman · Series · 2022
Explores: First Love, Self-Discovery, High School.
This series captures the tender, messy reality of self-discovery, offering a grounded coming-of-age narrative that shares the emotional sincerity and vulnerability that made Guts so deeply relatable.
Courage the Cowardly Dog
John R. Dilworth · Series · 1999
Explores: Paranoia, Rural Isolation, Protecting Family.
If the themes of fear and anxiety in Guts resonated with you, this show provides a surreal, dark comedic take on the necessity of bravery when facing constant, looming threats.
Girls
Lena Dunham · Series · 2012
Explores: Female Friendship, Quarter-Life Crisis, Sex and Relationships.
This series extends the coming-of-age exploration started in Guts, focusing on the messy self-discovery and social humiliations that define the transition into the next stage of adult life.
Podcasts on the same thread
anything goes with emma chamberlain
emma chamberlain · Podcast · 2026
Explores: Authenticity, Self-discovery, Modern adulthood.
The candid, conversational approach to self-discovery here echoes the internal monologue of Guts, proving that sharing your personal thoughts is a powerful way to process complex modern emotions.
Thanks For Asking
Feelings & Co. · Podcast · 2026
Explores: Emotional Vulnerability, Shared Human Experience, Grief and Resilience.
This podcast honors the same emotional vulnerability found in Guts, providing a space for people to be honest about their resilience while navigating the challenges of their daily lives.
Keep exploring
Common questions
Is Guts a true story?
Yes, Guts is a semi-autobiographical graphic novel. It depicts the real-life childhood experiences of author Raina Telgemeier as she navigated growing up, managing her personal anxiety, and learning how to gather the courage required to face and conquer her fears.
What is the main theme of Guts?
The primary theme of Guts is the process of growing up. The narrative focuses on the author's childhood journey through anxiety and the challenges she faced while learning how to confront her fears and build the resilience needed to overcome them.
Does Guts focus on childhood anxiety?
Yes, Guts specifically details the author's childhood anxiety. The graphic novel explores how these feelings impacted her daily life and illustrates the personal growth she achieved while working to face and conquer her fears during that stage of her life.
Is Guts considered a graphic novel?
Yes, Guts is a graphic novel published in 2019. It uses a visual storytelling format to share the author's semi-autobiographical account of her childhood, focusing on her experiences with anxiety and the steps she took to conquer her fears.