This book is written by the author of, and contains some content overlap from, the Gothic Charm School website, which is an advice column for Goth-y folks, with assorted other informative blog posts. Although I would not consider myself a Goth, I do enjoy Venters' website. (According to this book, I probably fit her "NotAGoth" category pretty well, having enough interests and fashion choices that share common ground with Goth that I can understand people making that assumption even though it isn't a label I'd pick for myself.)

This book is designed for a wide range of readers, with sections ranging from parenting advice for those who found themselves with a Gothically-inclined child, to polite manners when attending a gothic club, to suggestions for dressing safely in all-black when it is hot outside. It also has a lot of answers to common questions about what "being Goth" entails.

There are some sections that feel a little outdated, mostly in regards to the internet. Social media is a much different creature than it was in 2009, and requires some different wrangling. Readers who want more modernized advice on handling sticky internet situations may want to visit the author's blog instead.

Added to the book exchange in front of the building