You're Never Weird on the Internet (Almost): A Memoir
The instant New York Times bestseller from "queen of the geeks" Felicia Day, You're Never Weird on the Internet (Almost) is a "relentlessly funny and surprisingly inspirational" (Forbes) memoir about her unusual upbringing, her rise to internet stardom, and embracing her weirdness to find her place in the world. When Felicia Day was a girl, all she wanted was to connect with other kids (desperately). Growing up in the Deep South, where she was "home-schooled for hippie reasons," she looked online to find her tribe. The Internet was in its infancy and she became an early adopter at every stage of its growth--finding joy and unlikely friendships in the emerging digital world. Her relative isolation meant that she could pursue passions like gaming, calculus, and 1930's detective novels without shame. Because she had no idea how "uncool" she really was. But if it hadn't been for her strange background--the awkwardness continued when she started college at sixteen, with Mom driving her to campus every day--she might never have had the naïve confidence to forge her own path. Like when she graduated as valedictorian with a math degree and then headed to Hollywood to pursue a career in acting despite having zero contacts. Or when she tired of being typecast as the crazy cat-lady secretary and decided to create her own web series before people in show business understood that online video could be more than just cats chasing laser pointers. Felicia's rags-to-riches rise to Internet fame launched her career as one of the most influen-tial creators in new media. Ever candid, she opens up about the rough patches along the way, recounting battles with writer's block, a full-blown gaming addiction, severe anxiety, and depression--and how she reinvented herself when overachieving became overwhelming. Showcasing Felicia's "engaging and often hilarious voice" (USA TODAY), You're Never Weird on the Internet (Almost) is proof that everyone should celebrate what makes them different and be brave enough to share it with the world, because anything is possible now--even for a digital misfit.
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Community Reviews
This books is fantastic. It made me laugh (a lot) and it made me cry (wasn't expecting that). This book was on my TBR list for a long time and when she was coming to my city for a signing, I figured it was a good time to actually read the book :) The only the that irked me was she spelled y'all wrong. :( But all in all a great book!
After reading the first chapter I didn't want to put the book down because it is so engaging, genuine, and well paced. It continued to be interesting when she explained the throes of gaming addiction and writing the web series. Although I've never played WoW I still thought the book was extremely relatable. Ultimately, sharing personal life stories can't be easy, but is definitely entertaining and the bigger message to follow through with your dreams until you make it is inspirational. Thank you Felicia Day for writing this book!
As much as I like Felicia, I had no idea about her past (prior to appearing on Buffy The Vampire Slayer). I just know her as a geeky redhead who kept popping up in the things I kept watching. So now I know she was home-schooled, is a violin prodigy and an amazing singer (for proof of the latter, be sure to listen to the audio book).
I usually astound people with the"Yes, I'm a programmer and in IT. No, I can't stand video games/computer games" I try, I really do. I always think computer games would be fun but when it comes down to it, I'd rather pick up a book and/or knitting. My passion for those hobbies is off the charts, so I do relate in that way to Day's passion for gaming. She has done quite a bit to bring gaming to the forefront, that women CAN be gamers, we CAN go to GenCon and we CAN be geeks. Day details her very first foray into gaming and it speeds along from there. Again, listen to the audiobook. She's a very enthusiastic reader.
Felicia devotes a chapter to GamerGate, and even I, outside the world of gaming, knew about this. Internet trolls are the pond scum in the online world. People, pre-internet, sucked pretty bad but give them anonymity and WiFi and those bastards have a field day.
Felicia also shares her struggle with mental illness. As someone suffering from depression and anxiety, it's reassuring to hear that other folks deal with it and keep moving forward. She makes a damn good point about how difficult it is to get anyone to be sympathetic to mental illness ("Chin up! Try to feel happy!").
I liked Felicia before and really like her now. You don't need to be a geek to read this book because it will entertain you regardless (but being a geek helps!).
I usually astound people with the"Yes, I'm a programmer and in IT. No, I can't stand video games/computer games" I try, I really do. I always think computer games would be fun but when it comes down to it, I'd rather pick up a book and/or knitting. My passion for those hobbies is off the charts, so I do relate in that way to Day's passion for gaming. She has done quite a bit to bring gaming to the forefront, that women CAN be gamers, we CAN go to GenCon and we CAN be geeks. Day details her very first foray into gaming and it speeds along from there. Again, listen to the audiobook. She's a very enthusiastic reader.
Felicia devotes a chapter to GamerGate, and even I, outside the world of gaming, knew about this. Internet trolls are the pond scum in the online world. People, pre-internet, sucked pretty bad but give them anonymity and WiFi and those bastards have a field day.
Felicia also shares her struggle with mental illness. As someone suffering from depression and anxiety, it's reassuring to hear that other folks deal with it and keep moving forward. She makes a damn good point about how difficult it is to get anyone to be sympathetic to mental illness ("Chin up! Try to feel happy!").
I liked Felicia before and really like her now. You don't need to be a geek to read this book because it will entertain you regardless (but being a geek helps!).
First of all, I've been dabbling in humor books lately, and even though they almost never make me laugh these days, this one made me laugh out loud. I'd read it for that reason alone.
The second reason I loved this book is because I've been reading some memoirs lately as well, and I thought her life was a little more interesting than the average memoir. Even if it stopped at her strange homeschooling and then college experience, this would be true. But then she goes on to develop a gaming addiction, create a television show and a company for it, and grow her acting career. This is a very different life.
But the book keeps getting better. It gets funnier and sadder at the same time. It deals with scary feminist issues. It's basically amazing.
The second reason I loved this book is because I've been reading some memoirs lately as well, and I thought her life was a little more interesting than the average memoir. Even if it stopped at her strange homeschooling and then college experience, this would be true. But then she goes on to develop a gaming addiction, create a television show and a company for it, and grow her acting career. This is a very different life.
But the book keeps getting better. It gets funnier and sadder at the same time. It deals with scary feminist issues. It's basically amazing.
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