06.11.06
Book Review-esque: Just a Geek, by Wil Wheaton
If you have ever kept a diary or journal of any sort, you know how cringe-inducing it can sometimes be to go back and read your entries which, in my case, are usually about some boy I had a crush on or my thoroughly angsty teenage existence. Rarely, however, do you have the chance to read someone’s reactions to their own re-readings. This is key, though, to Wil Wheaton’s Just a Geek. In this age of the ubiquitous internet, journals are no longer handwritten and private - they exist on screens and are open to everyone. When Wil reprints his blog entries and then reflects upon his embarrassment, along with tales of what he was really thinking and feeling when he wrote them, it is disarmingly intimate. And it is that sense of intimacy - along with the seemingly real time growth that we get to share in - that makes the book so thoroughly enjoyable.
Some people are famous just because they blog. Wil is unique in that almost everyone knows who he is before delving into his (sometimes very personal) blog and subsequently into his further reflection of that blog in his book. I had the pleasure of working alongside Wil on the SuicideGirls Newswire, where he writes witty commentary about Geek news that I don’t always understand. But I like it anyway. And that is a testament to Wil himself because he is just so damn likeable. In every page of this book, you just want to be his buddy and hang out with him at Hooters (the setting of an early, pivotal, and relatively heartwrenching scene in the book). To reveal such a persona to the wide world at large is admirable, especially when there are so many reasons to put up barriers and utilize the internet as a tool to hide or create a new character for yourself, particularly when everyone knows who you are. But I know Wil isn’t putting up a persona because he has been kind to me directly. Upon being removed from the SG Wire, a time when I was genuinely devastated, he encouraged me to keep writing and let me know that he wanted to keep reading what I was writing. And to hear that from a real writer meant a great deal to me.
Just a Geek is a great book because it combines a naked personal genuineness with true writing skill. I liked Wil a lot before picking up his book - I like him even more now.
Chris said,
June 11, 2006 at 9:43 pm
I didn’t even know about this. Thanks for the heads up.
ZPO said,
June 12, 2006 at 5:33 pm
I may have to pick up a copy. Seeing the writer’s own thoughts and reactions to his work is interesting. If nothing else it should be an enjoyable read.
Kristie said,
June 14, 2006 at 11:54 am
Hi there. KikiBH from SG. I was thinking about reading this book, and now you’ve convinced me. I really enjoy Wil’s writing.
Thanks!