I’ve been a fan of Felicia’s from Buffy the Vampire Slayer to Dr. Horrible’s Sing-a-Long Blog to her YouTube gaming show with Ryon Day, Co-Optitude. It was inevitable that I would read her memoir, though now that I’ve read it, I regret letting….one whole month pass. I should have read this the second it was released!
Felicia is funny, presumably to everyone, definitely to a fellow girl geek. Although I felt bad for her secluded childhood, part of my was jealous – I remember hiding the Star Wars figurines a friend gave me at school because I knew other kids would make fun of me for loving something to stereotypically “boy.” Felicia didn’t have to deal with that, which is why she grew up loving what she wanted to love without fear of peer condemnation.
Of course, eventually she grew up and #gamergate shattered her illusions of geek equality, but….that’s the end of the book. Which, no, I’m going to talk about now. It was so super depressing, and not just because Felicia was talking openly and honestly about her depression. How is it possible for people to be so hateful? I want to punch in the face everyone who insulted, stalked, or harrassed Felicia Day (and other girl gamers). Her memoir was largely a thing of joy (albeit with some knowing self-embarrassment thrown in), up until a real downer of an ending. I’m incredibly glad that she included those parts – I think we can always use more honesty when it comes to mental illnesses and Internet jerks – but I hated that she had to live it.
Other than that! This memoir is a delight. Felicia Day is a controlling, perfectionistic nerd, and (as someone who can relate to all three of those labels), I love her! She’s a great writer, and her photoshopped pictures throughout add some extra humor to her stories. I can’t wait to see what she creates next, whether in video or literary form!
Book Jacket
From online entertainment pioneer, actress, and “queen of the geeks” Felicia Day, You’re Never Weird on the Internet (Almost) is a funny, quirky, and inspiring 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 “homeschooled 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 1930s 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 naive 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 influential creators in new media. Now Felicia’s world is filled with creativity, video games, and a dash of feminist activisim–just like her memoir.
Showcasing Felicia’s hilarious and unique voice, 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.
Release Date: August 2015
It Is Trish 