Still Just a Geek
An Annotated Memoir
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4.4 • 16 Ratings
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- $19.99
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- $19.99
Publisher Description
A New York Times bestseller!
Celebrated actor, personality, and all-around nerd, Wil Wheaton updates his memoir of collected blog posts with all new material and annotations as he reexamines one of the most interesting lives in Hollywood and fandom--and now for the first time in audio, narrated by Wil himself!
From starring in Stand by Me to playing Wesley Crusher on Star Trek: The Next Generation to playing himself, in his second (third?) iconic role of Evil Wil Wheaton in The Big Bang Theory, to becoming a social media supernova, Wil Wheaton has charted a career course unlike anyone else, and has emerged as one of the most popular and well respected names in science fiction, fantasy and pop culture.
Back in 2001, Wil began blogging on wilwheaton.net. Believing himself to have fallen victim to the curse of the child actor, Wil felt relegated to the convention circuit, and didn’t expect many would want to read about his random experiences and personal philosophies.
Yet, much to his surprise, people were reading. He still blogs, and now has an enormous following on social media with well over 3 million followers.
In Still Just a Geek, Wil revisits his 2004 collection of blog posts, Just a Geek, filled with insightful and often laugh-out-loud annotated comments, additional later writings, and all new material written for this publication. The result is an incredibly raw and honest memoir, in which Wil opens up about his life, about falling in love, about coming to grips with his past work, choices, and family, and finding fulfillment in the new phases of his career. From his times on the Enterprise to his struggles with depression to his starting a family and finding his passion--writing--Wil Wheaton is someone whose life is both a cautionary tale and a story of finding one’s true purpose that should resonate with fans and aspiring artists alike.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
"omeday, I will show them. I will show them all!" exclaims actor Wheaton in this tiresome endeavor to set the record straight on his reputation. After reliving the agony caused by a scathing one-sentence takedown of his first book, Just a Geek—the review's title: "Whiner of the Week"—Wheaton concedes that he "take everything personally." That sentiment shortly becomes apparent when, in an effort to atone for the homophobic jokes he made in his old book, he rehashes them here with annotations to "hold myself accountable." The repetitious material that follows is rife with such trite exclamations aimed at readers as "You're all beautiful.... You are perfect, exactly the way you are." Less glib are raw passages about his father's emotional abuse, his struggle with depression, and caring for his wife, Anne, as she recovered from a harrowing illness. In other glimpses into his life, Wheaton laments leaving Star Trek: The Next Generation, and reflects on a deflating encounter with William Shatner that left him in tears ("everyone was on my side," he notes). Though fans will relish the FAQs about his movies—including one that confirms the leeches in 1986's Stand by Me were indeed real—much of the writing feels stunted by past grievances, giving this a rather joyless air. Unfortunately, this second act is just more of the same.
Customer Reviews
Charming yet distant
This book is difficult for me to review. I enjoy seeing Wil’s growth. I enjoy Wil’s comedy. Wil has several streams of fame and for me that was Tabletop. This is more geared towards those who know him from Star Trek. If you don’t care for Trek, this book will not interest you.
I found myself struggling to finish this book primarily because of that. After reading the book I understand why as Star Trek was his life and in many ways still is. Since I have no interest in Trek, I found myself disinterested in the stories.
Aside from the content, I didn’t enjoy the digital format. I am curious to see what the physical book looked like,but it was so hard for me to stay in the stories while I flipped back and forth.
Overall thank you Wil. I am happy Wil seems to be happy. This book is not for most though. There are charming stories and classic Wheaton quips. Not enough for me to recommend.
I think the audiobook would be a better experience.