Just a Geek ~Wil Wheaton
–published 2004
–O-Reilly Media
–269 pages
–8/10
“…the plain truth is that this book is really for any kind of nerd or geek out there and as such is one I can recommend without reservation. It is a quick, entertaining and satisfying read that has me looking to track down the rest of Wil Wheaton’s books…this was a real treat.”
~Me!, from This Very Review
Before getting into the meat of this review please allow me a moment of self-disclosure.
Confession: I hated Wesley Crusher.
Realization: I am not sure I ever really had the right to.
Let me explain. By my own personal definition I am not a “fan” of Star Trek: The Next Generation. The show began in 1987, the year I graduated from high school. I had been a fan of the original series since early childhood and I remember being vaguely annoyed that “they” were going to tread on my memories by bringing Star Trek back without James Tiberius Kirk at the helm of the U.S.S. Enterprise. Beyond that original annoyance I did not give it much thought. I was finishing up one chapter of my life and opening the book on the next. I was moving to another state to go to college. And the majority of the last half of 1987 I was homesick, pretty overwhelmed with my first year of college, and busy. In 1988 I began dating the girl who would a year later become my wife. Again, I was very busy and television was not a priority.
Wil Wheaton was a cast member from its inception through its first 4 seasons. I didn’t get around to finally watching The Next Generation in earnest until its final 3 seasons, by which point Wesley Crusher was gone. Yes, I saw him on the occasional syndicated episode or one I may have caught now and again on its original run. And yes I did not like what I saw of the character. But I am not a fan of The Next Generation and one of many realizations I came to when reading this solid and entertaining book was while my opinion may be legitimate, the grounds for my hatred of Wesley Crusher quite possibly were not.
More important, Wil Wheaton is not Wesley Crusher.
To be clear, I liked Wil Wheaton long before reading Just a Geek. First off Stand By Me is one of my all-time favorite films. The cast, including Wil Wheaton, is superb. Secondly, in one of my meandering journeys around the internet several years back I happened upon Wheaton’s site (in an earlier incarnation) and after sampling a few entries it was quite clear that he was one of us: A nerd. A geek.
Just a Geek is Wheaton’s second book and in it he chronicles the painful and revelatory journey away from the character he is and may always be best known for–Wesley Crusher–and how that journey took many unexpected turns as he embraced the blogging world in its early days and in turn embraced himself (That is a terrible line, conjuring up an image of Wil Wheaton running around doing that fake make-out thing we all used to do when we were kids, standing in a corner with our arms wrapped round ourselves).
At any rate, my friend Jeff mentioned the other day that he had picked up a copy of this book and over the course of the next few days proceeded to tell me how and why he was enjoying it and moving through it so quickly. His rapid progress through the book was testimony enough that I had to read it and I asked him last week if he would please loan me the book so that I could “read it a bit here and there while reading other things and just take my time with it”.
I took the book home last Friday night. I opened it Saturday evening and finished it in the early afternoon on Sunday. So much for “tak[ing] my time with it”! I couldn’t put it down. It was just too interesting. In examining his time on Star Trek, and how difficult it was to walk away from that on so many levels, Wheaton draws upon older blog posts, sharing them with the reader and then discussing in detail what was really going on at the time. This provides a fascinating window into the inner struggles of Wil Wheaton and by extension reflects the lives of any reader honest enough with him/her self to admit to periods of fear, uncertainty and despair. And this is what made the book so endearing to me.
As I read Just a Geek I could not help but reflect on last year’s experience of listening to Sean Astin read his memoir There and Back Again which recounted his time spent just before, during, and right after the filming and release of the three Lord of the Rings films. Just a Geek showed that, like Astin, Wil Wheaton is a man who has went through many of the same struggles of maturity that I have and continue to go through. In their memoirs both men talk about their fears and insecurities and speak of the same worries I have had: Will I make enough money to provide for my family? Will I have a job tomorrow? What will I do if this career path goes away and I have to reinvent myself? Do I have the courage, strength and willpower to do so and what will my loved ones have to sacrifice to make this happen? It is hard not to feel a bond of kinship as Wheaton talks about missed family outings while chasing yet another opportunity that would not come to fruition, or not wanting to answer the phone because it is most likely bill collectors, or of waking up in total panic that you are a failure and you don’t know where to turn.
Before you go and get the idea that this book is a weeping, depressing confessional, let me steer this review back on course. My point is that this book highlights Wil Wheaton’s humanity, and in the process of doing so not only provides some self-reflection but also offers up a great deal of entertainment. Wil Wheaton is funny. He is irreverent. He is really, truly, genuinely a geek. On top of all of that Wil Wheaton is a writer and his acceptance of that, learned largely through communicating with fans on his blog, is an inspiration to all of us who write about ourselves, and our passions, on this here internet. This was the most interesting thing about the book to me, seeing Wil Wheaton reassess his previous blog posts after learning just how open and honest he wanted to be in what can be a very personal and unforgiving forum of communication.
Over the last few years Wheaton’s geekness has been put on display in a couple of memorable ways, one being the episodes he guest starred in on NBC’s The Big Bang Theory. The other being his role in seasons 3 and 4 of Felicia Day’s excellent web-show, The Guild. Both are really entertaining examples of Wheaton’s sense of humor and this book just adds to that.
If you were a lover or a hater of Wesley Crusher I think you will find this book an honest and ultimately loving look back on the experience of being in Star Trek: The Next Generation. If you are a blogger interested in seeing how another blogger learned to explore himself and his writing through the internet, this is also a great book to read. But the plain truth is that this book is really for any kind of nerd or geek out there and as such is one I can recommend without reservation. It is a quick, entertaining and satisfying read that has me looking to track down the rest of Wil Wheaton’s books.
Thanks for the loaner Jeff.
This was a real treat.
That face brings back some memories! I was just starting high school when this started and I had a total crush on Wesley. I think that alone kept me watching the show. I would never have even thought of reading an autobiography of him though, but maybe I will.
Shelley: It is good, it really is, and while it is indeed autobiographical it is so much more in that it is also a collection of essays and has a beginning to end story arc as well. If you had a high school crush on him, you should really read this.
Oh, I think I’ll have to get a copy of this. Star Trek: TNG arrived for me just as my daughters hit their teenage years and the three of us had a ball with the series. I loved it to bits and so did they and consequently I never really had any of the usual problems many people have with their teens. I always tell people that I brought my kids up on Star Trek, LOL! I seem to have been one of the few people who did actually like Wesley Crusher and couldn’t understand people’s dislike. Perhaps it was due to the fact that I had teens myself who were inclined to be nerdish – into Terry Pratchett and so on, which was unusual in those days, especially gor girls. Good memories and thanks for the rec, Carl.
Cath: Bringing your kids up on Star Trek sounds like first rate parenting to me! 🙂 Seriously, it is fun to enjoy television shows with family, especially science fiction ones. A few years back when we decided to watch all of DS9 on DVD we enjoyed doing so as a family. I hope you do get a chance to read this, I think it will bring up some good memories for you and that you’ll enjoy it.
when Next Gen first came on I was not thrilled either. But it wasn’t because of Wil of any other person.. it was that the first season was remakes of the originals (they deny it but you can pick out the episodes!) Anyway it was off and on for me until I saw Patrick Stewart at a convention De was at. Within a year of that my friend became Patricks assistant and remained that for many years..so slowly I came around. It’s a shame that Wil go type casted so early in his career.
I am glad you enjoyed the book so much..rarely do we get to swollow a book whole like that lol..
of the spin off of the original ST I have to say that Enterprise (the least liked by most people) was my favorite. Not sure why but it is.. I will admit I loved the storyline between Trip and T’Pol and how they were handling it.
Now that Netflix has added all of the Star Trek shows, except DS9, I am really tempted to go back and watch them again, especially to catch Enterprise. I only watched the first couple of episodes and then didn’t stay with it.
I really did enjoy those last few seasons of TNG and there were some amazing episodes in there. Would be fun to see them all at some point.
TOS will always be my favorite and I’m not sure anything will touch the connection I made with DS9, but I must say that at this point in my life I really miss there not being a Star Trek show on television.
Nothing to add, just found the coincidence too much for the morning. Both you and Pat Rothfuss reviewed this book today… Hmm.
I’ve never watched a single episode of Star Trek, nor do I ever plan to. The only thing I’ve watched was JJ Abram’s film that came out last year, which was enjoyable, but nothing amazing. I guess in my heart it’s always been either STAR WARS or Star Trek but never both. Is this fallacy? Yes. But will I change? No, probably not.
Ibeeg had sent me that link Logan and I cracked up. I mean what are the odds that anyone I might come across would be reading this particular older book at the same time? Too fun. And his review was great. Very entertaining.
You’re missing out on some engaging science fiction by not being a Trekkie, but I understand. I’ve always been both a Star Wars and Star Trek fan, its just that I haven’t embraced all the various Star Trek series. As a fan of the original series I was pretty blown away by how Abrams captured the spirit of that series, but you would have to be a fan to really *get* that, I think.
I tell you though, even if you’ve never watched an episode of Star Trek this is one really good read and is about so much more than that.
Hi Carl. I didn’t watch Star Trek so I had no idea that he was on the show (I probably shouldn’t admit that). But I loved him in Stand By Me. That was one of the best movies from my childhood. I enjoy when someone’s book, especially if they are famous, makes them seem like an average person.
TBM: I would like to think that those “super famous” celebs are this down to earth. My experience thus far has been that it is the struggling actors who really do go through what we all go through. It was great to read how he overcame those struggles and learned not only to have peace with his acting but also to embrace the writer within.
OMG! The fake make-out thing…Ha! Great visual Carl…lol 😀 I knew I had to get this book when I saw that snippit online. Your review has just cemented my intentions. And I also loved the introduction. Neil Gaiman was comical. If anyone wants to read the preview, I found it here..
http://oreilly.com/catalog/9780596007683/preview#preview
Kelly: Had I ever stumbled across this book in the store and picked it up I believe the picture of him on the back, sitting at his desk with a number of books including American Gods and Neverwhere, would have made this a ‘must buy’ for me. I think you’ll enjoy this one, and thanks for the link to the preview.
Another good preview is the July 4th post on his blog because he just reprinted it on the blog and it is a part of this book.
As a huge fan of TNG, I am rather curious about anything connected to it. Wesley wasn’t my favourite character either, but I enjoy the other work that Wheaton does. He is particularly fun when he guest stars on The Big Bang Theory.
Kailana: Add it to your list, it is good! Have you watched The Guild? If not they are available on Netflix, DVD, X-Box and possibly even still free online. They need to be watched in order and are too fun.
Netflix Canada only has the third season… I want to watch it at some point, though. I read the graphic novels earlier this year.
I liked the graphic novels as well. Its too bad they don’t have all four seasons. I can’t access it at work to tell one way or the other, but you might want to go to:
http://www.watchtheguild.com/
and then click on their Youtube link to see if all the episodes are on Youtube. They used to be long ago. Can’t remember, do you have Xbox? They are available through the Zune part of Xbox if you have XBox live. They can be downloaded or streamed in HD.
Liked STNG, a lot, much more than original ST, didn’t mind the Wesley Crusher character at all, have no problem with anything there. I didn’t like DS9 or the following series, but STNG is excellent and I’ve re-watched many of the episodes. Wish I had the whole series on DVD!
RkR: I was thrilled with the announcement that Paramount was releasing all the series (except DS9 as I mentioned) on Netflix watch instantly. They still aren’t the cheapest things to go buy and it is nice to have this option to watch the series in order.
As for the book, no thanks, star bios are not my thing.
RkR: I’m not a big fan of star bios either, but this book is much more along the lines of Stephen King’s book On Writing and is also, quite frankly, like reading a blog.
Speaking of On Writing, that is another must read in my opinion, even for people who have no interest in writing novels. Such a great book.
First off, I’m so glad you enjoyed the book. I thought you would connect with his writing the same way I did. I want to track down more of his books soon. I can’t tell you how many of Wil’s internal struggles I have wrestled with myself especially the fear of not being able to provide for my own family. This kind of struggle I find tough to deal with especially after going through being laid off from a job in the past.
Love how you are now quoting yourself in your reviews. That’s so cool. 🙂
I too was not a fan of TNG or Wesley. I’m excited that Netflix has added most of the ST series to there watch instantly library. I never watched a lot of TNG so I look forward to getting to see the whole series in order. I have decided to watch them ALL the series over myself from the beginning. What makes this even cooler is they have all the remastered HD versions up of TOS series. I have watched the first 5 episodes so far of season one and they look AMAZING. The job they did enhancing the special effects is so cool as well. Little things but yet so cool. I literally geeked out during last night’s viewing of Episode 5 because the space scenes were so cool as compared to when I saw them as a kid. My kids smiled at me not understanding my happiness in watching what to them is a slow paced cheezy old scifi show but I could tell they were still happy for my genuine excitement.
Anyway I have veered off topic. Just a Geek. Great book. Go out and buy your own copy today. 🙂 I see online the Wil Wheaton self publishs a lot of his books online himself at lulu.com. I hope to buy more soon and I really want to meet him one day as well now too.
Jeff: Yes, the ‘quoting myself’ thing was a bit much but I didn’t want to start the review launching into my thoughts about ST:TNG and Wesley Crusher without somehow putting something at the front that indicated “hey, this is a fun book and you should read it”. I couldn’t think of anything better than what I had already written, so in the final edit I quoted myself. Sad, I know. 🙂
You were correct sir, this book was right up my alley. Connected with it much more deeply than I indicated in my review but at some point I started worrying about spoilers and also the review was plenty long.
I’m looking forward to watching those remastered episodes of TOS as well. We are almost done with all the Dr. Who episodes that are available to watch so I think we’ll dip into Star Trek for our next series.
I added his books to my private “to buy” list on Amazon so that I wouldn’t forget about them. If you ever find another nice copy like this at Half Price please pick it up for me and I’ll pay you back. Would love to own one.
Unfortunately they don’t have any of his books except this one at the library.
Sidenote: I can’t believe Patrick Rothfuss and you both reviewed this book on the same day are your own blog’s. How freaky is that? 🙂
Did you read it? Its fun, and as I told Deanna I found myself nodding my head in agreement while reading it. That was odd, wasn’t it.
No. I haven’t had a chance to read it but I will get over there today.
This sounds great. I actually really liked Next Generation (was a bit too young for the original series and have some weird bad associations with it, no fault of the show) and didn’t even really notice Wesley, but I like Wil Wheaton. Will look out for this at the library!
Daphne: I only caught the original series on syndication when I was a kid, but it struck a cord and while the other series have deeper story lines and better production values I will always have a soft spot for the original. Hope you can find this at the library, it is a good one.
Jeff – didn’t you know Patrick Rothfuss and Carl are BBFs? (best best friends). That’s why he already has an ARC of the next book, but shhhh, no one is suppose to know, so he won’t even admit it.
Nah. If we were best buddies he would be kicking my butt for not having read his second book yet! 🙂
Richard and Carl – You guys crack me up! 🙂
We live to entertain!
At one point I had 130 episodes of ST:TNG on VHS!
I need to get it all on DVD now. I think Elaina and AJ would have fun watching them with me.
I’m looking forward to reading this book. I was okay with Wesley but understood why so many others did t like him. They wrote him so whiny most of the time. Not sure why they did that.
Jeff said you can borrow the book, so I’ll try to remember to bring it to work tomorrow for you.
Sounds good. And I’ll try to remember that hdmi cable for you.
I hope you enjoy the book James. Let us know what you think of it.
Well, our trade off today didn’t go so well for me! 😛
??? Did you look inside your van?
Crap! Now I feel like an idiot!
A whole conversation completely erased from my memory.
Senility comes like a thief in the night!
Ha, it happens to us all. I’m just glad you found the book. Would have been scary if I had put it in the wrong vehicle.
That could happen! A lot of grey chevy ventures out there!
I will have to see if our library has this one. It seems different than most celeb memoirs, although I never really have thought Wil Wheaton was/is a typical celebrity. My husband was more of a fan of this show than I was (I tend not to be a TV watcher), but I often sat with him to watch, so I remember it fondly.
And, BTW I’m with you on your recommendation of “On Writing” by Stephen King (in one of your comments here). It’s a fantastic book whether one reads King or not.
Valerie: Patrick Rothfuss did another review of this book on his blog today and he mentions that it really isn’t a typical celeb memoir and I have to agree with him. Wheaton doesn’t consider himself a typical celebrity either, which is part of why he has struggled so much to get roles post Star Trek and it is that struggle and the realization that I think opened the door to him to become a celebrity in the geek culture through his writing.
I loved STTNG from the second season on, once they got past the whole “a danger threatens the Enterprise every episode” mentality of the first season. Mostly it’s because of Patrick Stewart that I enjoy it, but some of the stories were fabulous. I remember one episode where Picard had to communicate with an alien who spoke in metaphors. Brilliantly written!
I never had a problem with Wesley, other than the fact that they made him *too* brilliant and *too* adult. The show was always to have someone who “figures things out”, a dues ex machina character, and Wesley was the early version. Eventually that role went to Geordi.
I’m glad WIl Wheaton is still finding a way to exceed. I enjoyed him as a serial killer in Criminal Minds, and as a hacker in Leverage.
BT: Even not watching ST:TNG faithfully I have to admit that I was a fan of Patrick Stewart. He was a great choice for this series. Very different from Kirk and yet very commanding in his own right. Brilliant choice as far as I’m concerned.
I think the writers just didn’t know how to write a kid roll and that the Wesley character, and by extension Wil Wheaton, suffered for it.
I was the youngest child in a family of Trekkies, always (haughtily) told by my elder siblings that I wasn’t a true Trekkie. A few years back, my siblings and I started to watch season 1 of TNG. It was somewhat painful to watch, what with the awkward characterizations and often clumsy writing. My siblings – both of whom had far more Trekkie credentials than I – were disappointed and we stopped watching the show together. But convinced that there was a reason so many people were fans (and referred to TNG as one of the most intelligent shows to have aired), I continued to watch the show. Today, I’ve seen up to fourth season and have to agree with those fans – the show is good past season 1.
I can say a lot about the character of Wesley Crusher (good and bad), but this is a book blog so I’ll blab about that some other time. Instead, I’ll say that Wil Wheaton’s internet presence has always been a source of great interest to me. Though I’m not an active follower of his blog (or his writing), his approach to writing and the topics he discusses are often noteworthy and interesting. Sounds like Just a Geek is exactly that kind of book – not a celebrity memoir (I hesitate to even call Wheaton a celebrity – famous, yes, but not quite more…), but rather essays and thoughts on interesting stuff.
Biblibio, the show improved immensely as the Borg was introduced in season 4 (if memory serves). The writing improved as well. It wasn’t until season 5 that I became a big fan and got caught up through syndication.
It will be interesting to see what we decide to do once we are done watching the original series on Netflix. I would like to go ahead and work my way through Next Generation despite some obstacles I might have to overcome.
Biblio: You’ve described the book in a nutshell and it is well worth a read regardless of whether one has a connection with The Next Generation, Wil Wheaton, etc.
The first season of TNG is awkward (my opinion based on the few episodes I’ve seen in syndication over the years) and in some ways is the most dated looking of the shows, but most shows take some time establishing themselves and after so many years of not having Star Trek on the air I’m sure it suffered a great deal why the show writers tried to find their way.
Youngest in the family or not, I wouldn’t take that from them. You stand up for your geekness! 🙂
We started watching Season One of the Original Series on Netflix last night. They have been digitally remastered and wow are they amazing. Crystal clear with graphics updates (for outside the ship shots) that include some new digital shots of the Enterprise which are just fantastic.
Oh I’m going to have to pick this one up. I was such a huge Star Trek: Next Generation fan because, well for one I was too young to have memories of the original series, and two, I grew up watching Star Trek: NG with my dad. I must have watched re-runs because if it started in 1987, I was six. Wow. I think I was too young to hate or like Wesley Crusher. I think, honestly, he was a bit too much of a geek for me. I remember growing up and being much more attracted to Will Riker or even Picard. Haha. Geordie Laforge will always be the Reading Rainbow guy to me. Man, I feel young.
You ARE young, Amanda! LOL! If you were a STNG fan then there is no doubt at all that you will find this book enjoyable. There are some really nice stories recounted about Wil Wheaton’s interactions with the cast, especially after years of absence when he went to shoot some scenes for the Star Trek Nemesis film.
And thanks, now I’ve got the Reading Rainbow song stuck in my head.