Labels

Monday, August 17

Book Review: You're Never Weird on the Internet (Almost)

There's one thing to say about The Guild star and creator, Felicia Day: Felicia is a real person. Her  memoir, You're Never Weird on the Internet (Almost), brings this point home in the most honest way possible. Released August 11th, the book composes a fascinating reflection of her celebrity identity versus her real life vulnerabilities.

Her humor shows up often and hits many levels--sometimes very quick and spastic or sometimes referencing a single person who's done her wrong. Felicia Day is hilarious, and the memoir shines when wit is juxtaposed to some of her many anxiety-driven recollections.

Dayum, Felcia...
Felicia, even in the introduction, displays her vulnerabilities, proudly almost, for all to see. She addresses fans and, funnily enough, also addresses an audience who may have stumbled on the book accidentally. She sets up her wit immediately and gracefully paces it throughout her memoir.

You're Never Weird contains many pictures of our red-headed-memoir heroine. While a few images gave the impression of just filling space, many pictures offer a good laugh or a "yikes, she wore that?" It's fascinating seeing the self-made internet star as something else besides the celebrity we gush over.

Felicia discusses many pivotal moments of her life, including her hippie, home-schooled childhood, the insurmountable 4.0 GPA of college, and of course, the creation of The Guild. You're Never Weird has twelve chapters. Most are fun and informative, but a few chapters allow readers a glimpse into the sad and unseen struggle between Felicia, her career, and her love of video games.


In past interviews, she mentions how much time was dedicated to the MMORPG, World of Warcraft, the grounding experience for her show The Guild. However, in her memoir, Felicia passionately describes her love of the game and how it affected her life. She writes, "I stopped going to acting classes. I stopped performing improv. Or doing plays, or socializing with real-life human beings. Several times I skipped auditions because I didn't have enough time to prepare after staying up too late gaming the night before. I ate, slept, and lived World of Warcraft."


Keeblerette, Felcia's WOW Avatar

While actors may be the only group who may share audition war stories with Felicia, gamers can completely relate to losing themselves in a video game. It's easy to say how much time a person spent conquering Skyrim or killing 1,500 marauders to unlock a specific skin for Zero in Borderlands 2, but it's something else to print how those hours affected a person's life. Felicia is brutally honest, and we can only love her more for it.

Felicia Day as...Keeblerette?
For an actress only in her mid-thirties, it's surprising how much of a story Felicia has to tell and how effectively her memoir elicits a reaction. It's as easy to laugh alongside the Felicia who wrote the memoir as it is to sympathize and relate to the Felicia crying after having to perform in front of her musical, collegiate peers. Felicia battles her confidence and doubts throughout her memoir, but every step forward she makes radiates to the reader. "Empowering" may be too small of a word to describe how her memoir can make a reader feel.

You're Never Weird on the Internet (Almost) is a good read, like Felicia asserts, for fans. But, as fans, let's be honest, it's still a good read for anyone. Felicia tells how her anxiety, self-confidence, and inner thoughts constantly warred with one another. But despite these inner-battles, Felicia pushed on and fought. Her book has a way of bolstering the confidence of its readers and makes one feel invincible, ready to take on the world. Her nerd humor and dry wit paint a unique, fun picture of a weird little girl who loved video games and grew up and conquered a piece of the internet.


Her memoir can be purchased at Feliciadaybook.com and is definitely recommended.


Let us know what you folks thought about You're Never Weird on the Internet (Almost)!
Stay tuned for Subculture! 


No comments:

Post a Comment