You're Never Weird on the Internet (Almost): A Memoir by Felicia Day

Do you think I read another book to try to fulfill my Pop Sugar Reading Challenge? I DID!! You're Never Weird on the Internet (Almost) by Felicia Day is my attempt to read a book that centers on video games. I tried really hard to read a fiction book for this, but it just didn't work.  Here's where I landed.

Do you know Felicia Day? I really only know her because she starred in a weird Joss Whedon project called Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog. Day is a multi-talented actress, gamer, and business lady. And in this memoir she talks about her life and how she got to where she was when this was published in 2015.

As someone who reads blogs, this felt like reading an extended blog post. She peppered her book with memes, photos, and random two by two tables. It was funny and I liked reading about how her relationship with her brother centered around videogames. I just thought it was missing something. I don't know what that something is - maybe a message? a bit of truth I can apply to my own non-gamer, non-business lady life? fewer insults aimed at physically and mentally disabled people? 

I had a friend in grad school who had a bookshelf above her desk at home. On one side of the bookshelf, she kept books that were her holy grails from authors and researchers she deeply admired, works she aspired toward. On the other side of the shelf she kept books that were a different sort of inspiration - the books that she didn't understand how they made it through the publishing process, but gave her hope that she could one day be published because her work was definitely better. AND FRIENDS! She is a published author! She's brilliant.

I am not saying this memoir is a book where I not sure how it made it through the publishing process. It's a funny book and she's a well-known person in certain circles. But I am saying that reading an entire book that was written like a blog made me think that maybe I could someday write something longer than a five hundred word blog post about my dog's health conditions. And I'm glad I read this book for that reason alone. 

3/5 stars

Lines of note:

My favorite movie is Babe, and if you even hum the theme song to it, I WILL start crying. One time I was introduced to James Cromwell, who played a gruff farmer in the movie, and I burst into tears when I touched his hand. Because it was so big and warm and he DANCED FOR HIS PIG. (page 35)

My favorite movie is Babe, too. Felicia Day and I are twins!

We arrived at Camouflage’s house after a few days (for a real name, let’s call him Tyler. Which was hard to remember in person anyway, to NOT call him Camouflage). (page 49)

This is real. I know Birchie's real name isn't Birchie, but it was hard not to call her by her handle when I met her IRL. 

My favorite was about a boy and girl arguing in a car about the morality of peeing in a McDonald’s without buying anything. (page 131)

Discuss in the comments. I have a strong feeling about this. 

A lot of people mock fandom and fan fiction, like it’s lazy to base your own creativity and passion on someone else’s work. But some of us need a stepping-stone to start. What’s wrong with finding joy in making something, regardless of the inspiration? If you feel the impulse, go ahead and write that Battlestar Galactica/Archie mashup fiction! Someone online will enjoy it. (Especially if Archie gets ripped apart by Cylons.) (page 210)

Preach it, Felicia. Preach it. 

What frightened me the most about my #GamerGate experience was the possibility that this could be the future of the internet. That the utopia I thought the online world created, where people don’t have to be ashamed of what they love and could connect with each other regardless of what they looked like, was really a place where people could steep themselves in their own worldview until they became willfully blind to everyone else’s. I guess the internet can be both things. Good and bad. (page 249)

The internet can be a harsh place. I am grateful for our little bloggy circle every day. 

Hat mentions (why hats?): 

Revealing that at rehearsal one day was quite the hat trick. (page 84)

...an outfit with a huge hat and sunglasses like Audrey Hepburn in a spy thriller. (page 163)

Half the time I put my “producer hat” on, I felt like I was playing dress-up. (page 165)

There were complications, of course, like when I discovered that most of the cast had never played a video game before, but I just put on the hat of “gamer consultant” (in addition to lead actress, show runner, and co-caterer) and plowed ahead. (page 167)