You're Never Weird on the Internet

I wanted to read You’re Never Weird on the Internet on the basis that I quite like Felicia’s tweets rather than being a huge fan of her work. However you’ll be glad to know the book is worth reading on its own merit. There’s plenty of the kind of material you’d expect in a memoir, told in a friendly and amusing voice, but more importantly it gives a little slice of recent history: one girl’s experience of growing up alongside the internet and video games.

Felicia’s just a couple of years older than me, so whilst I wasn’t on the same sites as her, it’s still a time I can recognise. Remember the sound of dial-up signalling a connection to the outside world? A home-schooled, somewhat weird child, Felicia found a world she could belong to online. The book follows her life through to the point she starts The Guild. The final chapter touches a little on #GamerGate and it’s rather saddening to think that a world that was once so welcoming to Felicia, has become threatening in places.

I’ve been a fan of Felicia Day from when I first saw The Guild. I think she is a talented and quirky actress/writer/content creator. She knew how to use the Internet to her advantage and I have been watching her grow in popularity and in content creation. But let’s face it; her best work is from Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog, with Dr. Holly Marten from Eureka a close second. Obviously this is subjective and she has been involved with many great projects but those two really stand out for me.

You’re Never Weird on the Internet (Almost) is the first memoir from Felicia Day; it covers broad strokes of life so far. If you follow Felicia on the Internet, a lot of the information within the book is familiar. However it was nice to have everything in the one memoir. While I knew a fair chunk of what is covered in the book, I still enjoyed reading this.

The memoir goes into great depth with the concept of failure. Failure, should never mean the end, or taken so negatively. Felicia Day goes to great lengths to explain the amount of times she failed and the importance to keep going. This is a lesson Felicia had to learn time and time again and she hopes that she can pass on the advice to the readers. However I think this is one of those lessons we all have to learn for ourselves.

I listened to You’re Never Weird on the Internet (Almost) as an audiobook, read by Felicia Day. I think the audio experience enhanced my experience. I really enjoy listening to non-fiction as audiobook, and when the author reads their memoir, that just makes the experience better. Felicia Day is an interesting person but I do not think this book is for everyone. Fans of Felicia Day or people with an interest in content creation might enjoy You’re Never Weird on the Internet (Almost), but for everyone else, there is not much left here to offer.

This review originally appeared on my blog; www.knowledgelost.org/book-reviews/genre/non-fiction/youre-never-weird-on-the-internet-almost-by/