You’re Never Weird on the Internet (Almost) by Felicia Day

Title: You’re Never Weird on the Internet (Almost)
Author: Felicia Day
Genre: Autobiography
Publisher: Sphere (13th August 2015)
Blurb:

From online entertainment pioneer, actress and ‘queen of the geeks’ Felicia Day, You’re Never Weird on the Internet (Almost) is a funny, quirky and inspiring memoir about her unusual upbringing, her rise to internet stardom and embracing her weirdness to find her place in the world.

When Felicia Day was a girl, all she wanted was to connect with other kids (desperately). Growing up in the Deep South, where she was ‘home-schooled for hippie reasons’, she looked online to find her tribe. The internet was in its infancy and she became an early adopter at every stage of its growth – finding joy and unlikely friendships in the emerging digital world. Her relative isolation meant that she could pursue passions like gaming, calculus and the 1930s detective novels without shame. Because she had no idea how ‘uncool’ she really was.

But if it hadn’t been for her strange background – the awkwardness continued when she started college at sixteen, her mother driving her to campus every day – she might never have had the naive confidence to forge her own path. Like when she graduated as valedictorian with a maths degree and then headed to Hollywood to pursue a career in acting despite having zero contacts. Or when she tired of being typecast as the crazy cat-lady secretary and decided to create her own web series before people in showbusiness understood that online video would be more than just cats chasing laser pointers.

Felicia’s rags-to-riches rise to internet fame launched her career as one of the most unfluential creators in new media. Now Felicia’s world is filled with creativity, video games and a dash of feminist activism – like her memoir.

Showcasing Felicia’s hilarious and unique voice, You’re Never Weird on the Internet (Almost) is proof that everyone should celebrate what makes them different and be brave enough to share it with the world, because anything is possible now – even for a digital misfit.

Rating: *** (3 stars)
Review:

YOU’RE NEVER WEIRD ON THE INTERNET (ALMOST) is an autobiography by Felicia Day. It tells the story of her childhood and growing up in the Deep South up to when she was doxxed during the #GamerGate mess.

Autobiographies and biographies aren’t genres of choice when I’m searching for something to read. Although if you were to look through my “read” shelf on Goodreads I’m sure you would find several examples of both genres on the list. I have wanted to read YOU’RE NEVER WEIRD ON THE INTERNET (ALMOST) since I spotted it on the shelves in a local bookstore whilst I was Christmas present shopping. The title was amusing and for some reason the picture on the cover and the name rang a bell – in case you’re wondering, Felicia Day has appeared in A Town Called Eureka/Eureka and Supernatural, as well as created, written, and stared in The Guild.

On the whole YOU’RE NEVER WEIRD ON THE INTERNET (ALMOST) was an interesting read. I did struggle a bit to get into the book to begin with, this was in part due to some of the narrative style and in part due to the fact that I found it difficult to relate to her. I did like the passion that Day wrote about for her music, gaming and for getting into acting. I also really liked the way that Day focused on her journey to find her place in the world and as such she didn’t really focus on her relationships – familial, romantic or friendship – unless they related to the journey somehow.

Having been on the internet a while, in various forms, I thought it was interesting to read Day’s autobiography and to see how she rose to fame on the internet through her web series and YouTube channel. I also enjoyed reading about her time in the gaming world, and her work as an actress.

If you’re a gamer, or interested in YouTubers, and of course if you’re a Felicia Day fan then YOU’RE NEVER WEIRD ON THE INTERNET (ALMOST) might be something that you’d be interested in. At just over 250 pages (in my copy at least) the autobiography isn’t too long, even for causal fans, and provides a unique look into one woman’s life.