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

by Felicia Day

Joss Whedon (Foreword)

The Internet isn't all cat videos. There's also Felicia Day - violinist, filmmaker, Internet entrepreneur, compulsive gamer and former lonely homeschooled girl who overcame her isolated childhood to become the ruler of a new world . . . or at least semi-influential in the world of Internet geeks and Goodreads book clubs.

After growing up in the south where she was 'homeschooled for hippie reasons', Felicia moved to Hollywood to pursue her dream of becoming an actress and was immediately typecast as a crazy cat-lady secretary. But Felicia's misadventures in Hollywood led her to produce her own web series, own her own production company and become an Internet star.

Felicia's short-ish life and her rags-to-riches rise to Internet fame launched her career as one of the most influential creators in new media. Now, Felicia's strange world is filled with thoughts on creativity, video games, and a dash of mild feminist activism - just like her memoir.

Hilarious and inspirational, You're Never Weird on the Internet (Almost) is proof that everyone should embrace what makes them different and be brave enough to share it with the world, because anything is possible now - even for a digital misfit.

• ISBN10: 147678566X
• ISBN13: 9781476785660
• Publish Date: 19 April 2016 (first published 11 August 2015)
• Publish Status: Active
• Publisher: The Gallery Press
• Imprint: Gallery Books
• Format: Paperback (US Trade)
• Pages: 304
• Language: English

Reviews

[Amber (The Literary Phoenix)]

I think I can safely say that You’re Never Weird on the Internet (Almost) is my favorite memoir to date. Felicia Day is very accessible at all times, and this feels more like reading someone’s personal journals than a celebrity memoir. For example, her name drops? Almost zero.

I think these days, most people who know Felicia have watched Supernatural. Her character, Charlie Bradbury, is very popular on the show. I will fully and happily admit that I’m a fan myself. But I was aware of Felicia Day long before she appeared as Charlie. I am familiar with her largely because she was one of the faces that made it feel okay for me, as a girl, to love video games.

I don’t talk about it much on this blog, but I love RPGs. I’ve been in and out of MMORPGs since I was fourteen. I’ve never been a hardcore player, and it wasn’t something I could really talk about to other people. Being a “gamer girl” is still not widely appreciated, and knowing that Felicia was out there being her true self also made me happy. By the time I saw her guest star in Eureka and Dr. Horrible’s Singalong Blog, I was already pretty well aware of who she was.

You’re Never Weird on the Internet talks about Felicia’s childhood, her production of The Guild, and GamerGate. She doesn’t name-drop celebrities and talk about her rise to fame and glory. Felicia has a lot of humility for someone who had Joss Whedon giving an introduction to her book. If you’re looking to pick up You’re Never Weird on the Internet because you want the inside scoop on what it was like for her to film Supernatural, you’re not going to find it. Supernatural is only mentioned in passing. The one piece of work she focuses on the most here is The Guild, which makes sense because it was her whole world for several years, season one even being filmed in her own home using cast-off trash as props.

Her memoir feels more like talking to a friend who is really passionate about something and afraid to be judged by the world and keeps hiding behind self-depreciating humor. This is one of those books that I feel like I want to start hollering “Did You Know?”s at you guys. Did you know she was a violin and math double major? Did you know that she was doxed… twice? Did you know she grew up playing Ultima and her brother got her into World of Warcraft? She’s just one of those people I want to be friends with, honestly.

I understood every geeky term in this book, and reading it felt like talking to a friend who had the same interests as me. For those a little less versed in the gamer world, Felicia does a good job of explaining it all in a very accessible manner. It’s clear how grateful she is for her fans, and that’s heartwarming in comparison to people like Carrie Fisher, who hated the convention circuit (I loved The Princess Diarist, don’t get me wrong). In the audiobook version, there is an additional chapter included in later editions that speaks about her book tour, which I found incredibly interest. She also speaks at length about her struggles with mental health (depression and anxiety), and trying to push past her own stigmas about it. So many gems, guys.

There are some moments that could have been censored better. There is a joke in the first chapter about her “looking like she had palsy” and it’s self-depreciating, and would definitely come off as ableist. As I was reading, I remember thinking, “Hmm, probably shouldn’t’ve said that!” and moving forward because it was a quick comment and didn’t resurface. However, there is a scathing #OwnVoices Goodreads review calling Felicia out as ableist, and in fairness I am acknowledging that. I do not agree that this book was, as the reviewer notes “ableist bullshit” but there were a couple slips that are offensive to the right audience. There is also some correcting and pushback in other places when other characters are doing the same thing. Take it as you will.

Generally speaking, I loved this book and I continue to admire and respect Felicia as a person. I’ve had some discussion with followers on Instagram about this one, and the community seems to agree that You’re Never Weird on the Internet is an accessible book for those who are outside her target community and those who don’t like memoirs. I really enjoyed it and feel comfortable recommending it to anybody.

[malberto]

First memoir that i actually read to the end. I usually don't bother with non-fiction, life is already too real, but i'm trying to change that and this was one really fun way to start the memoir and auto-biographies section of my library .

[remo]

Es curioso. En vez de leerme la biografía de una estrella internetera porque soy fan de sus series y su canal, lo he hecho porque leí de refilón en algún sitio que es violinista y matemática (con un gpa de 4.0 en la carrera, que tenía un double major en violín y matemáticas, ahí es nada). Ahora supongo que tendré que verme un capítulo de the guild o algo. Lectura entretenida sobre la vida y milagros de una actriz adicta a los videojuegos y escolarizada en casa que no triunfó en LA pero se fabricó su nicho en Youtube. La protagonista está encantada de conocerse pero se le tolera.

[mbtc]

This was an entertaining book and I enjoyed hearing the story of Felicia's life. While I did roll my eyes at some of her retellings because of the style at which she addressed areas of her life, overall it was really enjoyable. I particularly enjoyed hearing more about the making of The Guild and it was fun to go back and rewatch some of The Guild after reading it.

[Rinn]

Felicia is 100% my spirit animal and I related to this book on so many levels. So amazing to know that someone so talented and inspirational has gone through the same struggles that I've gone through.

[adamfortuna]

I've been a fan of Felicia Day for an embarrassingly long time. Buffy, The Guild, Geek & Sundry, Dollhouse, Eureka -- and of course Dr. Horrible's Sing-Along Blog. Her memoir increased my respect for her even more. She majored in math and violin? That's crazy dedication right there. Hearing her stories of meeting people from the online world mirrored some of my experiences at the time. The build up to starting The Guild was enlightening to hear about as well. It's easy to see something that's created and assume the path was easy. Knowing just how uphill and scrappy a battle it was is inspiring for me in my own creative endeavors.

[Heather]

Felicia Day was a home schooled violin prodigy and a math major in college so of course she decided to become an actress. With parts few and far between she decided to write her own web series and that spawned an Internet empire.

I know her mostly from her traditional acting jobs on sci-fi/fantasy shows like Buffy, Eureka, and Supernatural. I haven't seen in web stuff. She glosses over the TV roles or mentions them in passing. I would have liked to hear more about that. The story of making her own path is interesting though.

[Michael @ Knowledge Lost]

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; http://www.knowledgelost.org/book-reviews/genre/non-fiction/youre-never-weird-on-the-internet-almost-by/

[lindsey]

As a longtime fan, I was so excited when I heard Felicia Day was writing a book. I pre-ordered it the day I found out, and then counted down the days until it was released. To say I had high expectations would be an understatement, and I wasn't disappointed. I could have read the entire book the day I got it in the mail, but I made myself slow down so I could at least enjoy it for a couple of days.

She talks about her life as a home-schooled child, attending college at a young age, playing violin, and, of course, being an early adopter of online / internet forums. She then moves on to discuss her move to California to become an actress, the development of The Guild, and, surprisingly, her mental health and battle with depression.

Her voice shines through, and it almost felt like I was sitting in a room with her while she told me about her life. I've never used audiobooks, but I've been thinking about getting a couple to listen to in the car during my daily commute, and I think this might be a good one to use as a test.

It was interesting to read about the development of The Guild from the very beginning, and to learn about some of the behind-the-scenes info. It was, however, hard to read about her depression and mental health issues, as she was very honest, and her writing is extremely evocative. I definitely felt for her, but this isn't a sad book. It's peppered throughout with her trademark "quirky" and geeky humor, and I found myself laughing out loud several times.

I thought this memoir was inspiring, and she showed what can be accomplished if you never give up, and continue to work toward your dreams no matter what anyone says. She was encouraging and motivating, and I would highly recommend this book, especially if you're already a fan of hers.

(Full review, including a pic of my signed copy, can be found on my blog!)