You're Never Weird on the Internet (Almost)

by Felicia Day

[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.