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Just a Geek: Unflinchingly honest tales of the search for life, love, and fulfillment beyond the Starship Enterprise 1st Edition
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In this bestselling book, Wil shares his deeply personal and difficult journey to find himself. You'll understand the rigors, and joys, of Wil's rediscovering of himself, as he comes to terms with what it means to be famous, or, ironically, famous for once having been famous. Writing with honesty and disarming humanity, Wil touches on the frustrations associated with his acting career, his inability to distance himself from Ensign Crusher in the public's eyes, the launch of his incredibly successful web site, wilwheaton.net, and the joy he's found in writing. Through all of this, Wil shares the ups and downs he encountered along the journey, along with the support and love he discovered from his friends and family.
The stories in Just a Geek include:
- Wil's plunge from teen star to struggling actor
- Discovering the joys of HTML, blogging, Linux, and web design
- The struggle between Wesley Crusher, Starfleet ensign, and Wil Wheaton, author and blogger
- Gut-wrenching reactions to the 9-11 disaster
- Moving tales of Wil's relationships with his wife, step-children, and extended family
- The transition from a B-list actor to an A-list author
Wil Wheaton--celebrity, blogger, and geek--writes for the geek in all of us. Engaging, witty, and pleasantly self-deprecating, Just a Geek will surprise you and make you laugh.
- ISBN-100596806310
- ISBN-13978-0596806316
- Edition1st
- PublisherO'Reilly Media
- Publication dateOctober 6, 2009
- LanguageEnglish
- Dimensions5.5 x 0.65 x 8.5 inches
- Print length295 pages
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Product details
- Publisher : O'Reilly Media; 1st edition (October 6, 2009)
- Language : English
- Paperback : 295 pages
- ISBN-10 : 0596806310
- ISBN-13 : 978-0596806316
- Item Weight : 10.2 ounces
- Dimensions : 5.5 x 0.65 x 8.5 inches
- Best Sellers Rank: #1,762,003 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #2,502 in Television Performer Biographies
- #4,621 in Rich & Famous Biographies
- #51,591 in Memoirs (Books)
- Customer Reviews:
About the author

Wil Wheaton's successful acting career began in 1986 with acclaimed roles in Stand By Me and Toy Soldiers. He continued to build his resume through his teen years as series regular 'Wesley Crusher' on Star Trek: The Next Generation and opposite Robin Williams in Flubber. But Wil is much more than just an actor; he's an author, blogger, voice actor, widely-followed Twitter user, and a champion of geek culture.
Wil currently splits his time between acting and writing. In 2010, he joined the cast of Eureka as Doctor Isaac Parrish, and recurs as Sheldon Cooper's nemesis, Evil Wil Wheaton, on The Big Bang Theory. He's published three acclaimed books: Just A Geek, Dancing Barefoot, and The Happiest Days of Our Lives. His latest books are Sunken Treasure, The Day After and Other Stories, and Memories of the Future, Volume One. All of his books grew out of Wil's immensely popular, award-winning weblog, which he created at WIL WHEATON dot NET and currently maintains at WIL WHEATON dot NET: in Exile.
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Customer Reviews, including Product Star Ratings help customers to learn more about the product and decide whether it is the right product for them.
To calculate the overall star rating and percentage breakdown by star, we don’t use a simple average. Instead, our system considers things like how recent a review is and if the reviewer bought the item on Amazon. It also analyzed reviews to verify trustworthiness.
Learn more how customers reviews work on AmazonCustomers say
Customers find the book engaging and well-written. They appreciate the author's honest and humorous storytelling. The book provides a good mix of personal, geeky, and actor insights. Readers praise the writing quality as excellent, with more humility than most Hollywood writers. They enjoy the behind-the-scenes stories about the making of Star Trek TNG.
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Customers find the book engaging and entertaining. They enjoy learning about Wil Wheaton and getting to know him better. The book is a feel-good read that makes them happy.
"...While I'd love to say that the book is a great read for everyone, you probably have to have a certain exposure to geeky pursuits to appreciate it..." Read more
"Read this book in just two days - it was that good. What I love about Wheaton's writing is his raw honesty...." Read more
"...You're King of the Geeks (or at least the Vice President). And it's great." Read more
"...This book is great! It is funny and sad. The annotated version "Still Just a Geek" is even better...." Read more
Customers enjoy the author's insights into his life and thoughts. They find the book engaging, with a good mix of personal, geeky, and actor content. Readers appreciate the honesty and openness to share opinions and experiences. Overall, they describe the book as heartwarming, funny, and well-written.
"...couldn't put it down, and I really enjoyed the gritty, honest look into a child actor's life written by the actor himself...." Read more
"...a bit dry and repetitive – it is still very entertaining and offers great insight to not only the movie industry, but the human spirit...." Read more
"...It's a heart-warming, no-nonsense book and I highly recommend it to anyone, trekkie or no" Read more
"...It is a feel good book, Mr. Wheaton just grabs your mind and your heart and pulls you right in...." Read more
Customers find the writing quality of the book good. They say the author writes with humility and humor, making it an easy and quick read. The author is described as talented and underrated.
"...Wheaton's a natural, unforced writer. He's got guts and writers' chops. I don't care if you're a Star Trek fan or not, you should read this book...." Read more
"...An easy autobiography to read, but if you weren’t a Star Trek fan I don’t think you would get much from this novel – because it primarily deals with..." Read more
"...He manages to write introspectively and honestly without drowning in self-pity...." Read more
"...He knows it. We know it. It's that honesty, pure and simple that makes this book...." Read more
Customers enjoy the author's storytelling ability. They find the stories inspiring and interesting, with behind-the-scenes insights into Star Trek production. Readers appreciate the easy-to-read style and honest account of Wil's successes and failures. The narrative holds together as a cohesive whole.
"...It covers a lot of ground, but the narrative holds together as a cohesive whole. Wil's success was always based upon being ernest and likable...." Read more
"...What I love about Wheaton's writing is his raw honesty...." Read more
"...Wheaton's a natural, unforced writer. He's got guts and writers' chops. I don't care if you're a Star Trek fan or not, you should read this book...." Read more
"...The pain of the what-ifs, the realizations, and the conclusions was very real and palpable...." Read more
Customers enjoy the book's humor. They find the author honest and witty, with a conversational tone that keeps them engaged. The style is fun to read and makes it enjoyable to read.
"...Wil's success was always based upon being ernest and likable. That hasn't changed...." Read more
"...This book is great! It is funny and sad. The annotated version "Still Just a Geek" is even better...." Read more
"...Indeed, it is the conversational tone of the book that makes it such a joy to read - the fact that Wheaton openly invites the reader in and says, "..." Read more
"...The tone of ‘Just a Geek’ is witty and charming. It’s easy to relate to with Wil’s honesty and detailed histology of acting and the movie industry...." Read more
Customers enjoy the book's insights into an actor. They find the author talented and underrated. The book is a charming read with a compelling voice. Readers describe the author as intelligent, humorous, compassionate, and a loving family man.
"...Why? Because it is a charming read with a compelling voice. You'll share Wil's successes and stumbles...." Read more
"...The book comes across as very human, which I adored because there is a sense of comfort in knowing that famous people are just like the rest of us..." Read more
"...It’s easy to relate to with Wil’s honesty and detailed histology of acting and the movie industry...." Read more
"...I wondered often why he *wasn't* writing professionally; he had the raw talent and the ability to tell a good story, and readers eager to see more...." Read more
Customers appreciate the author's honesty. They find the memoir open and honest, providing an insightful look into Wil Wheaton's life. The book provides an entertaining yet sobering glimpse into his acting career.
"...In a book that lives up to its title, this unflinchingly honest memoir takes the reader on a behind-the-scenes look at the struggles of one actor..." Read more
"The book itself is a good read. An insightful look into Wil Wheaton's (failing) struggle to maintain an acting career, and dealing with the self-..." Read more
"In this volume, Wheaton gives an entertaining and occasionally sobering look at what it is like to experience great success as a young actor and..." Read more
"...unique experiences as someone of middle-fame, get an awesome look at behind the scenes bits with the Star Trek crew, and catch up on a lot of the..." Read more
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Better than expected!!!
Top reviews from the United States
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- Reviewed in the United States on May 22, 2012Clearly I enjoyed it, giving it 5 stars. Why?
Because it is a charming read with a compelling voice. You'll share Wil's successes and stumbles. It covers a lot of ground, but the narrative holds together as a cohesive whole. Wil's success was always based upon being ernest and likable. That hasn't changed. Sure, there are times where Wil seems petulant or misguided, but I took that as a telltale sign of honesty. I could see those traits annoying some people, but I wouldn't change a thing.
I didn't want to put it down. The end of the book came too soon, as it always does for those books where you feel like you spent time with a friend, but the story was told.
Also, Wil describes a surprisingly interesting situation. I don't normally celebrate celebrity, but I did find it novel to meet an everyman in the extrordinary circumstance of looking back on phenominal success as a teenager. Starring in Stand by Me and Star Trek the Next Generation before adulthood? How do you match that? Either alone could have been the pinacle of achievement.
I liked it, but will you? I am a geek, though not a trekkie. I've had trekkie friends from time to time, but I've never been to a Trek convention. I never loved nor hated Wesley Crusher, but did grow-up watching some seasons (mostly early) of Star Trek the Next Generation. While I'd love to say that the book is a great read for everyone, you probably have to have a certain exposure to geeky pursuits to appreciate it fully. Still, it is accessible. You don't have to know the geek secret handshake to read it. A non-geek might miss chuckling at a few passing mentions, but I'm passing it to my notably less geeky wife. I'll have to see what she thinks.
The last reason I gave it five stars is because Wil probably reads the reviews. Read it. You'll understand what I mean.
- Reviewed in the United States on November 2, 2015Read this book in just two days - it was that good. What I love about Wheaton's writing is his raw honesty. I'm not sure if I can bare my soul like that, but Wheaton did, and we are the better for it.
How frightening it is that a few decisions in our youth - done out of immaturity and lack of experience - could push into a course that we never would have expected? How many of us was in Wheaton's position? How many of us lived what he lived?
By sharing his story, Wheaton teaches us that we should never take anything for granted (family, health, career, tiny blessings), and that despite crushing defeat and reaching the lowest point in your life, you can bounce back AND discover a talent you never knew you had. For Wheaton, it was writing.
Some reviewers complain that he whines about his trials and tribulations in Hollywood too much. When it comes to reading memoirs, one of the most important approaches I take is not to judge the writer's journey. The writer's interpretation of life events could differ from yours and that's the point - we learn from different views. And even if I were to judge Wheaton's journey, I would say that he had every right to be upset about how things turned out. Acting was his life, passion and reason for being and the gatekeepers are keeping him away from it because of (what I could see from the book anyway) rather frivolous and unfair reasons. But the crucial difference with Wheaton was that instead of sitting back and wallowing in his misery, he did something about it. He started a now-wildly-popular website, honed his writing and learned from his mistakes.
I'm glad that things have improved for Wheaton since the writing of this book. He's acted on several shows since then (the crazy popular Big Bang Theory, for one), has become a cultural icon, and continue to improve in his writing.
Well, done, Mr. Wheaton!
- Reviewed in the United States on July 30, 2016Let me get this out of the way: I hated Wesley Crusher. Deep and burning passion of loathing? I had it. Here was this kid, younger than I was, taking screen time away from the magnificent Captain Picard. Saving the ship. Putting the ship in danger and then saving it. Piloting the ship. There was apparently a group who were rooting for seeing him go out an airlock, and I would have joined it – and, yes, it was in some part jealousy, because I was a young and rabid Trekkie and here was this kid, younger than I was… But it was also some poor writing, of the sort that inevitably created antipathy for this kid. It had little if anything to do with Wil Wheaton's really quite adept portrayal, but there was no wonder that I was far from alone in hating Wesley Crusher.
Unfortunately, others in that group were more vocal than I ever was, and Wil Wheaton knew all about how much how many people loathed Wesley Crusher. And, even more unfortunately and nonsensically, him. That'll have an effect on anyone – and especially an intelligent, sensitive, earnest teenaged boy who sees his future as that-guy-who-used-to-be-on-that-show writ large in a kind of pathetic Star Trek font. It – and other factors – made him walk away from Hollywood for a few years, and from Trek for a decade.
What this book is all about, and why it kept me up till oh crap, is that the time?! and why my respect for Wil Wheaton is greater than I ever could have anticipated, is his (insert less clichéd word than "journey" here) from the bitterness and hurt and anger stemming from Being Wesley Crusher and trying (and painfully failing) to resuscitate his acting career … to a mature and rather joyful reconciliation with his past, and new and optimistic plan for the future.
The subtitle promises that the book is unflinchingly honest - and it feels like it is. Wil made an ass of himself on several occasions, and he owns to it - and owns it. He is scathing about those who have hurt him (sometimes, diplomatically, without naming names, but really how hard is it to look up the fact that Stuart Baird was the "dick" who directed Star Trek: Nemesis?), and unstinting with his affection for his family and his Trek "family" (though I can't help feeling the latter don't deserve it. At all). He's snarky, and funny, and not afraid to admit that even some of the trolls who anonymously email wilwheaton.net might not be wrong. And when they are wrong, his phaser is set to k- ... no, I can't.
The book was originally published in, I believe, 2004 (before his deeply creepy appearance on Criminal Minds), so it's especially nice to read it knowing that Wil Wheaton is not only a staple of "Big Bang Theory" but also the perpetual president of OASIS, and deservedly so. "Just a Geek"? Nah, honey. You're King of the Geeks (or at least the Vice President). And it's great.
Top reviews from other countries
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MartinaReviewed in Germany on March 3, 20165.0 out of 5 stars Nur ein geek
Ich nenne mich ein Trekkie, aber gehe nicht zu Conventions. Ich habe auch keine Starfleet Uniform in mein Schrank. Und ich habe Wesley Crusher - wie viele anderen - gehasst. Nicht unbedingt Wil Wheaton, weil ich wusste dass er schon im "Stand by me" gespielt hat, aber er war egal für mich. Und dann habe ich ihn in meine neue Lieblingsserien wie Eureka und Big Bang Theory gesehen. Kurz darauf war ich auf seine Webseite/Blog, und lachte über seine selbst-ironischen Einträge.
Es dauerte nicht lange, bis ich "Just a geek" gekauft habe, eine Sammlung von seine besten (Autobiografischen) Kurzgeschichten und ich war nicht enttäuscht. Wer allerdings eine trockene Biographie erwartet wird enttäuscht sein.
Dieses Buch ist lustig durch und durch, und es ist etwas, womit ich als Geek mit gut identifizieren konnte. Aber fangen wir vorne an.
Wil Wheaton schreibt gut, sehr gut. Er erzählt eine Geschichte, er zieht seine Leser(inne)n ein. "Wir" haben gemeinsamem Witze und Erlebnisse, ich nicke ab und zu mit mein Kopf, wenn ich was lese. Am Ende des Buches habe ich das Gefühl ob er meine Kumpel wäre. Nun ja, eine der Jungs von der PC-Klub oder von Dungeon and Dragons Spielgruppe.
Amazon CustomerReviewed in Canada on April 1, 20145.0 out of 5 stars A must for Trek fans!
This was such an awesome read, and it was one book that I couldn't tear myself away from. I haven't read a book like that in a while. It really gives you some great inside stories to the world of star trek behind the scenes.
Not only that it gives you a look into the life of a struggling actor. It shows what most likely is the more common reality of trying to make a living as an actor. As apposed to all the glitz, and glam we get with the Pitts, and the Clooneys.
Now I'll admit I'm not a fan of the character of Wesley Crusher, and thought he was annoying on TNG. How ever after reading this book I am most certainly a fan of Will Wheaton.
Susan StepneyReviewed in the United Kingdom on September 28, 20145.0 out of 5 stars From actor to writer
Although I’m a fan of Star Trek, Wesley Crusher was definitely never my favourite character in ST:NG. The bridge of the Enterprise is no place for children (unless they are being suitably creepy, as in "And the Children Shall Lead" ST:TOS). But I believe I’m able to distinguish between the actor and the character, so I hold no grudge against Wil Wheaton, just his script writers. Even so I would not have thought to read his autobiography, as I rarely read books about real people: I mainly read about (science) fictional people, and about science, and about other geeky things.
However, I’ve noticed that Wheaton now does non-acting geeky things (mainly from items on John Scalzi’s Whatever blog). So when my other half got this book, I thought I’d have a look too.
It’s very good. Okay, it’s 10 years out of date (published in 2004), and I’m positive he’s done a lot else since, but what it does is provide the background to Wheaton’s then-new blog, Wil Wheaton dot Net (launched in 2001). The book blurb says how On his blog, Wil shared—with stunning and fearless honesty—his real life. The book says how, in fact, he didn’t, initially. It’s mainly a description of how he worked through being an actor no-one would hire, to a writer everyone was reading. In the book he is fearlessly honest (I assume), including being honest about how he was still in denial in his early blog posts.
Some of the insights into behind the scenes on ST:NG and at Trek conventions are fascinating. Ironically, the bits that work least well for me are the passages where he being writerly: writing about incidents from his childhood, because these are more autobiography than geeky. However, the parts where he is writing about how he transitioned from trying to be the person he thought he should be (an actor), to the person he actually wanted to be (a writer), and no longer being afraid of being thought a failure, are very thoughtful, and a great read too.
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こっとんてーるReviewed in Japan on April 9, 20115.0 out of 5 stars 読む価値大!
Wil Wheaton のこの作品は、先にAudio bookで読んで(聞いて)あったのですが、手元に置きたくてペーパーバックも購入しました。
海外のAmazonのレビューでも非常に評価が高い作品です。
彼のウェブサイトからの抜粋が中心の書ですが、実際に読んでみても読み応えがあって良かったです。
映画「Stand by Me]で一世を風靡し、一気に有名人となったWil。
それが故の、その後のWilの複雑な心の動きや葛藤が、等身大の人間としてとても身近に感じられました。
また文面からは、彼の人柄がとてもよくうかがえます。
彼はおそらく、俳優としてよりも作家の方が向いているのかもしれません。
なぜか人を惹きつける文を書ける方なのだと思います。
Jock McBileReviewed in Canada on August 14, 20195.0 out of 5 stars If you love Wil Wheaton, this is for you
I'm not finished yet. But I really like Wil as a person, and all the things he's gone through, while still remaining positive. Some of it did make me pretty sad for him. But his perseverance is something to behold.
