Book Review of Just a Geek by Wil Wheaton

Many of you may probably know Wil Wheaton from his early appearances on Star Trek as Wesley Crusher, his board game reviews on Geek and Sundry, or his cameos on Big Bang Theory.  In addition to this impressive line of geek show TV appearances; Wil is also an accomplished author.  With that said, Just a Geek: Unflinchingly honest tales of the search for life, love, and fulfillment beyond the Starship Enterprise written by Wil Wheaton is an informative biographical novel littered with comic relief and poignant stories that give a subjective perspective into the not-so-glamorous dark side of Hollywood. 

Written by everyone’s favorite geek, Wil Wheaton explores his entire career transition from being a successful Star Trek cast member to becoming a successful writer.  On a whole, Just a Geek is an honest emotional roller coaster that takes its readers through the ups and downs of Wil’s life and acting career.  After reading this book, I found myself respecting Wil for not holding back and being absolutely honest about his few successes and many failures.  As a result, I couldn’t help but perceive Wil Wheaton as the underdog who had risen up against a large and corrupt entertainment industry.   In my mind, he had become the Browncoat, the rebel, and the rogue that I had admired so much in every science fiction and fantasy book that I have ever read.  This fact alone is what I thought made this book so compelling.  I found myself rooting for Wil at every step of the way.

Overall, I gave this book 3 and a half stars out of 5.  Some parts I found myself skipping through because it was a little too wordy.  Other parts I found a little whiny.  In retrospect, if I were unemployed for several years like Wil Wheaton was (due to the whims of Hollywood), I would probably be whiny too.  Despite these imperfections, I still highly recommend Just a Geek to all my geek friends out there in cyber space.  This book is especially recommended to those of you with any interest in a behind the scenes look at Star Trek or comic book conventions.