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Just a Geek (Hard Cover) Unflinchingly honest tales of the search for life, love and fulfillment beyond the Starship Enterprise

By Wil Wheaton
June 2004
Pages: 296
ISBN 10: 0-596-00768-X | ISBN 13: 9780596007683
starstarstarstarstar (Average of 2 Customer Reviews)

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Description

Wil Wheaton has never been one to take the conventional path to success. Despite early stardom through his childhood role in the motion picture "Stand By Me", and growing up on television as Wesley Crusher on "Star Trek: The Next Generation", Wil left Hollywood in pursuit of happiness, purpose, and a viable means of paying the bills. In the oddest of places, Topeka, Kansas, Wil discovered that despite his claims to fame, he was at heart Just a Geek.
Full Description

Wil Wheaton has never been one to take the conventional path to success. Despite early stardom through his childhood role in the motion picture "Stand By Me", and growing up on television as Wesley Crusher on "Star Trek: The Next Generation", Wil left Hollywood in pursuit of happiness, purpose, and a viable means of paying the bills. In the oddest of places, Topeka, Kansas, Wil discovered that despite his claims to fame, he was at heart Just a Geek. In this, his newest 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.



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Review of "Just A Geek",  July 11 2004
Rating: StarStarStarStarStar
Submitted by George Woolley of Oakland.pm and Camelot.pm   [Respond | View]

As a child and as a teenager Wil Wheaton
had a successful acting career.
Many of us were aware of him
as Ensign Wesley Crusher
of the Starship Enterprise.
But he abandoned his role as Wesley Crusher
for reasons explained in the book.
He remained stuck for many years,
no longer a successful actor,
but, at some level, wishing
he could return to his former glory.

In "Just A Geek",
Wil Wheaton does a very good job
of relating his evolution
from a self-absorbed childhood actor
into a much more aware and happier human being and into a successful writer.
The evolution is neither smooth nor easy.

Two big pluses in the book
are the author's irreverent sense of humor
and the glimpses behind the scenes
of StarTrek: The Next Generation.

If you want a bit more detail,
you may wish to checkout
my somehat longer review.




More than *just* a geek,  July 11 2004
Rating: StarStarStarStarStar
Submitted by Anonymous Reader   [Respond | View]

Here's the gimmick: Wil isn't *just* a geek. He's a geek who's come to nerdvana -- the Paramount lot where they dropped the first Trekbomb and forever changed the world -- to tell us that it's not all it's cracked up to be. He's also a geek who can *write*. Finally, he's a geek who's unafraid to sit at the keyboard and open a vein: there's a lot of scorching honesty mixed in with these convulsively funny memoirs.

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Media reviews "Wil's story is a broad snapshot of a life that has been terrifically interesting to this point in time. His journey to self-realization as he describes it is both very entertaining and sometimes embarrassingly honest...I want this guy to win. Very good read. Highly recommended."
--Howard Carson, Kickstartnews.com, January 2005

"This is a book of self discovery. Of learning from what has happened in the past and using it as a strength to move on in directions that may never have been explored if the obvious path had been followed. Of becoming aware that what you sought was always there waiting for you."
--Your Mac Life, December 2004

"It's time to forgive Wil Wheaton. He is sorry that you hated Wesley. He is deeply puzzled by your ongoing antipathy. In an effort to seek your understanding, he has written you a book as a peace offering: Just a Geek...Just a Geek is not a celebrity memoir. It is more a collection of humorous commentaries with one essential theme: How does a grown-up geek with two stepkids, a wife and few job prospects make a go of it?"
--Chelsea Cain, The Oregonian, December 2004

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