Thursday, June 10, 2004
I managed to read this slim little book while taking the bus on my commute to work this morning. It's a fun read. I got a copy of this courtesy of O'Reilly, and ultimately I'll be reviewing it for Performance PC - not a tech book by any stretch, but as one of the best known bloggers out there, one that many people reading the magazine would be interested in. And let's face it, there's plenty of overlap between "techies" and "trekkers" - as Wil is best known for playing "Wesley Crusher" from Star Trek: Next Generation. While for many people that may have been that initial curiosity that sparked an interest in reading Wil Wheaton's blog, many people - myself included - became regular readers of what is essentially his public diary. While as a writer Wheaton is not likely to become part of the American literary cannon anytime soon, and his pieces sometimes tread uneasily into overly-sentimental territory, it's hard not to empathize and appreciate the emotional depth of and keen observations made by the man behind these writings.
All of these pieces are entries taken from his Blog site and expanded upon. The first piece in this collection is arguably the best single story, where he talks about his final visit to his late Grandmother's place, remembering his happy times there as a child and confronting his feelings of loss. This piece is probably the one where he comes closest to bearing his soul, and having recently gone through the same process in closing up and selling my late Mother's house, the one I most deeply empathized with. The title piece is arguably the weakest, as it just didn't capture me as the one about his grandmother's house did. It describes his wife's desire to go walking barefoot in the rain on summer's day, and after initial reluctance, he joined in. It is ultimately an expression of affection and love, but as a story it is a scene, and not as involved or involving emotionally than the other pieces.
The single largest story is the one that will keep any Trekkie fan out there happy - an expanded version of his "The Saga of SpongeBob VegasPants" where he visits a Star Trek convention in Las Vegas. It includes memories taken from his time working on ST:TNG, and his incredibly disappointing first meeting with William Shatner as a young an impressionable teenager, forever making him WILLIAM FUCKING SHATNER in Wheaton's eyes. He also details his experiences with the fans, and the love/hate relationship the fans have for him - they may have hated his character on the series (I certainly did) but Wil is not Wesley, and he manages to win audiences over by proving on stage that the one-time child actor is now a genuinely funny standup comedian and comedic actor. (His detailing of how he won over an initially frosty audience after making some miscalculated quips exactly describes the sort of mental processes going on when I teach my classes - great stuff).
I've never had the desire to go to a SciFi convention, but after reading this book I would consider going to see Wheaton do a comedy routine. The guy has heart, and so does this book. A fun, light read.
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