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Still Just a Geek Audiobook Summary

Celebrated actor, personality, and all-around nerd, Wil Wheaton updates his memoir of collected blog posts with all new material and annotations as he reexamines one of the most interesting lives in Hollywood and fandom–and now for the first time in audio, narrated by Wil himself, with an introduction written and read by Neil Gaiman!

From starring in Stand by Me to playing Wesley Crusher on Star Trek: The Next Generation to playing himself, in his second (third?) iconic role of Evil Wil Wheaton in The Big Bang Theory, to becoming a social media supernova, Wil Wheaton has charted a career course unlike anyone else, and has emerged as one of the most popular and well respected names in science fiction, fantasy and pop culture.

Back in 2001, Wil began blogging on wilwheaton.net. Believing himself to have fallen victim to the curse of the child actor, Wil felt relegated to the convention circuit, and didn’t expect many would want to read about his random experiences and personal philosophies.

Yet, much to his surprise, people were reading. He still blogs, and now has an enormous following on social media with well over 3 million followers.

In Still Just a Geek, Wil revisits his 2004 collection of blog posts, Just a Geek, filled with insightful and often laugh-out-loud annotated comments, additional later writings, and all new material written for this publication. The result is an incredibly raw and honest memoir, in which Wil opens up about his life, about falling in love, about coming to grips with his past work, choices, and family, and finding fulfillment in the new phases of his career. From his times on the Enterprise to his struggles with depression to his starting a family and finding his passion–writing–Wil Wheaton is someone whose life is both a cautionary tale and a story of finding one’s true purpose that should resonate with fans and aspiring artists alike.

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Still Just a Geek Audiobook Narrator

Wil Wheaton is the narrator of Still Just a Geek audiobook that was written by Wil Wheaton

Wil Wheaton is a highly acclaimed producer, narrator, and actor who has appeared in dozens of films and TV series. Most recently, he played a fictionalized version of himself on CBS’s The Big Bang Theory, one of the most highly rated and watched sitcoms of the last decade. An accomplished voice actor, Wil has lent his talents to many animated series, including Family Guy, Teen Titans, Guardians of the Galaxy, and Batman: The Brave and the Bold. His audiobook narration of Ernest Cline’s Ready Player One debuted at number one on the New York Times bestseller list and was one of Goodreads’s 10 of the Best Narrator and Audiobook Pairings of All Time. He has also lent his voice to titles by John Scalzi, Randall Monroe, Andy Weir, and Joe Hill. When he isn’t acting, narrating, or podcasting, Wil is writing. A lot. He lives in Los Angeles with his badass, irrepressible wife, Anne; one rescue dog (RIP Seamus); one cat; and two vintage arcade cabinets. If you’re not a robot, you can reach him at [email protected].

About the Author(s) of Still Just a Geek

Wil Wheaton is the author of Still Just a Geek

Still Just a Geek Full Details

Narrator Wil Wheaton
Length 23 hours 51 minutes
Author Wil Wheaton
Category
Publisher HarperAudio
Release date April 12, 2022
ISBN 9780063080508

Subjects

The publisher of the Still Just a Geek is HarperAudio. includes the following subjects: The BISAC Subject Code is Celebrity & Popular Culture, HUMOR, Topic

Additional info

The publisher of the Still Just a Geek is HarperAudio. The imprint is HarperAudio. It is supplied by HarperAudio. The ISBN-13 is 9780063080508.

Global Availability

This book is only available in the United States.

Goodreads Reviews

Erin

January 08, 2022

I never read Just a Geek and I never watched Star Trek, but I became familiar with Wheaton through Big Bang Theory and other geeky endeavors. I found his original writing touching, funny, and bittersweet, and his annotations made it that much better. He calls himself out for problematic language and jokes, he explains things in greater detail, he gives insight into who he was and what he was thinking at the time. I'm oddly proud of him??

Amber

May 11, 2022

As an academic and a writer, I understand all too well Wheaton's lifelong wrestling match with imposter syndrome. He bares his soul in this memoir--get the audiobook, it's so, so well narrated--and what I love is that he is deeply aware of his own imperfections. Unlike most celebrities who want to present only the best versions of themselves, Wheaton looks back on the writings of his younger self, fleshing out his own stories from a more mature perspective. I do have to take off a star for some of the cringe-y, redundant "mea culpas" for the insensitivity of his past self (the "fast forward 30 seconds" button on Audible was very helpful for that), but overall I was immersed in his story. I even got a little teary at a few points, such as the story about leaving his great aunt's house for the last time (anyone who's lost an elderly relative will be affected by that one). His story of child abuse on a film set later in the book broke my heart—it was tough to hear the raw, unfiltered pain in his voice. No other audiobook narrator I know of has taken such a risk. Overall, his life story can seem quite tragic--the memories of someone who spent their 20’s attempting to recapture something they lost before they knew what they had. But it's high time someone spoke out about the trauma of being a child star, and the long-lasting impact that makes on a person's life. I liked him as Wesley Crusher, I liked him as a blogger, and I continue to like him now.

Alan

July 13, 2022

Rec. by: Version 1.0Rec. for: Works in progress "I never should have knocked."—Lucas Sinclair, Stranger Things, S4E9. There are some celebrity autobiographies that were obviously written by someone else—sanitized, ersatz works, "as told to" the real writer.This is not that.Wil Wheaton's annotated, updated memoir Still Just a Geek is raw and open—even more so than its beta release. This is not a bad thing, not at all. Wheaton also, still, has a lot of work to do on his issues (as he acknowledges in the Afterword to this iteration).This is not a bad thing either.What follows is my original review of Just a Geek from 2011—just annotated. The new stuff, like the above, is in italics.Neil Gaiman, who seems to pop up all over the place these days, says in his Introduction (page xiii) to this autobiographical work, "In an era of people blogging as pseudo-celebrities, this is the story of a celebrity blogging as a person."This is precisely correct. Wil Wheaton stands out among former child stars and other Hollywood types: he's grown up, not just grown older.This remains as true in 2022 as it was in 2004. If anything, Wheaton's even more mature and forthcoming in Still Just a Geek... he acknowledges and apologizes—sincerely, I believe—for faults ranging from his misuse (and overuse) of the word "lame" as a pejorative to the many times he tried to placate his parents in print, despite what really does come across as their systematic gaslighting and emotional abuse.For those who may think of him only as the character Wesley Crusher on Star Trek: The Next Generation, or as one of the principals not named Corey in the film Stand By Me, let me tell you that he's developed into much more than that. Witty, honest, passionate and articulate, this transcription of entries from Wheaton's weblog in the early 2000s shows a man with a wife and a family, whose triumphs and crises of confidence could be anyone's.I like his taste in music, too. As soon as Wheaton started the first chapter with a quote from a Pixies song I was just listening to, and then name-checked Portland, Oregon and Powell's Technical Bookstore on the very next page... I knew I was gonna like this book.He still has pretty good taste in tunes, by the way...Turns out I was right. I burned through Just a Geek in just a few hours, in fact, eager to see what Wheaton would talk about next. And although the book ends before Wheaton's more recent career resurgence in series like Leverage, it's easy to see the roots of that newfound success in his straightforward self-assessment here.It took me a lot longer to get through Still Just a Geek. The footnotes are tagged with tiny symbols that I often found hard to locate, and there are a lot of 'em. And, on the plus side, it's a much longer book, and a significant improvement on its predecessor.Wil Wheaton's blogging continues at WIL WHEATON dot NET: 1.5 (up through 2006) and then at Wil Wheaton: In Exile (which is currently current, as I type this)... that latter link, at least, should probably be on your blogroll, too...Ahem. Those older links are still resolving as of the date of this review, but they're not the most current way to meet your Wheaton needs. As of 2022, you can find Wil's current blog at http://wilwheaton.net/. Things change fast and often, online.I will note that if Wheaton does revisit this project in another 20 years or so, as he mentions wanting to do, I think the ideal title for his next update would have to be:Stil Wil

Doreen

April 13, 2022

4/13/2022 Full review tk (maybe even later today!) at TheFrumiousConsortium.net.4/13/2022 I make it a habit of avoiding memoirs published by men in their 30s, so never got around to reading Wil Wheaton's Just A Geek, despite it seeming squarely in my wheelhouse. Reading this annotated version drove home to me how wise that policy continues to be, despite the many interests the author and I share, including but not limited to Star Trek, sci-fi, acting, blogging, tabletop games and parenting.The trouble with the vast, vast majority of autobiographies written by men in their 30s is that the authors cannot properly view the trauma they've undergone -- which is what largely compels men like these to write these books at this stage in their lives -- without managing to sound both trite and obliviously self-important. The luckiest of these authors at least have an inkling of how much therapy they still need, but almost none of them realize that time (at the very least, and even without the benefit of actively working on your spiritual/emotional well-being) almost always grants a very necessary perspective. Mr Wheaton was, unfortunately, no different. I can absolutely see why Entertainment Weekly succinctly if harshly called the original book whiny. There's a lot of unprocessed trauma on display and a lot of attempts at edginess that just come off as douchebaggery.So it's a fascinating enterprise to see Mr Wheaton tackle his book once more almost two decades later. His annotations are almost all correct, both in exploring the deeper truth behind what he said at the very turn of the 21st century and in apologizing for unfortunate language and narrative choices, with one caveat: I do think that he's actually a little too hard on his younger self, particularly in his adoption of projected optimism as a coping mechanism. Sure, he says now that the confident pronouncements that he made back then were in service to placating the "Prove Everyone Wrong" voice in his head, but there's still value in making positive affirmations about yourself and your goals, and it seems weird to kick his younger self over what was essentially a helpful, if not outright necessary, way to deal with life's disappointments.That said, wow, it's so much better reading this book from the perspective of a dude who's about to turn fifty. I mean, the covers alone evoke the wildly differing atmospheres: the original was incredibly emo while the present version is far more self-deprecating and self-aware. Which isn't at all to say that Mr Wheaton was a bad person when he was younger, or that the angry, self-absorbed essays he wrote at that time have no worth. As a historical snapshot, they're actually a really great look into that era of celebrity and the Internet; as reading material tho, they are 100% Not My Thing. And that's fine: not every book is for everybody. I'm just glad that I came to this version at this age, so I can gain a newfound appreciation for Mr Wheaton instead of being all "JFC, this is what happened to the guy who played Wesley?"Because the Wil Wheaton of recent years can see past the anger and assumptions of his younger self to the scared, sad kid behind the words. He and I don't necessarily have the same perspectives on everything, but I very much valued his present-day thoughts on abuse and mental health and the importance of education and kindness (and greatly appreciate his commitment to good parenting throughout.) The only thing that really stuck out to me was the fact that no one seems to have pointed out to him that his Dad's bullying likely stemmed from an insecurity at no longer being the family's main breadwinner. Which doesn't excuse Dad's really shitty behavior, but definitely makes his abuse and his clear preference for the younger brother seem less inexplicable, IMO.Overall, this was the kind of chronicle that rarely makes its way out of nonfiction: honest and thoughtful, if occasionally uncomfortable for everyone involved. There were parts reading the older version that I thoroughly understood the popularity of the "shut up, Wesley" catchphrase, but I do think that Mr Wheaton has grown to be the kind of good, genuine person that he always thought of himself as being (and hopefully continues to work on being.) It was also really nice to learn that the main cast of Star Trek: The Next Generation get along so well, both then and now. As fun and salacious as it can be to read about backstabbing primi, it's really so much more affirming to read of nurturing and warmth in action.I do recommend getting this book in physical format tho. I'm sure the digital versions will be properly formatted, but I was forced to read this as a sideways pdf on my phone, which had me absolutely seething. Extra irony points for Mr Wheaton being a champion of digital liberty -- not that the formatting was in any way his fault. Sometimes, profit-focused goons screw all us creatives over.Still Just A Geek: An Annotated Collection Of Musings by Wil Wheaton was published April 12 2022 by William Morrow & Company and is available from all good booksellers, including Bookshop.

Brett

April 22, 2022

I’ve been a fan of Wil Wheaton since I first saw him as Gordie Lachance and Wesley Crusher. When I first got Twitter in 2011, I started following him and began to follow his blog. It was cool to see some of those blog entries in this book. I hadn’t read the original Just a Geek before, but I like the idea of this book being an annotated version of that book. I’ve seen a few people say they thought him holding himself accountable for his cringe writing to be long-winded, but I went the audiobook route on this one and it worked for me. Hearing about the abuse he endured was so upsetting, it’s not cool how people are exploited like that at such a young age. Also, love the fuck you to JK Rowling he throws in this book!

Melissa

July 14, 2022

Contender for favorite book of the year.In my lifetime I’ve read a lot of memoirs and a lot of mental health books and I believe this is one of the most unique approaches to both I’ve ever read. I loved that Wheaton took his original memoir and annotated and added to it. I appreciated the insights about inappropriate behavior and gaslighting. I loved the transparency about mental health and childhood trauma. And I connected so much with the authenticity and growth.As a kid, I watched Star Trek, largely at first because of Wheaton and LeVar Burton. It gave me a place to escape when my world wasn’t so great and it wasn’t something I shared with anyone because none of my friends watched it.As an adult, I’m even more thankful for that show because without it and The Big Bang Theory’s Wil Wheaton, I don’t know if I’d have picked up this book. And I’m so glad I did. From the stories like the one about women’s access to health care to the William Shatner anecdote, this book is an absolute must read (or must listen in my case).

Kieran

April 18, 2022

Wil Wheaton proves he is much more than Wesley Crusher in 'Just a Geek' and although this updated and annotated edition may appear to be a retread of a book written at the turn of the century, the notes add insight and clarity on events which were still raw or hidden at the time of initial publication.If readers have already bought 'Just a Geek', the notes themselves are worth the price. If this is the first encounter, buy 'Still Just a Geek'. It's not necessary to buy both titles, unless you want to reward Wheaton twice.

Kerrie

November 01, 2022

This has been such a profound and meaningful read. I threw my head back and laughed at his nerdy references, I've cried with him over trauma, I even suffered a few minor panic attacks as he's described his anxiety and depression. It's been a wild ride. I know I don't know him, but I'm still so proud of him. I'm proud that people like Wil Wheaton are out there, thriving despite many hardships and making the world a better place.

Kris

April 23, 2022

It took me a few day to process this book before I could write my review. I have been a fan of WW since ST:TNG. Call it a middle school crush. He kinda fell out of my radar for several years until I started Following Jenny Lawson- The Bloggess. She wanted a picture of some other celebrity doing some task, but ended up with a picture of WW collating paper! It was genius and had me scouring the internet for more on WW. Then he showed up on Big Bang Theory, and my favorite SciFy network shows, then he had his own SciFy network show…..I was in geek girl heaven!I knew from his blogging that he was thrown into acting by his parents. I knew he was a HUGE advocate for mental health awareness. I knew, from Facebook he was also an advocate for rescue animals.But this book… oh wow. It gave me a little anxiety. The depths of his sadness and fear and self-doubt were palpable. The fact that he has been overcoming all his traumatic experiences and healing himself is inspiring. The love he has for his chosen family is beautiful. The relationship with his TNG family which he welcomed back into his life is beautiful. The ferocity with which he discusses the de-stigmatization of mental health issues is admirable. He may not have had the fame and celebrity of some of his peers, but he did not allow the horrible fates of some of his other peers to happen to him. He seems to be in a very genuinely happy, balanced place. And that’s exactly what you would want for an “old friend.”

Elysa

August 29, 2022

Wil Wheaton revisits his book "Just a Geek" and annotates it and adds content to create "Still Just a Geek." If this type of memoir became a whole subgenre, I'd be all in. It was fascinating to listen to someone basically speaking to himself from 20 years ago and acknowledging how he's changed, learned, and challenged his own beliefs. Wheaton reads the audiobook, so it's a visceral experience. He laughs, cries, and adds a bunch of audio-specific asides.

Sarah

November 27, 2022

All I can say is that it was an absolute privilege to read this book; to be given a glimpse inside Wil's head. This is an annotated and expanded edition of his original book (*Just a Geek*), and it is so refreshing to see someone, celebrity or otherwise, take ownership of the horrible things they said or wrote, to apologize for them, and to strive to be better. Finally, I believe this book is a triumph in the goal to destigmatize mental illness (and he says it *is* an illness, because illnesses are not our fault) and promote ways to lead your best possible life, despite battling these inner demons every day. (He also adds trigger warnings where appropriate.) He doesn't sugar coat it. It's real and it hurts and parts of it were tough to read because I wanted to reach through the pages and tell him it was going to be okay. But it was *honest* and *real*.Despite not knowing him personally, having read this book, I am so proud of the man he's become. He's been through so much - he *continues* to battle his brain every day - and yet he says he's happy and living the life he wants. I really hope that whoever ends up reading this finds it as inspiring as I did.

Lady

September 06, 2022

I took my time with this one. Being that is is an annotated reprint of Just a geek. I needed time to re read each essay and then do it again, pausing for the annotations. It was well worth taking the time to do it this way. Will Wheaton's look back on his earlier writing shows huge growth for him as a human and as a writer. This book is a keeper.

Laura

January 19, 2023

I had a crush on Wil Wheaton when I was 13. Thinking back to my early teenage crushes, he is actually one of the few who survived into middle age instead of succumbing to drugs and suicide. His insight into his life at the peak of his fame and then after was agonizing to read, so it made sense why so many others didn't make it in that business. In this book, he annotates his earlier memoir, walking back his "edgy" jokes and contextualizing his perspective at the time. And it can be funny, but also rough. He has a lot of insight into his mental health and trauma today that he didn't have in the original book, and it was interesting to see that growth.At over 24 hours of audiobook, this was a LONG read. I definitely liked some of his essays better than others, but it is safe to say that he's a good writer.And to speak to the man behind the childhood star, I hope he continues his healing journey. The raw emotion in some of these essays makes me still a little worried for him. He was open and honest and earnest almost to a fault. He seems like a genuinely kind person, though, and I wish him well.

Jaimee

October 27, 2022

I'm actually pretty glad I didn't read the original Just a Geek and got to only experience this annotated, updated version Wil Wheaton's memoir. He revisits his 29 year old self and can give a more grown up and educated perspective on things. He apologizes for offensive stories, terms, and language he used previously and shares the many breakthroughs he's made in therapy and his life in general since the first publication. This is packed full of humor, wisdom, raw emotion, passionate world views, and both fun and more intimate stories. I really enjoyed getting to know Wil Wheaton better and connecting with a lot of what he had to share. I think it was really brave of him to put this all out there and it's a must read for any Star Trek fans!

Denise

June 21, 2022

Fascinating read! Despite the annotated sections are in tiny type, I pushed through because it was so interesting. I've been a fan of Wil Wheaton since first seeing him in Star Trek Next Generation and its nice to hear how well he and his family are doing.

Ryan

June 21, 2022

I'll admit to being a HUGE fanboy of Wil's - I've enjoyed his blog for years, I've enjoyed his other writings (the original form of this book included, pre-annotations), his acting work, and his audiobook work... and even with all of that in place, I never truly got the gravity of what all Wil was dealing with in his personal life. This memoir deals with some HEAVY topics - some fun too - but I truly think those that struggle to understand the life of celebrity, or even what people go through with anxiety and depression, could really stand to read this. I can't fathom weathering half of what Wil went through and turning out half as well-adjusted as he is today in 2022 (I don't know him personally, but he certainly has an online presence and have met at Conventions before). I can't recommend this book enough - whether you're a Star Trek or BBT fan or not, this is certainly worth the read. If you have the time and desire for an even MORE enjoyable experience with the book, I'd suggest listening to the audiobook, of which Wil himself is the narrator - and you get some special/extra bonuses.

Gabriel

May 30, 2022

I was very excited when I heard this was coming on. I guess I wasn't paying close enough attention, because I thought this was a sequel of sorts to Just a Geek, not a reprinting of JAG with annotations. The original material itself is worthy of 5 stars, not counting all the bonus material this edition features. I found myself rolling my eyes every time Wil apologized for an old joke that would be deemed offensive today, and/or apologized for saying guys as it isn't gender neutral/inclusive of non-binary people. Aside from that little nitpick there was a lot of material I wasn't already familiar with, my favorite being the story behind Wil's movie The Curse. I went with the audio book, so hearing Wil read these difficult parts and audibly cry added an extra weight.

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