Just a geek : unflinchingly honest tales of the search for life, love, and fulfillment beyond the Starship Enterprise

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 . EDITORIAL REVIEW: 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. Wil Wheaton's second book, as read by the author. 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--reads for the geek in all of us. Engaging, witty, and pleasantly self-deprecating, Just a Geek will surprise you and make you laugh. "The story begins in the summer of 2000. When asked by a waitress, "Didn't you used to be an actor?" Wil Wheaton realized that he'd become what he'd always feared: "I was a has-been. I 'used to be an actor' when I was a kid!" In the spotlight for nearly his entire childhood, Will starred in the movie Stand By Me at the tender age of 12 and grew up on television as Wesley Crusher on Star Trek: The Next Generation. But after Star Trek, the roles he expected didn't materialize, leaving Will to grapple with the big questions: could he avoid the pitfalls that typically befall a child star, create a real life, and define success on his own terms?" "Just a Geek is the story of how Wil faced down his constant companion, the ghost he calls "Prove To Everyone That Quitting Star Trek Wasn't A Mistake." The key to banishing that ghost turned out to be a weblog, or online journal, that he launched in 2001 at wilwheaton.net On his weblog, Wil shared his real life: the struggles of being a working-class actor, the joys of being married and raising two step-children, and the experience of growing up on the Starship Enterprise. The kid actor was now a writer too, with an audience of nearly a million readers a month." "Not the usual celebrity biography, Just a Geek fleshes out the stories that started on the weblog. Wil takes you with him to auditions, to Star Trek conventions, to his living room, and into the deepest reaches of his soul. Along the way, he realizes he's happy to be...Just a Geek."--BOOK JACKET. Just a Geek Dedication Forward Just an Introduction A Note to the Reader Introduction This Monkey's Gone to Heaven Act I Where's My Burrito? Will Wheaton dot net SpongeBobvega$ Pants Occasionally Glancing Up Through the Rain If You Lived Here, You'd be Home by Now Breaking News The World Has Turned Act II Stop Me If You Think That You've Heard This One Before Last Place You Look Balance Act III A Sort of Homecoming April's Fool Alone Again, Or... "You're Gonna Be a Great Writer Someday, Gordie" Act IV The Wesley Dialogues All Good Things Epilogue: Hooters 2: Electric Boogaloo The WWdN FAQ Selected Interviews BBSPOT.COM Slashdot.org Acknowledgments Further Reading About the Author Colophon Copyright The actor covers his life after leaving the television series "Star Trek: the Next Generation, " describing the pitfalls associated with being a former child star and his decision to launch his weblog in 2001 "Unflinchingly honest tales of the search for life, love, and fulfillment beyond the Starship Enterprise."