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Nerd: Adventures in Fandom from This Universe to the Multiverse
In the vein of You’re Never Weird on the Internet (Almost) and Black Nerd Problems, this witty, incisive essay collection from New York Times critic at large Maya Phillips explores race, religion, sexuality, and more through the lens of her favorite pop culture fandoms.
From the moment Maya Phillips saw the opening scroll of Star Wars, Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back, her life changed forever. Her formative years were spent loving not just the Star Wars saga, but superhero cartoons, anime, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Harry Potter, Tolkien, and Doctor Who—to name just a few.
As a critic at large at The New York Times, Phillips has written extensively on theater, poetry, and the latest blockbusters—with her love of some of the most popular and nerdy fandoms informing her career. Now, she analyzes the mark these beloved intellectual properties leave on young and adult minds, and what they teach us about race, gender expression, religion, and more.
Spanning from the nineties through to today, Nerd is a collection of cultural criticism essays through the lens of fandom for everyone from the casual Marvel movie watcher to the hardcore Star Wars expanded universe connoisseur.
From the moment Maya Phillips saw the opening scroll of Star Wars, Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back, her life changed forever. Her formative years were spent loving not just the Star Wars saga, but superhero cartoons, anime, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Harry Potter, Tolkien, and Doctor Who—to name just a few.
As a critic at large at The New York Times, Phillips has written extensively on theater, poetry, and the latest blockbusters—with her love of some of the most popular and nerdy fandoms informing her career. Now, she analyzes the mark these beloved intellectual properties leave on young and adult minds, and what they teach us about race, gender expression, religion, and more.
Spanning from the nineties through to today, Nerd is a collection of cultural criticism essays through the lens of fandom for everyone from the casual Marvel movie watcher to the hardcore Star Wars expanded universe connoisseur.
271 pages, Hardcover
First published October 11, 2022
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 107 reviews
December 29, 2022
I kept seeing this book on our new nonfiction display and side-eying the cover, which I think is pretty bad tbh. It has vibes of those "In this house we believe..." signs. So I was like, no thanks, nerd.
And then my friend Jessica specifically recommended it to me, and I was like, this one??? And she was like, yeah it's great, and I was like, OK fine I'll stop judging it by the cover. (oh also I was specifically side-eying the use of Harry Potter Font but do not worry, she addresses JKR's disappointing TERFdom!)
And I really liked it! I'm a fan of essay collections in general and I liked the blend here of personal memoir and media analysis. Also I wasn't familiar with Maya Phillips before, so I didn't know that she's a Black woman and I particularly appreciated her POV on nerd culture which can be pretty white/racist at times.
Also it helped me understand more about anime! I enjoyed her thoughts on shows/movies/books I hadn't seen/read as much as stuff I was more familiar with. Fun and insightful! I like to read things written by people who are approximately as Online as I am (very).
And then my friend Jessica specifically recommended it to me, and I was like, this one??? And she was like, yeah it's great, and I was like, OK fine I'll stop judging it by the cover. (oh also I was specifically side-eying the use of Harry Potter Font but do not worry, she addresses JKR's disappointing TERFdom!)
And I really liked it! I'm a fan of essay collections in general and I liked the blend here of personal memoir and media analysis. Also I wasn't familiar with Maya Phillips before, so I didn't know that she's a Black woman and I particularly appreciated her POV on nerd culture which can be pretty white/racist at times.
Also it helped me understand more about anime! I enjoyed her thoughts on shows/movies/books I hadn't seen/read as much as stuff I was more familiar with. Fun and insightful! I like to read things written by people who are approximately as Online as I am (very).
October 14, 2022
Out of all the books I signed up to win, I was really hoping to win this one. I even mentioned how cool it seemed to family members that were close by. I won this book for an honest review. Although I enjoyed many of the productions mentioned here: Harry Potter, Sailor Moon, Batman, Death Note, Legion, and many other productions...I'm not a fan of Maya Phillips' essays. It's not all bad, but mostly bad. The book has an incredible amount of spoilers so if you haven't watched productions like The Magicians, you may want to hold off.
October 11, 2022
Happy release day!
What an insightful and eloquent, if at times a little lengthy, selection of essays examining what it means to be a fan, from buying packs of cards to watching Saturday morning cartoons to confronting the darker sides of media messaging.
If you're interested in a wide array of fandoms, spanning genres and formats, from Digimon to Firefly and even old classic westerns, there's something for you here in Maya Phillips' Nerd, coming out October 11th. Thank you, Netgalley and Atria books for a copy to review.
I think the author and I are of an age, so the references to Pokemon after school and Cowboy Bebop on Adult Swim at night were big "omg yes" moments of relatability. I recognized probably 80% of the shows and movies mentioned here, so the book was a good fit. Readers certainly must be open to criticism of their faves.
I've also not read such detailed examination of bulwarks of my childhood nostalgia anywhere else, save perhaps Twitter threads. I was very impressed by a solid Sailor Moon analysis through the lens of gender and sexuality. And it was refreshing to read someone hit spot-on the things I have found increasingly uncomfortably in anime: hypersexualization of female characters (who are often underage) with a male gaze in mind.
I appreciated a lot of the insights unique to Phillips' identity, too. The section on how to tackle cosplay as a Black fan felt so timely, and the addressing of cultural appropriation and problematic racial depictions in anime were fascinating. Her place in the white nostalgia fandoms of Jane Austen and other period romances was a sobering few paragraphs, Austen super-fan that I am myself.
Parts did start to feel over-long, especially in fandoms I wasn't very 'fluent' in. The Harry Potter section I completely skipped, I'll admit. I am not interested in any analysis of that stuff anymore. If you're not a fan of spoilers I would definitely recommend skipping passages that mention a title of potential interest - most are examined in depth and you will be spoiled, perhaps even put off of a show or movie.
But otherwise this was an enlightening, entertaining and savvy look at some of my favorite fandoms.
What an insightful and eloquent, if at times a little lengthy, selection of essays examining what it means to be a fan, from buying packs of cards to watching Saturday morning cartoons to confronting the darker sides of media messaging.
If you're interested in a wide array of fandoms, spanning genres and formats, from Digimon to Firefly and even old classic westerns, there's something for you here in Maya Phillips' Nerd, coming out October 11th. Thank you, Netgalley and Atria books for a copy to review.
I think the author and I are of an age, so the references to Pokemon after school and Cowboy Bebop on Adult Swim at night were big "omg yes" moments of relatability. I recognized probably 80% of the shows and movies mentioned here, so the book was a good fit. Readers certainly must be open to criticism of their faves.
I've also not read such detailed examination of bulwarks of my childhood nostalgia anywhere else, save perhaps Twitter threads. I was very impressed by a solid Sailor Moon analysis through the lens of gender and sexuality. And it was refreshing to read someone hit spot-on the things I have found increasingly uncomfortably in anime: hypersexualization of female characters (who are often underage) with a male gaze in mind.
I appreciated a lot of the insights unique to Phillips' identity, too. The section on how to tackle cosplay as a Black fan felt so timely, and the addressing of cultural appropriation and problematic racial depictions in anime were fascinating. Her place in the white nostalgia fandoms of Jane Austen and other period romances was a sobering few paragraphs, Austen super-fan that I am myself.
Parts did start to feel over-long, especially in fandoms I wasn't very 'fluent' in. The Harry Potter section I completely skipped, I'll admit. I am not interested in any analysis of that stuff anymore. If you're not a fan of spoilers I would definitely recommend skipping passages that mention a title of potential interest - most are examined in depth and you will be spoiled, perhaps even put off of a show or movie.
But otherwise this was an enlightening, entertaining and savvy look at some of my favorite fandoms.
October 26, 2022
It's a pretty solid rumination on different types of geek fandom, although it's far too anime heavy for my taste...and it also comes with some tiresome elements (such as the shots a Jodie Whittaker's era of Doctor Who) and an overly 90s focus that rubs against my GenX 80s background. Good stuff, but I was hoping for something more.
January 8, 2023
Really enjoyed some chapters, but I think I was not nerd enough for some of them (especially the anime ones). A great work of culture criticism though!
January 19, 2023
Pros:
- unique perspectives from a black woman and new yorker
- essays well organized by topics
- Good for someone who wants plots of shows/movies outlined or who wants to hear someone talk about fandoms.
Cons:
- This book is much more autobiography and show/movie synopsis than it is critique. While critical analysis does occur, there were very few times where I felt fresh and new perspectives were being shared. It's also all completely opinion, without mentioning any other published debates to compare to.
- unique perspectives from a black woman and new yorker
- essays well organized by topics
- Good for someone who wants plots of shows/movies outlined or who wants to hear someone talk about fandoms.
Cons:
- This book is much more autobiography and show/movie synopsis than it is critique. While critical analysis does occur, there were very few times where I felt fresh and new perspectives were being shared. It's also all completely opinion, without mentioning any other published debates to compare to.
January 25, 2024
Excellent collection of essays on contemporary pop-culture fandom from New York Times culture critic and Black Millennial fangirl Maya Phillips. Speaking as an Xer, the chapters on '90s cartoons (II) and anime (III) mostly went over my head, but the keen insight and emotional honesty of later sections really resonated. "The Birth of a Black Hero" (IV), for instance, examines the portrayal of Black characters in superhero and fantasy fiction, genres that are traditionally and overwhelmingly reflective of a white, male, heteronormative experience and worldview.
The chapters that drill down on the nature of fandom were of particular interest, since it's a subject I've studied and written about critically myself. As someone who extricated himself from the tyranny of fandom, and who's come to believe we were never meant to carry childhood ephemera with us into adulthood, I appreciated Phillips' alternative perspective. In Chapter V, "The Slytherin Fire-Bender of Sunagakure," she explores the ways in which fandom informs one's self-identity.
Chapter VI, "Espers and Anxiety, Mutants, Magic, and Mind Games," makes a case for how genre fiction has been used to cast idiosyncrasy/weirdness, chronic anxiety, and mental illness in a more nuanced and less vilified light.
In Chapter VII, "Do You Know Shinigami Love Apples?", Phillips demonstrates how fandom -- the personal and deeply felt investment in imaginary worlds -- can inform one's own sense of the mythologies of organized religion, and how genre fiction can engender a greater sense of responsibility for the natural world.
"If fandoms can be religions or political ideologies or any systems of belief, then perhaps conventions -- with their rites and rituals -- are like a church," Phillips posits in "Con Crazy" (Chapter VIII). Here she writes about the communal spirit of comic conventions, but also acknowledges how they've been subject to corporate cooptation as publicity platforms in recent years -- less the pure, nerd-exclusive experience they once were. She also questions the motives of media mega-franchises themselves: "Once Disney's streaming service, Disney+, launched in late 2019, with the promise of premiering original content, most notably new spin-off series from the MCU (WandaVision, The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, Loki, Hawkeye, etc.), I felt like I had lost the edge on my fandom; I no longer felt respected as a fan but poached as a consumer."
The last chapter (IX), "Interdimensional Cable and Infinite Earths," tackles the subject of the "multiverse," the prevailing plot device of contemporary multimedia mega-franchises, but mostly this essay serves as a closing argument for the value of "nerdy" stories -- cartoons, fantasies, superhero sagas -- and why they are worth holding onto in adulthood. I still can't say I concur with that assessment, but Nerd gave me a lot to think about. That's all one can ask for from a work of nonfiction such as this well-argued and passionately expressed thesis.
The chapters that drill down on the nature of fandom were of particular interest, since it's a subject I've studied and written about critically myself. As someone who extricated himself from the tyranny of fandom, and who's come to believe we were never meant to carry childhood ephemera with us into adulthood, I appreciated Phillips' alternative perspective. In Chapter V, "The Slytherin Fire-Bender of Sunagakure," she explores the ways in which fandom informs one's self-identity.
Chapter VI, "Espers and Anxiety, Mutants, Magic, and Mind Games," makes a case for how genre fiction has been used to cast idiosyncrasy/weirdness, chronic anxiety, and mental illness in a more nuanced and less vilified light.
In Chapter VII, "Do You Know Shinigami Love Apples?", Phillips demonstrates how fandom -- the personal and deeply felt investment in imaginary worlds -- can inform one's own sense of the mythologies of organized religion, and how genre fiction can engender a greater sense of responsibility for the natural world.
"If fandoms can be religions or political ideologies or any systems of belief, then perhaps conventions -- with their rites and rituals -- are like a church," Phillips posits in "Con Crazy" (Chapter VIII). Here she writes about the communal spirit of comic conventions, but also acknowledges how they've been subject to corporate cooptation as publicity platforms in recent years -- less the pure, nerd-exclusive experience they once were. She also questions the motives of media mega-franchises themselves: "Once Disney's streaming service, Disney+, launched in late 2019, with the promise of premiering original content, most notably new spin-off series from the MCU (WandaVision, The Falcon and the Winter Soldier, Loki, Hawkeye, etc.), I felt like I had lost the edge on my fandom; I no longer felt respected as a fan but poached as a consumer."
The last chapter (IX), "Interdimensional Cable and Infinite Earths," tackles the subject of the "multiverse," the prevailing plot device of contemporary multimedia mega-franchises, but mostly this essay serves as a closing argument for the value of "nerdy" stories -- cartoons, fantasies, superhero sagas -- and why they are worth holding onto in adulthood. I still can't say I concur with that assessment, but Nerd gave me a lot to think about. That's all one can ask for from a work of nonfiction such as this well-argued and passionately expressed thesis.
July 19, 2023
Interesting collection of essay. If you are a fandom person, there is something in here for you I don't have an real critique for it; Phillips is really insightful and I enjoy her thoughts and her analysis. I think a significant downside of this book for any fandom person is if you're reading one of the essays that heavily focuses on a fandom you're not in (or haven't even heard of) it's mind-numbingly boring.
There's too much exposition for me to keep up, and then I don't have the background knowledge to sort through what is significant. There is overall too much exposition, presumably because Phillips is compensating for the fact that none of her readers are expertly versed in every fandom. I also thought the focus on some stuff was a little overly inflated...is Adult Swim really a fandom in itself...?
For me, the best essays were: The Animation Domination, Toonami, and Hellmouth High (only for the Buffy focus), The Birth of a Black Hero, and Con-Crazy. Con-Crazy is probably the best essay overal: examining fandom, and how the relationship between fans and canon has evolved and blurred.
For me, some of the best reflective quotes were:
"Fan universes expand so rapidly nowadays that the canon becomes large, unwieldy, constantly vulnerable to mistakes ad edits. It makes sense that writers would want to participate in that process and go back in for another shot at their creations. But that also means that fans can pick and choose or outright reject those updates. We're in the age of fans; we make the culture." (p.254)
On ideological purity and being a critical fan:
"Just because these fictions may occasionally disappoint us as critics and fans doesn't mean they don't have value." (pg. 267)
There's too much exposition for me to keep up, and then I don't have the background knowledge to sort through what is significant. There is overall too much exposition, presumably because Phillips is compensating for the fact that none of her readers are expertly versed in every fandom. I also thought the focus on some stuff was a little overly inflated...is Adult Swim really a fandom in itself...?
For me, the best essays were: The Animation Domination, Toonami, and Hellmouth High (only for the Buffy focus), The Birth of a Black Hero, and Con-Crazy. Con-Crazy is probably the best essay overal: examining fandom, and how the relationship between fans and canon has evolved and blurred.
For me, some of the best reflective quotes were:
"Fan universes expand so rapidly nowadays that the canon becomes large, unwieldy, constantly vulnerable to mistakes ad edits. It makes sense that writers would want to participate in that process and go back in for another shot at their creations. But that also means that fans can pick and choose or outright reject those updates. We're in the age of fans; we make the culture." (p.254)
On ideological purity and being a critical fan:
"Just because these fictions may occasionally disappoint us as critics and fans doesn't mean they don't have value." (pg. 267)
January 20, 2024
This was fun!
As a nerd and fellow member of several geeked out fandoms, including Star Wars, Star Trek, Tomb Raider, Dr. Who, and Buffy...this was an unique look at the good and bad of fan culture.
This is a great book to keep in the bathroom or next to your bed, as it is a collection of essays that can be picked up at any time. Her thoughtful essays touch on real life issues like diversity and inclusion while also focussing on pop culture.
It was a bit heavy in anime references but I do know a lot of people that are really into that as well.
A unique perspective and enjoyable read.
As a nerd and fellow member of several geeked out fandoms, including Star Wars, Star Trek, Tomb Raider, Dr. Who, and Buffy...this was an unique look at the good and bad of fan culture.
This is a great book to keep in the bathroom or next to your bed, as it is a collection of essays that can be picked up at any time. Her thoughtful essays touch on real life issues like diversity and inclusion while also focussing on pop culture.
It was a bit heavy in anime references but I do know a lot of people that are really into that as well.
A unique perspective and enjoyable read.
December 25, 2022
I probably would have gotten more out of this book if I shared more of the author's fandoms, but she gave a good analysis of fan/nerd culture in general, including some incisive observations about racism and sexism.
November 10, 2022
I wanted to like this book more than I ended up doing; after all, cultural criticism is one of my favorite genres of non-fiction writing, especially when talking about pop culture from the last sixty years or so. These essays should be in my sweet spot, but for the most part they seem to run on far longer than they should, and the ones focused on anime in its many forms do nothing for me as a non-fan. That's not saying that the author, Maya Phillips, is a bad writer; her passion for her fandoms shines through with each paragraph, and the most compelling cultural writing can make you care for something that you'd never thought about, so while I'm not moved much by the in-depth discussion of certain anime titles I know that someone else will find them compelling. Phillips is a great writer, and I will seek out anything else that she has written or will write in the future, but this debut collection is not quite as satisfying as I hoped it would be. She's a new voice in cultural critique to watch, though, and I recommend this book to anyone seeking new voices (especially from underrepresented communities like Black women) to tackle some of the pop-culture discussions that have raged online for the last decade or so.
November 3, 2022
Self righteous tiresome plot regurgitating
October 13, 2023
Maya Phillips writes a personal love letter to fandom and her fandom experiences as a professional pop culture critic. Phillips describes how she grew up with Saturday morning cartoons and a father who was a comic book fan. Later her horizons expanded into anime, tv shows, movies, and conventions. Her college friend introduced her to fan fiction. Interspersed with her personal journey through fandom is her critique of it and the source material - but also how uplifting and empowering it can be to be part of fandom.
Some of my personal experiences with fandom run parallel to Phillips', from the early discovery of Saturday morning cartoons and Toonami/Adult Swim to the gradual expansion of what the definition of fandom is. (Unlike Phillips, I discovered fanfiction in high school and have continued to read it to this day. Some of the best stories I've read have been from fanfic authors.) In other ways I can't quite relate to her personal experiences. Part of Phillips' experiences with fandom have been via the lens of a Black woman, and she writes about the intersection of her race with fandom: representations, stereotypes, Black cultural influences on the source material, etc. I don't think I've ever linked my identity to a fandom or House, either - but again, my experiences with my identity, ethnicity, and fandom are different. For me, it was an interesting look into how the author interacted with the same shows and fandoms as I did.
This was a good read in a field I've been interested in for a while, and I'm glad I picked it up. Phillips's writing is conversational and informative without the dry exposition that some books on fan studies have. Readers don't have to be familiar with all of the series that she discusses, which is a relief. A lot of the series are pretty well-known to people involved in fandom for the last several decades so most people will have at least a passing knowledge of the titles she mentions.
Some of my personal experiences with fandom run parallel to Phillips', from the early discovery of Saturday morning cartoons and Toonami/Adult Swim to the gradual expansion of what the definition of fandom is. (Unlike Phillips, I discovered fanfiction in high school and have continued to read it to this day. Some of the best stories I've read have been from fanfic authors.) In other ways I can't quite relate to her personal experiences. Part of Phillips' experiences with fandom have been via the lens of a Black woman, and she writes about the intersection of her race with fandom: representations, stereotypes, Black cultural influences on the source material, etc. I don't think I've ever linked my identity to a fandom or House, either - but again, my experiences with my identity, ethnicity, and fandom are different. For me, it was an interesting look into how the author interacted with the same shows and fandoms as I did.
This was a good read in a field I've been interested in for a while, and I'm glad I picked it up. Phillips's writing is conversational and informative without the dry exposition that some books on fan studies have. Readers don't have to be familiar with all of the series that she discusses, which is a relief. A lot of the series are pretty well-known to people involved in fandom for the last several decades so most people will have at least a passing knowledge of the titles she mentions.
November 3, 2023
I just finished this book and is was so wonderful. She takes a look at a lot of the popular fandoms from the 90s to now and she critiques it but not in a harsh way. She grew up with all the same cult classic and fandom things I did but she pulls out the real depths to the things I loved as a kid(and still love today). She talks about sexism in cartoons and how when you’re little, you don’t see the bigger story playing out in shows like Rocko’s Modern Life, SpongeBob, or REN and Stimpy. She talks about hero’s and antihero’s. She talks about race in movies and truly seeing her blackness in characters on the screen. She talks about the soaring popularity of different movies and fandoms while still supporting and loving them. She talks about a deep love of anime and anime culture and how it is changed from Japan to the US. She talks about religious aspects in different books and comic books. It was all around a good time and I laughed out loud and also said “OMG YES!” to a lot of what she mentions.
If you like non-fiction and you’re a nerd like me, pick this up. It’s very good! This is the first non-fiction book I’ve read in a while and I really enjoyed it.
TedTalk over. 🤓
If you like non-fiction and you’re a nerd like me, pick this up. It’s very good! This is the first non-fiction book I’ve read in a while and I really enjoyed it.
TedTalk over. 🤓
July 22, 2024
3.5 🌟 Overall a slow/medium paced collection of essays that explore the authors personal relationship to the narratives presented
I loved hearing about another nerds journey! The author didn’t get on the FanFiction train til mid college while FF was my catalyst into nerddom.Being a big ole Nerd is so fun and exploring how she discovered her favorite fantasy worlds was so so fun! I loved the chapters *IV the birth of a black hero* and *VII gods, faith, and belief systems in fandom*! I wish the topic of religion in fandom and its real world parallels were explored more in-depth!
I do not think this book would be enjoyable if you’re not a nerd and/or familiar with the multitude of fandoms featured. Between my own interest and secondary knowledge from 2014 tumblr/ geeky friends telling me about their interests, I knew the source material about 80% of the read. Despite providing summaries of the works being analyzed the anime focused segments lost me (As opposed to say Doctor Who of which I’ve seen 2 episodes but have a good amount of knowledge from Tumblr overlap).
Also MAJOR SPOILERS for anything featured she often recaps big plot points including finale’s and character deaths
December 31, 2022
I listened to this as an audiobook.
Content warnings: racism and sexism as described and experienced by the author. Some plot spoiling for certain fandoms.
I already read Black Nerd Problems by William Evans and Omar Holman, which I loved, and I was hoping this would be similar. I wasn't disappointed. I do think that this book has less ups and downs, Black Nerd Problems would be laugh out loud funny and then get really somber really quick. In Nerd, there were very serious moments, but for the most part I felt like I was talking to a best friend about all the things that we grew up on like Sailor Moon and Batman and more, but with a more critical eye now that we've grown up and learned more about the world. This book also adds a little bit more about the sexism in geek culture that I felt Black Nerd Problems didn't really touch too much on.
Do I recommend? Yes, especially for all the nerds out there!
Content warnings: racism and sexism as described and experienced by the author. Some plot spoiling for certain fandoms.
I already read Black Nerd Problems by William Evans and Omar Holman, which I loved, and I was hoping this would be similar. I wasn't disappointed. I do think that this book has less ups and downs, Black Nerd Problems would be laugh out loud funny and then get really somber really quick. In Nerd, there were very serious moments, but for the most part I felt like I was talking to a best friend about all the things that we grew up on like Sailor Moon and Batman and more, but with a more critical eye now that we've grown up and learned more about the world. This book also adds a little bit more about the sexism in geek culture that I felt Black Nerd Problems didn't really touch too much on.
Do I recommend? Yes, especially for all the nerds out there!
March 16, 2023
Don't be fooled by the cheesy cover! Maya's recollections and analysis of everything nerdy, from comics to cartoons to books to conventions, make for a fantastic read. Told from her perspective as a millennial who grew up during the era of Saturday Morning cartoons, she examines and critiques pop culture fandoms (including superheros, 90s cartoons, anime, teen dramas like Buffy the Vampire Slayer, and Lord of the Rings) and addresses how social structures such as power, gender, sexuality, and religion tie into these stories. Her point of view as a Black woman provides an refreshing and insightful look at properties that are overwhelming white, and I loved the chapter on Black characters and tropes. This was nostalgic and relatable and I recommend it, especially for millennial nerds like myself.
Note: this does contain spoilers for a number of fandoms, so reader beware.
Note: this does contain spoilers for a number of fandoms, so reader beware.
May 29, 2024
Maya Phillips is an excellent writer who takes us through her personal experiences in pop-culture nerd fandom, starting with her youth and right into her adulthood. Most of this is her own memories unspooling, and often times it feels like she’s writing it for herself as a way to preseve those memories. But once she moves past that and offers objective analysis of her favorite nerd-heavy shows and movies like Star Wars, Marvel, Harry Potter, and Buffy…things get really good as her insight is excellent into these IP’s that we love so much. She also dedicates a chapter to Black tropes and their place in modern storytelling today…which is one of the best chapters I’ve ever read on the subject. A good read for all nerds who are proud of it.
December 29, 2022
I very rarely read nonfiction, but when I saw this book at B&N I had to pick it up, if only for the clearly nerdy references in the fonts on the cover. Phillips discusses so much of what I think of every day as a fan (and fellow number 4 in the enneagram) and even more! Right from the eleventh doctor quote at the beginning to the very end, she tells a compelling story of growing up with fandom
April 11, 2024
I feel this book was just name dropping the “nerd” media the author has consumed. It’s mostly just summaries with lite musings on how it relates to reality, which isn’t enough insight to make reading worthwhile and the writing isn’t engaging enough to make you want to read it. It really felt like a blog the author laboriously made hundreds of pages to sell a book.
October 19, 2022
3.75 rating. I liked the book overall however be forewarned that it is very anime heavy, which I only look at sparingly. There were some things that I was in agreement with while some others I had a different opinion. It's a solid read!
March 5, 2023
3.5 ⭐️ The good and the bad of fandoms. A really interesting critique and appreciation for the things us nerds love! For me personally, it was a little heavy on anime, so while I didn’t understand some parts very well, she did intrigue me to expand my interests.
January 15, 2023
i just know the author and I would be very good friends
May 4, 2024
I don’t usually read non fiction books or essay collections but this was very interesting!! I wish there was a bit more media analysis but I enjoyed it regardless
February 18, 2023
This book was exactly what I wanted. A thorough analysis of pop culture and what it means to be a fan. It also tackled topics such as representation and religion. This author is a great journalist.
February 1, 2023
mfw i read a book of essays and commentary written by a critic and she’s critical: :0
- she definitely opens some discourse in ways i hadn’t thought of before around fandom / nerd culture. that is not to say i enjoyed it.
- about half the book is her recounting various plots, characters, etc of entire series of media, and at some points it just feels like she’s talking at you? but for the amount of references to nerd media this book makes, it feels like it should be for people who KNOW—it would flow better. but instead she tried to write it for people who KNOW, and also people who DO NOT KNOW, and it just ends up feeling like a book report. i just started neon genesis evangelion and i had to skip the part where she discussed it because she spoiled pretty much everything else she brought up.
- with these kinds of books i guess what i struggle with is like, miss maya, what do you want? ie, the black representation chapter: even positive black media has something to criticize for her. and like i don’t really get it? like, do you want a series that has a normal character who happens to be black? or does it have to be this huge deal where the character or series has to encapsulate the entirety of the black experience (which, i would argue, is most likely different for the author who grew up well off enough to go to a private school, than it would be for a black kid growing up in a title 1 school)? there’s always something in every media she mentions that she finds a problem with. and i get that dialogue is good and representation in media is important, but, like…what do you want??? it will never be enough.
- she harps on the fact that in doctor who, black characters going back in time isn’t addressed (bill can’t just dress up in a nice dress and act like she belongs because it’s the 1700s and she’s black so it just doesn’t work)—but it also feels like (though she doesn’t mention it) miss maya would love the diverse casting of hamilton, which, although it is fiction, is EXPLICITLY set in history (???)
- glad to see her mention kindred tho!!! i enjoyed that book. and also black leopard, red wolf because i’ve been looking forward to reading that.
- tbh i don’t think you can rightly look at firefly, a show where the main cast is constantly on the run from the government for opposing its ideals and also stealing and some general smuggling, and say “The show supported the notion that they had some more righteous sense of ownership to the universe.” the crew makes do, but i feel like a lot of the point is that the sky is the only thing they have left—and living in the air is not really any way to live.
ultimately this book was not for me. it was super political and i do not like when my silly little escapist worlds are connected to the real one. when i engage in fandom / nerd culture / reading my silly little scifi-fantasy novels, it is for 1000% ESCAPISM. and yes, while dialogue and criticism of media is important—my favorite interests should not be immune to the same scrutiny i would give a literary work—it brings me pain and makes me very uncomfortable to hear the author express such displeasure for the things i love. i NEVER read to find myself in characters or worlds—although (like janner in the wingfeather saga) it hits a lot harder when i do. i read to escape from my life and read about people who are not me, who are different than me, who have different personalities and problems. maya reads / watches to find herself, and is upset when she doesn’t see herself represented perfectly in the media she consumes. we are different people participating in the same outlets for different reasons.
tldr this book was not for me.
- she definitely opens some discourse in ways i hadn’t thought of before around fandom / nerd culture. that is not to say i enjoyed it.
- about half the book is her recounting various plots, characters, etc of entire series of media, and at some points it just feels like she’s talking at you? but for the amount of references to nerd media this book makes, it feels like it should be for people who KNOW—it would flow better. but instead she tried to write it for people who KNOW, and also people who DO NOT KNOW, and it just ends up feeling like a book report. i just started neon genesis evangelion and i had to skip the part where she discussed it because she spoiled pretty much everything else she brought up.
- with these kinds of books i guess what i struggle with is like, miss maya, what do you want? ie, the black representation chapter: even positive black media has something to criticize for her. and like i don’t really get it? like, do you want a series that has a normal character who happens to be black? or does it have to be this huge deal where the character or series has to encapsulate the entirety of the black experience (which, i would argue, is most likely different for the author who grew up well off enough to go to a private school, than it would be for a black kid growing up in a title 1 school)? there’s always something in every media she mentions that she finds a problem with. and i get that dialogue is good and representation in media is important, but, like…what do you want??? it will never be enough.
- she harps on the fact that in doctor who, black characters going back in time isn’t addressed (bill can’t just dress up in a nice dress and act like she belongs because it’s the 1700s and she’s black so it just doesn’t work)—but it also feels like (though she doesn’t mention it) miss maya would love the diverse casting of hamilton, which, although it is fiction, is EXPLICITLY set in history (???)
- glad to see her mention kindred tho!!! i enjoyed that book. and also black leopard, red wolf because i’ve been looking forward to reading that.
- tbh i don’t think you can rightly look at firefly, a show where the main cast is constantly on the run from the government for opposing its ideals and also stealing and some general smuggling, and say “The show supported the notion that they had some more righteous sense of ownership to the universe.” the crew makes do, but i feel like a lot of the point is that the sky is the only thing they have left—and living in the air is not really any way to live.
ultimately this book was not for me. it was super political and i do not like when my silly little escapist worlds are connected to the real one. when i engage in fandom / nerd culture / reading my silly little scifi-fantasy novels, it is for 1000% ESCAPISM. and yes, while dialogue and criticism of media is important—my favorite interests should not be immune to the same scrutiny i would give a literary work—it brings me pain and makes me very uncomfortable to hear the author express such displeasure for the things i love. i NEVER read to find myself in characters or worlds—although (like janner in the wingfeather saga) it hits a lot harder when i do. i read to escape from my life and read about people who are not me, who are different than me, who have different personalities and problems. maya reads / watches to find herself, and is upset when she doesn’t see herself represented perfectly in the media she consumes. we are different people participating in the same outlets for different reasons.
tldr this book was not for me.
March 7, 2022
I knew I had to get this book as soon as I saw it (thank you, Edelweiss!) Phillips is ten years younger than me, so I appreciated her insight about fandoms I've never been a part of. I got to geek out with her over Batman: The Animated Series, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Marvel, and Doctor Who. I really liked Phillips' critique of anime, specifically, because I've never watched it. There's a lot going on there, especially in Sailor Moon. I also appreciated the intersectionality of the book as well and Phillips' views on how Black culture has been misrepresented and marginalized in these universes. Queer culture, too, has been marred by J.K. Rowling's current nonsense. I gained many new perspectives and insights from this book--highly recommended for those steeped in any fandom.
February 4, 2023
I thought it would be the nerdy, comics and anime focused version of another book I read recently , and it was, in a way. A travel through various fandom kingdoms such as cartoons, comics, anime/manga, TV shows and films, this book gives one a slice of the various pop culture fandoms swirling around out there, and rounds off with a meta-critique of what fandoms x internet (esp for fanfiction and forums) x conventions means for pop culture's evolution. The last two chapters were more thought-provoking for me that the actual genre chapters. - key thought - the authors of a body of work (e.g. Rowling) may have started something, but now they aren't the only arbiters of what is canon (and can even get cancelled, in Rowling's case).
Naturally in such a book looking at overall plotlines, spoilers for the various series it touches on are to be found.
____
What makes Joker so terrifying and troublesome - it locks the audience within the perspective of a white man with the power to incite a mass movement without reckoning how this vision - even one born of injustice and marginalisation - obscures other, actually marginalised people.
The pastiche approach to humor and style is what really characterised animated kids' shows in the 90's - B horror movies from the 50s, comic books from the 60s, the aesthetic style of the 70s.
The marks left on us by the people in our lives are much more indelible. When compared to the depths and imagination of human cruelty, monsters can seem totally harmless.
There is a cultural fascination with adolescence; entertainment media loves to romanticise high school, as do many people.
Adolescence includes the freedom and liveliness and daring of childhood without the burdens of responsibility that come with adulthood - at least in the ideal fantasy often depicted in teen shows. Teen dramas capture the bubble that is privileged adolescent life, full of superficial concerns and conflicts.
The use of fan service in shonen manga assumes the worst of both sexes. Even when women occupy positions of power, they cannot do so without baring their cleavage or butts. But even the male viewers, at whom the fan service is targeted, are underestimated, because the assumption is that the show won't be able to hold their attention without frequent eye candy.
Captain America and many other heroes in the MCU are glorified law enforcement until they are glorified vigilantes. They are either the institution itself or free to act outside it. This is the power a white male hero - or any powerful white man in America, actually - wields.
African sci-fi and fantasy imagines the continent as a place where mythology and whimsy can thrive. This repositions Africa as a home for imagination and epic adventure, and frees the continent of some of the racist and political associations it bears from a white Western perspective.
African fantasy then functions as an alternate take on Black Zionism, the idea that Black Americans of the diaspora would need to return to Africa to reconnect with their ancestry and free themselves of the aftereffects of white colonialism, including systemic inequality.
*on her mother's desire to live in Regency-era England* - "I was meant to be born back then"
"no, because then you'd be a slave."
..."oh, yeah."
Time traveling stories have one prominent flaw in the genre - the racial privilege baked into these stories, aka the dangers of time-travelling while black. They don't have any dangerous time periods to avoid.
from the Fox comedy Making History "I am Black. There is literally no place in American history that will be awesome for me".
In Woke, Keef's Black roommate tells him that once he becomes woke, he can't go back to being blind. Once you see it all, you can't unsee it. There's no rewinding - your identity is always there, and the world will always react to it.
Fans love to connect to their fandoms in a way that says they are actually part of the world. When they claim a house or tribe, they claim a whole community of characters and a whole culture and history.
The 'chosen one' narrative often espoused by popular stories (e.g. Harry Potter) is at worst a troubling brand of narcissism, to think that one is elevated on a higher plane than others.
No wonder the Old Testament was full of grim stories about punishment and fear. We love creating myths to fill the space where our deepest existential fears live. Perhaps fear of God is preferable to the fear of total nothingness, of evil, of the absence of order.
(reflecting on loophole plot resolutions in Doctor Who's 50th anniversary special and the conclusion of Avatar: the Last Airbender) The creators of shows want their stories to have believable stakes but don't want to sustain those stakes at the expense of their characters' moral superiority. But in a world full of cruelty and injustice and imperfections, there cannot be any perfect heroes, and any stories that try to say so are doing their fans a disservice.
Even in times when industries and conventions are halted or threatened, fandoms will always continue to thrive and even drive the culture.
Fandoms give pop culture a longer, more complex life that is self-sustaining, long past the last season of GoT or the last Avengers film.
We're in the age of fans, we make the culture.
Naturally in such a book looking at overall plotlines, spoilers for the various series it touches on are to be found.
____
What makes Joker so terrifying and troublesome - it locks the audience within the perspective of a white man with the power to incite a mass movement without reckoning how this vision - even one born of injustice and marginalisation - obscures other, actually marginalised people.
The pastiche approach to humor and style is what really characterised animated kids' shows in the 90's - B horror movies from the 50s, comic books from the 60s, the aesthetic style of the 70s.
The marks left on us by the people in our lives are much more indelible. When compared to the depths and imagination of human cruelty, monsters can seem totally harmless.
There is a cultural fascination with adolescence; entertainment media loves to romanticise high school, as do many people.
Adolescence includes the freedom and liveliness and daring of childhood without the burdens of responsibility that come with adulthood - at least in the ideal fantasy often depicted in teen shows. Teen dramas capture the bubble that is privileged adolescent life, full of superficial concerns and conflicts.
The use of fan service in shonen manga assumes the worst of both sexes. Even when women occupy positions of power, they cannot do so without baring their cleavage or butts. But even the male viewers, at whom the fan service is targeted, are underestimated, because the assumption is that the show won't be able to hold their attention without frequent eye candy.
Captain America and many other heroes in the MCU are glorified law enforcement until they are glorified vigilantes. They are either the institution itself or free to act outside it. This is the power a white male hero - or any powerful white man in America, actually - wields.
African sci-fi and fantasy imagines the continent as a place where mythology and whimsy can thrive. This repositions Africa as a home for imagination and epic adventure, and frees the continent of some of the racist and political associations it bears from a white Western perspective.
African fantasy then functions as an alternate take on Black Zionism, the idea that Black Americans of the diaspora would need to return to Africa to reconnect with their ancestry and free themselves of the aftereffects of white colonialism, including systemic inequality.
*on her mother's desire to live in Regency-era England* - "I was meant to be born back then"
"no, because then you'd be a slave."
..."oh, yeah."
Time traveling stories have one prominent flaw in the genre - the racial privilege baked into these stories, aka the dangers of time-travelling while black. They don't have any dangerous time periods to avoid.
from the Fox comedy Making History "I am Black. There is literally no place in American history that will be awesome for me".
In Woke, Keef's Black roommate tells him that once he becomes woke, he can't go back to being blind. Once you see it all, you can't unsee it. There's no rewinding - your identity is always there, and the world will always react to it.
Fans love to connect to their fandoms in a way that says they are actually part of the world. When they claim a house or tribe, they claim a whole community of characters and a whole culture and history.
The 'chosen one' narrative often espoused by popular stories (e.g. Harry Potter) is at worst a troubling brand of narcissism, to think that one is elevated on a higher plane than others.
No wonder the Old Testament was full of grim stories about punishment and fear. We love creating myths to fill the space where our deepest existential fears live. Perhaps fear of God is preferable to the fear of total nothingness, of evil, of the absence of order.
(reflecting on loophole plot resolutions in Doctor Who's 50th anniversary special and the conclusion of Avatar: the Last Airbender) The creators of shows want their stories to have believable stakes but don't want to sustain those stakes at the expense of their characters' moral superiority. But in a world full of cruelty and injustice and imperfections, there cannot be any perfect heroes, and any stories that try to say so are doing their fans a disservice.
Even in times when industries and conventions are halted or threatened, fandoms will always continue to thrive and even drive the culture.
Fandoms give pop culture a longer, more complex life that is self-sustaining, long past the last season of GoT or the last Avengers film.
We're in the age of fans, we make the culture.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 22, 2023
Went in expecting more pop culture essays with some bite, perhaps similar to chuck klosterman. Most of the sections were very surface level, name dropping a lot of pretty standard “nerd” culture references without adding anything new of interest
July 8, 2023
DNF. Quite possibly the worst book I’ve ever read.
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