A Great Debut by One of Us
Rating:
5 / 5
The hardest thing to believe about "Dancing Barefoot" is that these are stories jettisoned from his upcoming book "Just a Geek". They scan like they were intended to be read together. The first four stories, vignettes really, tell of the universal feelings of love, loss, embarassement and acceptance. While the last story, "The Saga of SpongeBob VegasPants", brings it all together at a Star Trek convention."SpongeBob VegasPants" is the highlight of the book. It lasts more than half of the book's 117 pages and reveals more about the author than some autobiographies have done in five times as much space. Wil really has it all out here and the result is an honest, touching portrayal of a man coming to terms with a cultural phenomenon he loved and then betrayed him. Wil grew up loving Star Trek. Just imagine being cast on a television show that puts you on the bridge of the USS Enterprise. For a geek, not many things can match that. In fact, your character, is the only one that legendary Star Trek creator ever named for himself (Wesley was Gene Roddenberry's middle name). And yet, the writers couldn't really do much with your character. He soon became a 1 dimensional intergalactic know-it-all who would serve as a Deus ex Machina everytime the writers wrote themselves into a corner. The fans that didn't hate you at the start quickly join the chorus of "I Hate Wesley" and boo you offstage at Star Trek conventions. This is where Wil came from. But it's not what Wil Wheaton is. He has become a very powerful writer, one who transcended his past and is now earning the respect of the people who booed him long ago while also picking up new fans. That's the true power of Wil Wheaton. People who couldn't care less about Star Trek or Wesley Crusher are reading his website and passing it on. They like him. He's a dad and a husband and a son and able to tell us of the events of his life that make us nod and smile with recognition. "Dancing Barefoot" is light without being insignificant. It's an easy, engaging read that shows the human side of an actor who has been unfairly maligned. The delightful illustrations by Ben Claassen III do the same thing as the text: capturing the essence of Wil Wheaton on the page and making you want more. Bring on "Just a Geek"!
Amazing Debut
Rating:
5 / 5
Being a fan of Wil Wheaton since "Stand By Me", I was drawn to his online blog and amazing website, www.wilwheaton.net. There I found that one of my childhood crushes was now an author, working on several books! Immediately I had to buy one. Wil published his book by starting his own company, Monolith Press.
He even signed it for me! I read it once and then put it back in the envelope... I have to buy another one just for reading. It's that good.
"Five short but true stories"... From a story about a beloved family member that passed away (the saddest story, and I guarantee you will relate to it), to a sweet moment with his wife, Anne, until we get to the the epic (in comparison) tale of his adventures at a Star Trek Convention in Las Vegas. And you finally get to learn the truth about William Shatner.
Get this book! Definitely worth the money, and definitely worth your time!
Happy Reading!
Jeannette
Wave Maker
Rating:
5 / 5
Will Wheaton, a hugely successful actor (see his performances in Stand by Me, Star Trek: Next Generation, etc....and note that any actor with this kind of resume' IS hugely successful), brings us stories about growing up Hollywood/Trek. If you watch and enjoy Stark Trek on T.V. or at the movies, Dancing Barefoot will delight, replete as it is with inside takes and recaps of many on-the-set moments. But this is no Hollywood marketing gimmick or lame tell-all, Dancing Barefoot is a substantial literary work, with a pulse and rhythm born of one of America's most unique and talented young writers. Yeah, Sherman Alexie is funny, disarming and A+++ as writers go, but Wil Wheaton is on his way.In Dancing Barefoot and his other recent title, Just a Geek, Wil Wheaton expresses himself as an insightful and hilarious writer, in several modes. The books emerge as children of his website log ("blog"), and they are the most powerful pieces of story telling
to yet emerge from the blog genre. He is part documentarian, part prankster, and :All Story. Mr. Wheaton has found and embraced his delightful storytelling gift. Poised for continued success in several modes (acting, movie/t.v./play writing, directing, producing,story writing),
the readers of the world can selfishly hope that he will give us many more stories to read. Sure, Steven Spielberg is a Hollywood great whose fancy writing has recently appeared in the literary magazine Zoetrope: All Story (run by another Hollywood great, Francis Ford Copolla), but Wheaton's work is very much on its way, too, and should appear in such venues. Wheaton is next in line, after Steve Martin, to succeed as a Hollywood actor turned writer. Enjoy Dancing Barefoot. As the product of an emerging and courageous writer, it will give you some inspiration and courage to go on.
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