Review: The Secret Loves of Geek Girls
Guys, I'm sure you're tired of hearing us say this over and over again, but LadiesCon is getting closer by the moment. While I can't speak for the other Ladies, I can say without a doubt that I'm feeling both VERY excited and VERY tired. Putting together this event is a constant adventure so I've been making a point to find time to relax, recharge my batteries, and seek out other lady-led geeky projects for both motivation and inspiration. My latest attempt at "Chicken Soup for the Geek Girl Soul" was getting my hands on The Secret Lives of Geek Girls. Kick-starter funded and featuring over 50 writers and artists, this non-fiction anthology contains short stories and comics about love, being a girl, and being a geek. So um yeah, pretty much what the title promised.
The Good
Just one look at the list of writers and contributors and I knew I needed to own this book. Not only does it include LadiesCon guest Kristen Gudsnuk, but it pretty much goes on to read as a dream guest list for future Cons..or maybe as a list of guests for the world's greatest cocktail party.
Many of the stories are well-written, relatable, and at times powerful. My favorites included Marjorie Liu's haunting story about lost memories and dreams and Katie West's story that cleverly compares the end of a marriage to surviving the apocalypse.
At its best, you can see yourself reflected in the pages of this compilation. While reading, I found myself feeling odd nostalgic pangs for when I first discovered some of my favorite fandoms and swooned over their adventures. Of when I would stay up late watching Red Dwarf on PBS and dream about meeting someone who would think my ability to quote Invader Zim on command was one of my best qualities. Corny, yes, but that's the point. These stories run the gamut and cover not only the process of love, but how our own love of "geekdom" can make us who we are and help find who we want to be. To me, that's the good stuff.
The Bad
The trouble with all anthologies is that they can be uneven. Not every story is a home-run and not every story spoke to me. There were times when I just didn't love the style or tone. There were even times when I wasn't sure what the point was, especially if there were a lot of references to fandoms that I'm not familiar with. At worst, there were certain stories that felt too cute or trite, just another meet-cute starring characters who happen to be geeks. Meh. Time to move on to the next one.
The Verdict
Back in July another Kickstarter was launched for The Secret Loves of Geek Girls Redux - a more compact follow-up to the original book. If history repeats itself, there is a good chance the book will be picked up by Dark Horse for another wider release. Assuming that's the case, I will be there throwing my money in its direction.
The Secret Loves of Geek Girls is a fun book with a great message. It's also a great way to support female and feminist creators who are producing some very high-quality work. Who knows, your new favorite might be waiting to be discovered among these pages. At the very least, it might be nice to know that you're not the only who fell in love while gaming or used stories to help you made sense of the complexities of growing up. Really, many of us have been there, so why not spend some time with your kindred spirits?