Weekly Non-Fiction Reading List 9.25.23
This week, I finished three awesome books from some great authors. The first book on the list is an excellent book about fandom and nerd culture. We also have a book about unconventional ways of making money as well as a book on video game storytelling. Enjoy!
Each of the links to the books are affiliate links, so if you use my link to purchase any of these books, some comes back to support what I do (and it also helps fund my reading habit).
Nerd: Adventures in Fandom from This Universe to the Multiverse by Maya Phillips
This was my first introduction to Maya Phillips, and I’m officially a fan. The book is part biography of Maya’s personal experience with nerd culture over the years and part social commentary on nerd culture. I didn’t know what to expect from this book, but there was some great nostalgia in it as she discussed growing up with Saturday morning cartoons and other shows and comic books that made me part of the culture as well.
I didn’t know this was a book I needed, but I felt seen, and I’m sure many others who read this book will feel that way as well.
One of the best parts of this book is Maya’s criticisms of nerd culture. It doesn’t come off as gatekeeping or knowing better than the creators. Each criticism is thought out very well, and she even managed to sway some of my opinions on some topics. She discusses how some stories could do better with inclusivity and how some have some problematic themes involving racism, sexism, and more.
By far, my favorite chapter was “Time Traveling While Black”. In short, many shows and media completely neglect how being black in previous centuries was terrible and may even get you killed. I’m half Black, and I regularly discuss this topic with my girlfriend as we watch shows. And on a side note, I’m not sure how I feel about fictional shows and movies based in the past and shows Black citizens holding positions of power or there’s 0 racism when, in reality, they were treated terribly. It kind of seems like they’re attempting to do something positive while whitewashing what actually happened.
Overall, if you’re a nerd, you’ll love this book. And if you want to better understand nerd culture, get this book. Also, there’s a great chapter on mental health.
Gonzo Capitalism: How to Make Money in An Economy That Hates You by Chris Guillebeau
Guillebeau is an excellent author when it comes to writing about ways to make some extra money. In this book, he focuses on a wide range of unconventional ways to make money on the side, and I really liked it. I have a couple criticisms, but overall, this is a great book for anyone looking to make some extra money in our current system of capitalism.
One of my first criticisms is that while it’s super interesting, he starts the book off by discussing how you can make money gambling on political outcomes. I never knew that, but I don’t know if I’d come out the gate with gambling as a method of making extra money, but I can see how it can be profitable for someone with restraint who also follows the news closely.
Next, there’s quite a bit about making money from crypto in this book. I’m torn on that aspect. While Chris is pretty knowledgeable about the topic, it’s insanely risky, and right now, I don’t know if I’d encourage people to pursue it as an option. I also want to make it very clear that Chris does an excellent job explaining all the risks and red flags when getting involved with different crypto projects.
And lastly, the audio quality isn’t great for the audio version.
Overall, it’s a solid book that has a ton of different ways for people to make extra money. When I learned that there are people working multiple full-time jobs, that blew my mind.
Video Game Storytelling: What Every Developer Needs to Know About Narrative Techniques by Evan Skolnick
This was a pretty cool book. I’ve been diving insanely deep into video game creation lately and grabbed this book. I usually don’t like reading books about writing fiction, but this was actually super interesting. If I do end up getting into game development, I don’t think I’ll get into the story aspect, but it’s nice knowing the do’s and don’ts and how it works together with the other departments. Even if you’re a fan of games, you’ll probably enjoy this book.
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