jarrahpenguin's reviews
1280 reviews

Mara Wilson's Where Am I Now? is a collection of stories that spans her life from her childhood in movies like Mrs. Doubtfire and Matilda to her more recent years struggling to find her place in the world as an adult and a performer. Wilson's writing is straightforward, conversational and honest - even if you didn't grow up like she did you will probably find an experience that resonates, whether it's weird childhood misconceptions about sex, highschool cliques, or mental health challenges.

I listened to the audiobook version narrated by Wilson and enjoyed hearing the stories in her own voice, particularly the times when she (sparingly and effectively) uses accents and voices reading others' dialogue. But I think it felt a bit more serious than it would have had I just read the book. It was hard to laugh even at the funniest parts of this book when the story was being read and there was no indication whether those parts were meant to be funny. But overall I enjoyed the book and the hopeful, feminist messages therein.

This book was recommended at Geek Girl Con a few years back, by a panelist on the "Geek Elders Speak" session on the history of Star Wars fandom. I was delighted that this book not only delved into fandom - from cosplayers to droid builders to collectors to fan movie maker - but also provided a detailed, entertaining look at how the first two trilogies came to be.

Taylor weaves fan stories with a biography of George Lucas and a behind-the-scenes look at the making of Episodes I-VI (as well as the post VI sale of Lucasfilm to Disney). As someone who's long been a fan of Star Wars but can't claim thorough familiarity with the Extended Universe and hasn't actively participated in the fandom, I learned a lot. I learned about Lucas' personal, philosophical, political and cinematographic influences; the way Star Wars changed from first draft to release to special edition; as well as the vast depth and breadth of Star Wars fan activity.

The book is pretty long, with lengthy chapters, and it's a commitment to get through. I listened to the Audiobook version and it was the longest audiobook I've attempted to date, but it was chock-full of entertaining tidbits. The only quibbles I have are that I think it spent a bit too long on the details of George Lucas' divorce from Marsha Lucas and detailed the settlement in ways that felt unnecessary, and that the final chapter felt like Taylor was trying to cram a bunch of examples he didn't have time to explore in other chapters into the conclusion. Maybe could've been more than one book? A trilogy, even?

One thing I particularly appreciated was the book's discussion of the historical relationship between Star Trek and Star Wars and their respective fandoms. Taylor shows how there's always been significant overlap between the fandoms (with one fan even helming both official fan clubs at one point), but also valid reasons on both sides that some fans prefer one franchise over the other.