The Fangirls Guide to the Galaxy by Sam Maggs

208 Pages
Publisher: Quirk Books
Release Date: May 12, 2015

Nonfiction (Adult), Geeks, Technology, Sci Fi, Fantasy, Feminism

The book is divided into the following chapters.

Introduction: One of Us! One of Us!
Chapter 1: It’s Good to Be a Geek
Chapter 2: Fandom Intensities: Geek Girls Online
Chapter 3: Geronimo! How to Survive Conventions
Chapter 4: Aim to Misbehave: Geek Girl Feminism

The author is spot on when it comes to women at conventions and in male dominated fandoms. Women are asked to prove themselves to see if they are worthy to attend as opposed to men that just know things. As a young woman, I followed Star Trek: The Next Generation. I collected action figures and attended conventions. I met actors Patrick Stewart, Jonathan Frakes, and Mark Lenard. I also met Marc Okrand, the creator of the Klingon dictionary. I attended many tech conferences where the representatives would rather ask my male counterparts questions instead of me. This is an amazing book for any woman that enjoys being a Geek in a male dominated field.

It was fun enough but I could never really figure out who this would be for. As a fangirl myself, it felt a little reductive and filled with things I already knew. However, I'm always here for things that carve out space for women in what is traditionally seen as male cultures, but this can't help but date itself fairly quickly.

Yaaaas! Geek Girls unite! Being a geek is kind of having a moment in pop culture. It's so different from when I went to school, but it's great to see books like this.

I live on Tumblr, I’ve cosplayed as River Song at Comic Con, and I’ve contemplated a fandom-related tattoo. I’m pretty sure I earned my fangirl membership card a long time ago, but the geek galaxy is so far-reaching that while I’m well acquainted with a lot of it, Sam Maggs still had a lot to teach me. I loved her geek girl profiles and her fandom-friendly websites, and her chapter on cons around the country will forever be bookmarked for future reference. I dare anyone to read this and not turn the final page feeling empowered and inspired.

A nice quick overview of various fandoms and the basic things a geek should know. Some of it was a little too patronising but nevertheless enjoyable

I was really hoping for more from this. Not a guide on how to use sites like facebook, twitter or what pinterest or tumblr are! It summarizes fandoms like Harry Potter, Supernatural, Sherlock and Star Trek. How to handle a convention, etc. Mostly common sense stuff that is already in the know or is super easy to find out about and learn! If you have never been online or watched tv, read a book etc until recently and have no idea what to do with a newfound interest I guess this might be interesting. It was suppose to be empowering but did nothing for me.

Really enjoyed this one. The sections were fun, the book was really readable, and I enjoyed the idea behind it.

This book is written for fans who are not particularly active in fandom communities, or who might only interact with a single community of fans. With the growing popularity of superhero movies, science fiction series (think Star Wars), and the continuing popularity of children's series like Harry Potter and Percy Jackson, this is likely a good book for many shy fans.

Loved this! It's adorable and full of little tips. Sam is awesome and this book is going to be a great resource for years to come.