Geek Girls Unite: How Fangirls, Bookworms, Indie Chicks, and Other Misfits Are Taking Over the World

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Geek Girls Unite: How Fangirls, Bookworms, Indie Chicks, and Other Misfits Are Taking Over the World

by Leslie Simon (Goodreads Author)

3.11 of 5 stars 3.11 · rating details · 360 ratings · 106 reviews

What do Amy Poehler, Bjork, Felicia Day, Martha Stewart, Miranda July, and Zooey Deschanel have in common? They're just a few of the amazing women proving that "geek" is no longer a four-letter word.

In recent years, male geeks have taken the world by storm. But what about their female counterparts? After all, fangirls are just like fanboys--they put on their Imperial Storm...more

Paperback, 208 pages

Published October 4th 2011 by It Books

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Apr 24, 2012 Jessica-Robyn rated it 1 of 5 stars

Shelves: non-fiction

This did not go well. It certainly could have gone much worse, but it gets worse the more I think about it. Mildly offensive at best.

I'm sure Ms. Simon meant no harm. I'm sure she wasn't trying to insult me. But someone along the writing path needed to remind her of the sensitivity of her subject. How saying my jeans are "probably second hand or from Target" might be seen as an insult or how her humorous quips might be read more as jabs. How not all girls are the same and one geek is not like t...more

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Mar 12, 2012 Noel rated it 2 of 5 stars

Okay, I'm all for books that empower women. Especially young women. Especially young women who are considered nerds, or geeks, or dweebs, or weirdos etc. So, imagine my delight upon finding this book in the women's studies section at my local bookstore. It's got glasses on the front. Stellar. It's even my favorite color. When I opened it, however, I was HUGELY disappointed. Simon spends a great deal of time tearing women down as she's attemtping to build them up. It really defeats the purpose to...more

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Sep 17, 2012 Rachel Craig rated it 1 of 5 stars

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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Jan 22, 2012 Stephanie rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: 50-book-2012, pop-culture, non-fiction

I am a geek. I've embraced that fact from the first day I went to visit my grandfather and he told me stories about WWII and his early life in PA. While other kids were reading Amelia Bedelia (and, I read her too!), I was reading about fighter jets and pilots and Tuskegee Airmen...collecting WWII stories was my first foray into geekdom.

Fast forward to a few years later, I begin an adventure in SF. I've collected books, movies and actors (yes, if you keep stats on actors on paper like IMBD, in 19...more

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Oct 20, 2011 Danalia rated it 2 of 5 stars

Being a "Geek Girl" myself I was so excited to discover this book. Sadly, it was majorly disappointing. It was stereotypical and didn't even really go into depth about "Geek Girls". I think the most annoying aspect was the "perfect match" checklist after each chapter of what type of guy "she" is compatible with.....that pretty much ruined the book for me right there. The only redeemable qualities(why it is two stars instead of one) is the links(still not that great) and illustrations.

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Apr 14, 2013 Carolyn rated it 1 of 5 stars

First things first: This is NOT a feminist book. This is a disgusting little novella that traipses around pretending to be feminist. This book is pro-perpetuation of the Manic Pixie Dream Girl myth. This book thinks it's really cool to objectify females from various 'domineering' females and discuss their physical traits like they're major aspects of their value as individuals. This book is all in favour of diets that aren't drudgery. Simon generates 'stereotypes' for each of the genres of 'geek...more

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Jan 05, 2013 Traci rated it 3 of 5 stars

I've always considered myself a geek. A nerd. An uncool person. I wasn't popular in high school or college. I've never had what I would consider "a ton" of friends. When I saw this book in the library, I was instantly drawn to it, thinking I'd found my bible of sorts. Well, I was wrong.

According to Simon's definitions (because you must first define what a geek is, especially as there are concerns that a geek and a nerd are really the same thing), a geek is "a person who is wildly passionate abou...more I've always considered myself a geek. A nerd. An uncool person. I wasn't popular in high school or college. I've never had what I would consider "a ton" of friends. When I saw this book in the library, I was instantly drawn to it, thinking I'd found my bible of sorts. Well, I was wrong.

According to Simon's definitions (because you must first define what a geek is, especially as there are concerns that a geek and a nerd are really the same thing), a geek is "a person who is wildly passionate about an activity, interest, or scientific field and strives to be an expert in said avocation." She then goes on to provide some geek girl archetypes, such as the The Fangirl Geek, The Literary Geek, The Film Geek, The Music Geek, The Funny-Girl Geek, and The Domestic Goddess Geek.

Each chapter begins with a short quiz, as you test your geek knowledge of each subject. (Hint, the answer is always "C".) Simon gives a brief overview of what the subject is, what the typical geek girl is like, some historical geek girls in said subject, what to watch for in frenemies, and finally, a list of best websites, books, music, films, etc that relate to each subject. There are cute and funny footnotes along the way, as well as quotes from famous and average geek girls in the side margins.

So why the disappointment, you ask? Well, I'm not stupid. I knew I wouldn't fit into most of the categories here, but I had expected to find soul sisters in the Literary Geek Girl chapter. Evidently, though, the author means "literary" in the strictest sense; there aren't any authors/works mentioned that are, what I would call, ordinary. Look, I love books and reading. I mean, I LOVE them. But I'm not a literary snob, and that's what I took away from this book. I have no interest in reading David Foster Wallace or Jonathan Franzen. I did read Vonnegut's Slaughterhouse-Five but wasn't overly impressed (I probably just didn't "get it"). I enjoy reading lots of different types of books, including what I consider "fluff" - Regency romance or humor or just plain silly. I found myself thinking that I just didn't relate to the Literary Geek Girl after all.

Imagine my surprise when I got to the chapter "Miscellaneous Geek" and read the following: "Much of being a geek is feeling like you don't quite fit in, so it's only natural that this book should include a chapter for geekettes who didn't find kindred spirit in any of the above caricatures." (emphasis is mine here). AHA! Perhaps this is why I found myself skimming the last two or three chapters of this book; the descriptions just felt too over-the-top/fake/hipster-centric! (And keep in mind that this book is less than 200 pages...)

I went back to the definitions at the beginning of the book, and after re-reading them, I think it's safe to say that I am not a geek. I am, however, a nerd, "a person who excels academically and who thrives on such educationally induced pastimes as memorizing UNIX manuals and correcting your grammar. Such persons may not possess the most advanced social skills, but they are armed with a huge heart and an even bigger brain." Yeah, that sounds much more like me - well, except that I have no interest in programming, and I actually have mad social skills.

Overall, this book is OK. But keep in mind, as the author finally admits, that these are caricatures. Don't take anything in this book as gospel, and you'll be just fine. (less)

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Dec 23, 2012 Malda rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: non-fiction

Remember the time when everything dull, negative, and lame was associated with being a geek? You know, back in high school when you would kill yourself rather than be seen talking to or befriending a geek? Or how you were too jealous to admit you wanted good grades so you mocked the geek instead? Or how geeks were too weird for you? How you just couldn’t understand why they weren’t interested in boy bands or school dances when that was all you were obsessed with?

Well… The times. They are a-chang...more Remember the time when everything dull, negative, and lame was associated with being a geek? You know, back in high school when you would kill yourself rather than be seen talking to or befriending a geek? Or how you were too jealous to admit you wanted good grades so you mocked the geek instead? Or how geeks were too weird for you? How you just couldn’t understand why they weren’t interested in boy bands or school dances when that was all you were obsessed with?

Well… The times. They are a-changin’.

So fast-forward X amount of years (depending on when you graduated from school) and behold this great book for everyone who is a closet geek, a confused geek, a geekophobe or simply a geek needing direction. Leslie Simon leads the lecture with insights to the different types of geeks around in the world today. From the Fangirl geeks to the Literary geeks and even to the Miscellaneous geeks who are into technology, there’s a geek sitting beside every one of us and if we’re not careful, they just might seem interesting enough to get close to and poke. This book will help you find your ground with topics you can indulge them with while you enter that awkward moment right after you have poked them. (Please don’t poke a geek.)

Apparently, what we once referred to as being "geeky" or "nerdy" isn’t factually correct. As a rough paraphrasing from the book, there are 5 kinds of “different” people you mistakenly thought was a geek:

The Geek: A person who is passionate about an activity or interest and strives to be an expert in said avocation. Person does not necessarily sacrifice social status to participate in area of expertise; instead, person will often seek like-minded peers.

The Nerd: A person who excels academically and who thrives on such educationally induced pastimes as memorizing manuals and correcting your grammar. Such persons may not possess the most advanced social skills, but they are armed with a huge heart and an even bigger brain.

The Dork: A person who is delightfully oblivious of present-day trends, slangs, and references.

The Dweeb: A person who is mistaken for being highly intelligent when, in fact, person is usually technologically and academically inept.

The Weirdo: A person who exhibits particularly strange, nonconformist, and eccentric behavior and mannerisms.

So for whoever is a confused geek or a borderline weirdo (like myself), I highly recommend you go over this book guide. I scored “geek” in 4 mini quizzes leaving me completely unaware of possessing such great powers. The book is exceptionally humorous and informative with many many recommended readings, albums, movies and websites to follow.

I better get started on my Music geek homework!(less)

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Jul 07, 2012 Lauren rated it 2 of 5 stars

This was an impulse buy...I saw it at New York Comic Con last year, read the title and snatched it up immediately. Needless to say, I definitely should have used that money on an action figure.

A reviewer on Amazon described this book as a how-to guide for posers, which I found to be a fair assessment. I must also question the legitimacy of her claims to being a geek girl, when It's obvious from her summary of The Secret Garden in the Literary Geek Girl section that she hasn't read it. She then g...more

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Apr 23, 2012 Kelly-Jane marked it as kill-me-quick-before-i-read-this

Shelves: it-hurts-like-i-can-t-even-tell-you, oh-don-t-even-try, burn-baby-burn

No.

Anyone who thinks they can accurately describe large groups of people in one book needs a serious talking-to.

This book, by definition, must be riddled with stereotypes. It is not possible to write a book explaining the personalities and lifestyles of a wide range of people without generalising a whole buch of shit.

Ms. Simon must never have been a part of any one of the groups mentioned in the title. Because we who consider ourselves part of such groups are well aware that very few of us actua...more

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Mar 03, 2012 Michelle rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: nonfiction, women-s-studies, geek-culture

At first when I saw "Geek Girls" on the shelf, I got super excited because, hey, I'm a geek (nerd)! It looked interesting and appealed to me!

After reading "Geek Girls", I was disappointed. It's a cute little book that basically defines the major geeks in life: fangirls, book nerds, film geeks, and music geeks. Examples of famous women past and present are given in each of these categories to show how they fit the geek label.

What wasn't necessary was the "Geek Love" parts for each section, which...more

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Feb 24, 2012 Joanna rated it 1 of 5 stars Recommends it for: No one

Shelves: artifice, humor, juvie, poplore, 2010s

It's not like I had high expectations of this book or anything. It's for middle schoolers. I think. So it being simplistic and stereotyped was expected. "I'm 13! What do I like? Who am I? Is there a quiz? OMG a quiz yay. what about BOYS. BOYS YES" sort of thing. And it lists things you might like. How bad can it be, really?

But this should be kept far far away from those middle schoolers because it will FUCK THEM UP. I'm serious. How this book was written, it's just snobby bitch affirmations. Ful...more

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Feb 12, 2012 Alisha rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: chick-lit, non-fiction

Okay, so here's the gist of it: I'm a geek. Happily. And I've been looking for books that embrace geekiness in every shape, way, or form. While Geek Girls Unite did this to an extent, I felt that this book was kind of stereotypic as well as surface-level. It wasn't nearly as clever as a book on geekiness should be.

One of the major things that bothered me about Geek Girls Unite was that it seems to cater to those who are just one-dimensional geeks (and I say that in the most loving way), but most...more

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Feb 05, 2012 Ciara rated it 1 of 5 stars

Shelves: incomprehensibly-terrible, ladies-stereotyping-ladies, read-in-2012

i didn't expect to love this book, but i did expect it to be kind of a cute, fast read that would amuse me for an hour or two. instead i got a poorly-designed pile of girl hate packed to the gills with pop culture references that were out of date before the book was even published!

each chapter represents a different kind of geek girl, from sci fi/gaming nerds to bookworms to film geeks to "domestic geeks". this was the first time i ever heard that taking a page from martha stewart made one a kin...more i didn't expect to love this book, but i did expect it to be kind of a cute, fast read that would amuse me for an hour or two. instead i got a poorly-designed pile of girl hate packed to the gills with pop culture references that were out of date before the book was even published!

each chapter represents a different kind of geek girl, from sci fi/gaming nerds to bookworms to film geeks to "domestic geeks". this was the first time i ever heard that taking a page from martha stewart made one a kind of "geek," but by the time this chapter rolls around, the entire premise of the book has kind of fallen apart, so let's go with it. once simon pulls out the big guns for explaining world of warcraft, "dr. who," & "tank girl," she doesn't seem to have a lot of juice left for making a compelling argument that having an interest that shapes your life choices (ie, enjoying cooking so you end up having a fair number of dinner parties) qualifies a person for "geekdom".

she also attributes the famous "i only know that people call me a feminist whenever i express opinions that differentiate me from a prostitute or a doormat" quote to daria morgendorffer, when it was in fact coined by rebecca west. not that i magically expect people to just know that, but a quick google search would clear it up, & seriously--that quote has been around for decades. surely simon knew that the writers of "daria" didn't come up with it, right? (plus, prostitutes can be feminists too!)

simon spends a lot of time tearing down other women in this book. each chapter includes a (supposedly funny) quiz that the reader can take to see if she fits the mold of the geekdom in question. the quizzes are multiple choice & each question includes an answer that amounts to, "OMG, this is gross & i don't know what you're talking about!" if you repeatedly choose that response, your descriptive score at the end refers to you as one reality TV starlet or another (paris hilton, heidi montag, etc) & includes comments like, "i know your body is 70% plastic," or, "stick with what you do best...remind me what that is again?" it's just unnecessary. i don't like girl hate even under the best of circumstances, but when it is woven into what basically amounts to a handbook for how insecure, pretentious girls with poor social skills can feel superior to people less obsessive than themselves, it's especially off-putting. simon uses the word "poseur" over & over & over again, if that gives you any indication how relevant this book is going to be to anyone over the age of 15.

each chapter also closes with a list of attributes each geek girl should look for to find her perfect man. because we're all single, right? & looking to remedy that? via heterosexuality? & we'll put potential suitors to a test to make sure they have the same geeky interests we do?

don't get me wrong--clearly, i can be obsessive. i guess my main obsessions are harry potter & the babysitters club. & yet, not only do i draw the line at any & all forms of cosplay, i really don't need my boyfriend to know who madamoiselle noelle is before i can date him (she's jessi's ballet teacher). i have my interests, he has his, & believe it or not, the relationship functions even though we have never partaken in a "dr. who" marathon (thank god).

simon also falls down on the job by trying to be all things to all women. she includes a section about how awesome "sassy" magazine was, like she's trying to appeal to women my age, & then she turns around references all this teenage culture stuff (complete with dating tips specifically for teens) that was totally foreign to me. i imagine that the stuff about "sassy" & references to, say, the movie "kids", were equally foreign to the average 14-year-old reading the book.

& please, don't even get me started on the essay about how paul feig's TV & film projects are downright revolutionary for turning schlumpy dudes like seth rogen into heartthrobs. yes, she actually says that it is "revolutionary" for a less-than-perfect male specimen to be cast as the lead in a movie that will include a romance. as if this isn't something that dates back to the dawn of humanity. as if it isn't actually a huge problem called a DOUBLE STANDARD that women always have to be thin, perfectly groomed, well-dressed, smart & successful without being intimidating, etc etc etc, before they can be seriously considered as romantic material, while dudes can be schlubby as all get out.

i could probably write ten more paragraphs about everything that's wrong with this book. ultimately, it's not like i hated it or thought it was the most offensive trash i'd ever read or anything. it was just obviously written for a paycheck & therefore it lacked any semblance of internal consistency regarding the message, the audience, or even the theme. simon seemed to go to great lengths to not take sides when it comes to politics (suggesting that "political geek girls" will surely thrill to the message delivered by meaghan mccain--right, not so much), & therefore took it for granted that the best way to appeal to a female readership was to tear down your traditional "pretty" girls & make a fuss over how OMG megan fox is so vapid & dumb & tina fey is so smart & amazing!

i think this book is kind of the encapsulation of everything that is wrong with pop culture. i also wonder how embarrassed she was over writing a paragraph about how steve jobs is hotter than bill gates, only to have steve jobs die literally the day after the book was published. well done. (less)

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Jan 08, 2012 Starhistnake rated it 2 of 5 stars

This book should probably have been named "A Field Guide to the Modern Geek Female". It's a bit lacking in detail on that front but it seems a more fitting title than "Geek Girls Unite".

I am also disturbed that there is quite a bit of tearing down of other 'non- geek' females through out the course of the book. Admittedly most of the females mocked I don't admire and have said cutting and cruel things about them myself - but I've not taken the time to publish them and I generally try to work ou...more

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Dec 16, 2011 Diane rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: winter-11

I was drawn to Geek Girls Unite because I would classify myself as a ‘geek girl’ for all intensive purposes. I wasn’t sure how many stars I would give this…part of me loved the book, another part of me was extremely bored while reading it. The book is broken up into chapters in classification of ‘geek-dom’ (fangirl, literary, film, music, funny girl, domestic and miscellaneous) and each of those sections follows the same format of a ‘quiz’, character sketch, short blurbs on famous geeks of that...more I was drawn to Geek Girls Unite because I would classify myself as a ‘geek girl’ for all intensive purposes. I wasn’t sure how many stars I would give this…part of me loved the book, another part of me was extremely bored while reading it. The book is broken up into chapters in classification of ‘geek-dom’ (fangirl, literary, film, music, funny girl, domestic and miscellaneous) and each of those sections follows the same format of a ‘quiz’, character sketch, short blurbs on famous geeks of that ‘genre’, ‘frenemies’ and concludes with ‘the perfect match for’ section

I cannot say that I read this book in its entirety-the only sections I really read completely (minus the quizzes, which I skipped on all and found them tasteless) were ‘fangirl’ and ‘literary’…along with the introduction and conclusion.

Pro’s:
-interesting subject matter—the subtitle: ‘how fangirls, bookworms, indie chicks, and other misfits are taking over the world’ really is a concept more and more of both the male and female gender are taking note of…

-the listings of websites, books, blogs, playlists etc. for each genre…I definitely made notes on each of these of things I want to look at when I have spare time.

-the quotes from Simon’s ‘first class’ of girl geeks (united); some of them I actually found myself laughing aloud and nodding my head in appreciation with…I pretty much read through the quotes section for ‘funny girl’, ‘music’ and ‘domestic’ and got an understanding of the section without needing to read the actual text.

-Simon’s footnotes-hilarious, short blurbs of her interjecting points/opinions from her own personal life and stories

Con’s

-formatting is horrible…too much information, big blocky pages of text that was too small of a font, even with bolding and the ‘quiz’ formats…just didn’t cut it.

-the illustrations did nothing for me…even over-sized and thus broke up the monotony of the heavy text of the pages at times, they were basic and childish and just didn’t cut it for me. Weren’t needed at all in my opinion.

-Hated the quizzes…thought they were stupid and although I’m sure some readers would find them funny, I don’t think they’re necessary.

Overall I guess I would classify myself as a fangirl-literary-slightly film geek?? (Goodreads is listed as one of the websites us ‘literary’ geeks use) Heck, maybe even part miscellaneous? If you are completely new to the concept of women enjoying ‘geek culture’ this book is a good introduction to all things comic/anime/film/literature/music in the woman’s POV and the female’s contribution to these areas. Would I recommend this to a friend? Maybe a few…those of whom I also consider my fellow ‘geek’ compadres. But overall, I do agree with Simon, it is time that we branch out of our own geek-genre and be open to all forms of geek-ness and learn to appreciate them-male or female.
(less)

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Feb 19, 2012 josh rated it 2 of 5 stars Recommends it for: idk

Recommended to josh by: shelf @ UAPL

Shelves: non-fiction, sociology

well... the book was incredibly shallow and superficial with very little elaboration on the various types of "geek" girls (according to the author, a geek is one who is wildly passionate about a field, area of study or activity and strives to be an expert on it (and often seeks to connect with likeminded individuals).

there's a cursory discussion of how geeks continue to refine and evolve social norms and mores and delve headlong into areas that are often male-dominated to show that women can hol...more

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Jan 26, 2012 Brittany rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: nerdtastic, nonfiction, the-feminine-experience

This book was good, but not as great as I had hopes for. I appreciate the focus on female nerds (a good answer to my rant about All American Nerd: The Story of My People) but still think it paints too small of a picture. I definitely consider myself a book nerd, but I don't fit into the "literary geek" category because I also read crappy, popular books. While I fit many stereotypes given in the book, there were also some 'frenemy' quirks that apply to me (I'm sorry, I don't care what this chick...more

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Dec 22, 2011 KC rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: non-fiction

Kind of disappointing. This book uses stereotypes to try and un-stereotype geek women.

My biggest pet-peeve with this book was the sole focus on women who identify as straight. Why have a "Perfect Boyfriend" section? There are geeky females out there who have the perfect match with a person of the same gender!

In the introduction there is a little note encouraging women to respect one another despite differences in interests, yet each chapter includes a frenemies list.

I was pleased to see the in...more

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Jan 06, 2013 Beth rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: geek-related, non-fiction

Pros: The writing is crisp, the author clearly states that her definition of "girl geek" is someone who is completely, unabashedly, and unironically enthusiastic about something, and then tries to create as inclusive a list as possible of "girl geeks." Each division: fangirls, music, literature, domestic goddess, film, etc, discusses seminal women in the movement historically and currently. That part was actually fairly interesting. (Especially the political section in the last chapter and the l...more Pros: The writing is crisp, the author clearly states that her definition of "girl geek" is someone who is completely, unabashedly, and unironically enthusiastic about something, and then tries to create as inclusive a list as possible of "girl geeks." Each division: fangirls, music, literature, domestic goddess, film, etc, discusses seminal women in the movement historically and currently. That part was actually fairly interesting. (Especially the political section in the last chapter and the literary section.) As well as seminal works where appropriate (I do need to go through and add some books to my shelves.)

Cons: The brush is too wide and somehow manages to both have people fall through the cracks, but also puts the ones it does include into too tight a mold. While I applaud the notion of including people who wouldn't necessarily be considered "geeks"-- political junkies, music fans, and possibly literary geeks, I question the representation. Gamers, Cosplayers, comics geeks, and sci-fi geeks are all lumped into a group known as "fangirls"--and this is poorly researched (the glossary says that Muggles are Harry Potter fanatics, when the opposite is true, and refers to Star Trek geeks as "Trekkies" with no mention of the word "Trekkers." While I sometimes wonder if the latter is falling out of favor, there are those who will defend the term to the death, so if you're trying to navigate this world...)

For some reason, more socially acceptable "geekery" like "domestic goddess" and music fandom get their own chapters, but the IMHO very important and seminal technology/gadget geek is included in the catch all chapter. Less geeky in spirit, but more interesting in history would be the political chapter, also. If for no other reason that without all the women speaking up and pushing for female voices to be heard, we wouldn't have any kind of female geek.

Additionally, I'm bothered by the inclusion of "sports geeks" (um, no, crazy sports fans are inexplicably accepted in a society in a way that geeks just aren't) and "retro geeks" which the author later uses interchangeably with "hipster" -- hipsters, from my understanding, are actually the opposite of unapologetically enthusiastic. Please respect your own definitions.

In the chapters, there are two sections that bothered me: Geek Love & Frenimies (seriously, geek girls, do any of you use that word?). In a world where we're struggling to be heard on our own merits, and because we're actually doing these geeky things because we love them and not because we want male attention, this seems out of place. The fact that these two sections are next to each other don't help: if we're trying to get rid of the notion of the fake geek girl, then we don't need a book perpetuating the myth about geek posers. The quizzes are bad too, in this regard for several reasons: 1) Again, trying to stick a broad brush into a narrow mold 2) the poser questions call out specific people, and while I adore Paris Hilton jokes as much as the next person, calling out Megan Fox on being a wannabe when she's a gamer in her own right (seriously, her husband Brian Austin Green was talking about them playing... I don't remember the video game... while on a Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles podcast a few years ago, and he mentioned it in a way that didn't make it sound like an abnormal occurrence). Actually, this book only manages to scratch the surface of geek culture, sacrificing depth for breadth, to the point where it could almost be accused of being a manual for the very wannabes it seeks to make fun of. So yeah, not very impressed.(less)

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Mar 02, 2012 Lindsay rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: non-fiction

I am so conflicted about this book! In a general way, it's really empowering; in others, it contains a lot of one-sided pop culture drivel that encourages book-, music-, tech-, etc.-snobbery that kind of makes me want to barf (I worked at independent record stores for seven years--I know what I'm talking about). I think that's usually the downfall of any critique of pop culture phenomena, and I usually approach the stuff with caution. It usually leaves me agreeing with some of the highlights, ma...more

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Mar 08, 2013 Bill rated it 4 of 5 stars

The best way I can describe this book is the feminist version of "The Hipster Handbook" but with a little more relevant info. It was a fun, quick, light read. I thought Simon did a wonderful job of organizing all the major geek sub-cultures, and her writing has just the right balance of snark and warmth. For the youngster, and for those not familiar with geek culture, I could see this acting as almost a cliff's notes of cool. For those (like yours truly) who have kind of been in and out of geek...more

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Jan 06, 2012 Salimbol rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: non-fiction, pop-culture

I wanted to like this, I truly did, but I found it quite disappointing. It takes a once-over-lightly approach, glossing over complexity for the sake of soundbites. It tends to lump women in together and assumes they're all going to like the same things by virtue of sharing the same (broad) interest, while at the same time being very exclusionist and mocking a lot of things. I also found myself exasperated by its continual assumption that its audience is A) all heterosexual, and B) looking for a...more

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Nov 14, 2011 Michele rated it 4 of 5 stars

I really enjoyed this book. I must note it is not for every geek girl out there though. If you are a hard core geek girl, most of this stuff will come off as fluffy newbie material and not hold a lot of information for you. In fact you probably find it a bit annoying or a ploy to get girls into geeky things. However, if you having a sneaking suspicion that you are in a fact a geeky girl, this book can be a great starting point to immerse yourself deeper into whatever kind of geek you already are...more

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Jan 15, 2013 Jess rated it 1 of 5 stars

Shelves: disappointment, don-t-bother

I found this book when curiosity lead me to type in fangirl to my library catalog. This is what I got.
When ever I pick up a book, I expect it to do at least one of three things. Enlighten, entertain, or informed. This book did neither. It read like a never ending magazine article in a really boring women's magazine. Most of it was a who's who which frankly may be irrelevant to our society in the next 5-10 years.
It was also a bit snarky which is something in "geek" culture that turn me off (and...more

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Mar 18, 2013 amy boese rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: read-2013

Meh. I admit I was all over this- it looks like it would be right up my alley. Unfortunately, the author was more interested in putting geek girls into categories and matching love interests than talking about the merits of geek culture for girls.

I liked the small biographies in each section. It was great to see some real time grrl heroes given their due. I also liked some of the media lists. (Some were kinda...boring.)

I would have liked to see less of a division between one type of geek girl a...more

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Oct 18, 2011 Sandy rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: ppya11, non-fiction

Simon talks about geek girls, you can be geeky about just about anything really, and then goes further into detail about Fangirl Geeks, Literary Geeks, Film Geeks, Music Geeks, Funny-Girl Geeks, Domestic Goddess Geeks, and a catch-all chapter at the end. Inside these chapters on individual geeks she has a little geek knowledge quiz, some background knowledge on the types of people interested in this area and how it got started, some famous pioneers in this area, some "frenemies" to watch out for...more

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Mar 06, 2012 Kerri rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: enypl, non-fiction

When I first started this book, I was like "who is this written for?" At first it seemed like I was hearing stuff I already knew (I am a big geek), a book to help guys pick up geeky girls, or was it some sort of geek horoscope guide? But pretty quickly I embraced the format and embraced the book, too. I thought it was a really funny and informative book about uniting with the geek generation and the women who are at the front leading the pack of geeks or just being awesome in general.

As a librar...more

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Aug 03, 2012 Sarah Cormier rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: girl-fiction

This is great reading for any girl who ever felt a little strange, and not quite like the norm. It's sectioned nicely into different types of geeks (literary, fan girl, movies, fashion, music). It looks into the history of women in those fields, the "goddesses" of each genre, and then my favorite part, areas in that genre you should look into (songs, movies, shows, websites, etc). I will definitely be checking out and bookmarking some new great reads and I loved the quotations.

I thought it was...more

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Jun 02, 2012 Beth rated it 1 of 5 stars

I wanted something well informed, well written, and written for someone in my age category (late teens-early twenties). What I got was fluffy and uninformed with absolutely no research. She doesn't really seem to know what a geek is. I'm a geek and the categories she has chosen to break myself and my sisters into I would never consider to be geek. The main part of being a geek is that geekdom and fandom is participatory culture and some of these categories have nothing to do it.
I was looking fo...more

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About Leslie Simon

Leslie Simon lives in Los Angeles, isn’t a fan of hot weather and loves her parents, Gilmore Girls and French bulldog puppies. She’s the author of Wish You Were Here: An Essential Guide To Your Favorite Music Scenes and co-author of Everybody Hurts: An Essential Guide to Emo Culture. Her latest book, Geek Girls Unite: How Fangirls, Bookworms, Indie Chicks and Other Misfits Are Taking Over the Worl...more

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Everybody Hurts: An Essential Guide to Emo Culture

Wish You Were Here: An Essential Guide to Your Favorite Music Scenes—from Punk to Indie and Everything in Between

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title link	preview: Geek Girls Unite: How Fangirls, Bookworms, Indie Chicks, and Other Misfits Are Taking Over the World
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Geek Girls Unite: How Fangirls, Bookworms, Indie Chicks, and Other Misfits Are Taking Over the World

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