Jess Kimball Leslie

*I received a free copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.*

For those of us who are part of the generation that remembers the internet suddenly being a thing in their pre-teen/teen years and embracing it wholeheartedly, I’m sure we can all relate to what Jess Kimball Leslie’s thoughts and feelings about growing up in a sudden digital age. When I saw this title, I had to read it, because I am definitely a computer geek and very proud of it. This is a collection of essays that details Leslie’s personal experiences around how her social life has been shaped by the internet while also giving some brief historical details about how the internet was back in its early days.

Let’s start with the good stuff. Leslie gives a humorous and witty outlook on various internet related things: AOL, very specific chatrooms, Myspace vs. Facebook, Blackberries, etc. I especially related to her stories about how she found friendship online in a way that just wasn’t available “IRL.” For example, she was a huge Bette Midler fan, and she found “her people” in a Bette Midler themed chatroom and made friendships with them. As a kid, I loved Nancy Drew and joined forums where I could talk about those books to my heart’s content for HOURS and HOURS and there was always someone listening. Now, as a book blogger, I can relate. I don’t have many friends who go out of their way to read as much as possible and review books, but here we are, all gathered together on the interweb, pointing out to each other where the good books are. I love it! So, this in particular was very relatable.

What I didn’t like was the organization/setup of the essays. They were each their own little pieces, with very little reference to what came before or after it, so the personal stories were a little hard to follow for me, because I couldn’t follow the progression of the timeline. It didn’t feel cohesive, and I think having the essays relate to each other just a little bit could have brought it together to improve the overall flow and feel of it. Aside from that, I genuinely enjoyed reading this book. I think that for people who are in the same boat as Leslie and remember a time pre- and post- internet, and were there when all the social media was developing (Myspace! Facebook! Twitter!), this will be a nice nostalgia trip. I’m not sure if younger people will enjoy it as much, but it could be interesting to read how the this stuff was developed and used before it was what it is today.

Also posted on Purple People Readers.… (mehr)