Narratives, Nerdfighters, and New Media

by Jennifer Burek Pierce

For decades, we’ve been warned that video killed the radio star, and, more recently, that social media has replaced reading. Nerdfighteria, a first-of-its-kind online literary community with nearly three million members, challenges these assumptions. It is the brainchild of brothers Hank and John Green, who provide literary themed programming on their website and YouTube channel, including video clips from John, a best-selling author most famous for his young adult book, The Fault in Our Stars. These clips not only give fans personal insights into his works and the writing process writ large, they also provide unique access to the author, inspiring fans to create their own fan art and make connections with one another.

In the twenty-first century, reading and watching videos are related activities that allow people to engage with authors and other readers. Whether they turn to The Fault in Our Stars or titles by lesser-known authors, Nerdfighters are readers. Incorporating thousands of testimonials about what they read and why, Jennifer Burek Pierce not only sheds light on this particular online community, she also reveals what it tells us about the changing nature of reading in the digital age. In Nerdfighteria, we find a community who shows us that being online doesn’t mean disinterest in books.

Genres: Nonfiction

210 pages, Paperback

First published November 15, 2020

Reviews

[J.D. DeHart · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jennifer Burek Pierce offers insight into a very timely and engaging literary practice. I appreciated the level of detail and attention given in this text, and continue to explore the implications of this notion of digital interactions with authors as an additional layer of reading and writing engagement. This is a text I know I will be citing as I reflect on digital instruction.

Many thanks to the publisher for an advance review copy, from which I offer this unbiased review.

[Lay · Rating 3 out of 5]

I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Admittedly, the audience for this book is probably very small. You're either a Neerdfighter or interested in media studies. I happen to be both, which is why this book intrigued me so much! Narratives, Nerdfighters, and New Media is essentially an extended essay/thesis that examines the community of Nerdfighteria through its connections to reading and books and the use of media. Jennifer Burek Pierce attempts to understand what makes Nerdfighteria special and how it has shaped our understanding of what it means to be a reader.

I love academic discussions of media I am interested in so in theory, this was right up my street. The strength of the writing lies in the passion, it's evident the author is herself a fan and is enjoying a deeper, academic exploration of the community. However, this is still an academic thesis and thus not the easiest thing to read, at least for me personally. I enjoyed seeing the convergence of media studies theories and the subject of Nerdfighteria, this book definitely made me reconsider my own perception of my place as a reader and how I interact with authors through different forms of media. But the academic style made it hard to read at times, which is why reading this book took me quite a while!

So I can imagine that this is only relevant for readers who are either Nerdfighters or academics themselves and are willing to take the time to work through this book, but the effort is worth it.

[Sophia M · Rating 4 out of 5]

* I received this book for free from NetGalley and the University of Iowa Press in exchange for an honest review *

I think the audience for this book is probably quite small, but I managed to fit into it perfectly. As a teen, I was a passionate follower of the Green Brothers and their various YouTube and writing-based efforts. Reading this book was a refreshing reminder of things that brought me a lot of joy growing up, as well as an opportunity to see the ways in which the group has shifted since I stopped following along. But, this book is not exactly approachable in its language or form. This reads very much as a graduate thesis rather than a popular-styled research piece. The language is dense and it relies heavily on theory and research methods that average readers may be unfamiliar with. It took be quite a while the power through reading, not because I didn’t like it (I really enjoyed it), but because the language is heavy and scientific, and unfamiliar to someone not studying multimedia theory. I will say that after reading this book, I was finally compelled to read John Green’s Turtles All The Way Down and re-read The Fault In Our Stars.

[Erika Janet · Rating 4 out of 5]

4/5 Stars. Full review over on my book blog Bottles of Books --> https://erikabalban7.wixsite.com/bott...

Overall: loved it, very interesting, highly insightful and well researched. Driven by passion and an amazing team of researchers and analytics.

Strengths:
- pace, research, diversity discussions, equal analysis, real

Weaknesses:
- wasn't really advertised as a thesis/extended essay/academic-ish work and therefore was a little surprised (but a good surprise!)

Definitely for those interested in the Nerdfighteria community or anyway really interested in how technology has shaped and currently shapes contemporary reading culture!

[Lisa · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is not the easiest to read at times and yet I still flew through it - probably because of my passion for the community the book is about. Jennifer Burek Pierce articulates the spoken and unspoken elements of Nerdfighteria so well. There is a reason that people tend to remain in the community for so long, I believe, and I think it has to do with some of the things Pierce talks about: Nerfighteria’s embrace of “gift culture,” its connection to reading, and its transference of ownership to the community members. I feel especially proud and happy that a community like this can exist and continue to exist, and I feel optimism about how new media can connect people and support books and reading.

[Melissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is definitely a very niche book. That being said, if you have an interest in the convergence of the internet, radio, and books (or if you're a Nerdfighter), you'll enjoy this read. It took me a while to get into the writing style - a bit circuitous at times - but I really enjoyed how the book explored the influence of Nerdfighteria as well as what can be inferred about readers.

[Jodi Geever]

Not rating. This book had an academic flavor that I wasn't anticipating or wanting right now.