Chris Kluwe

I know next to nothing about football except that it involves a funny oblong-shaped brown ball, men running on a field, and apparently it makes otherwise intelligent people do pretty stupid things, like marathon binge eat buffalo wings until they pass out.

Like many others, I first heard about Chris Kluwe in the now infamous online letter where he took on Maryland Del. Emmett Burns (who is sadly, from my state, tho not from my district) and his admonishment to Ravens player Brendon Ayanbadejo. I, like the rest of the internet, gleefully read the letter and cheered on Kluwe's amazing wit and skillful use of profanity in defense of Truth, Justice, and the American Way.

And then I forgot about him, filing his name alongside Ayanbadejo's in the recesses of my mind. I was reminded of him when Kluwe took over John Scalzi's Whatever blog for a day to tout his new book.

SOLD.

I bought it that very day. So Chris, if you're reading this, you owe John a huge number of beers for the large contingent of book sales he got for you from your fellow geeks who don't follow sports.

This was a fast and very enjoyable read. I readily admit that I didn't always follow the football allusions but the writing was so engaging I still enjoyed those bits anyway. It also gave me a new perspective inside the mind of a pro football player.

And the non-football related essays, I swear I could have written them. During one particular one, I remember thinking, "Is this guy in my head or something???"

Fun, thoughtful, thought-provoking, and eloquent collection of essays. Recommended.… (more)

I'd heard Otaku pitched as Ready Player One, but good and....... it is. Free of RPO's sickly sweet nostalgia, Otaku thrills in and out of its virtual worlds. Kluwe also has something to say. About the the toxicity of online fandoms. The relationship between video games and the military. Video games as escapism. He's smart to cast a black woman as his hero, but sometimes he stumbles writing Ashley in first person. It reads as tin eared but not outright offensive (to me another white man). Ash also has a queer subplot that is at best hack and doesn't go anywhere. All in all, it's engaging story with plenty of twists, clever ideas, and nuanced themes.… (more)