Everything I Need I Get from You

“Everything I Need I Get from You: How Fangirls Created the Internet as We Know It” should really be titled “How One Direction Fangirls Created the Internet as We Know It.” Don't let this book title fool you: this book is pretty much entirely about One Direction fandom. Like 95% of it. In Kaitlyn's defense, she is super knowledgable in the One Direction fandom community and even heavily partakes in it herself. But I wanted her to dive into girl fandom more so as a whole rather than specifically detail about the One Direction fandom. Sure, she does touch on other fandoms like The Beatles or Bruce Springsteen and even goes into the history of fandom and fangirls along with the origins and progressions of internet blogs, Tumblr, and Twitter. I just really wish she delved into other examples more. I really enjoyed the moments when Kaitlyn writes about what she's going through personally in life and how fandom effects her. It's an interesting book and it's unique to read about fandom in these perspectives of fangirls... even if they're 99% 1D fans. I'll be honest with you though, I did enjoy this book overall BUT I really didn't need to read in exhausting length about conspiracy theories like “Larry,” where Harry Styles and Louie Tomlinson are secretly in love with each other or the obsession with a supposed shrine dedicated to Harry's vomit. I really didn't need that in my life. Overall though, despite my negativity, this is a pretty insightful book. Just don't let this book title deceive you: this is pretty much entirely about One Direction girl fandom and not about girl fandom as a whole.

This isn't a book about fandom, it's a book about the One Direction fandom and a little bit about how tangentially that related to a couple other fandoms, mostly music fandoms. Which is way too niche a way to approach a discussion on online fandom imo, and impossible to connect with if you, like me, only know 2 1D songs. That being said, props to the author for explaining the Larry drama because holy SHIT.

I was fully about one direction more than actual insight about how online fandoms shape the internet. Most of the information was personal anectdotes or information that I (and I'm not in the 1D fandom) already knew. 

OK so “How Fangirls Created the Internet as We Know It” is a book I'd love to read but it's really not what this book is? This book is 90% a history of One Direction online fandom with occasional offhand mentions of other fandoms, mostly K-Pop. I've been very involved with online fan communities since my teen years, but just not those ones.

Anyway that said, I still really enjoyed this read because One Direction fandom is WILD. I appreciated Kaitlyn Tiffany's insider perspective and that she was writing as a fangirl herself and not really ridiculing online fangirls, especially taking care to point out that a lot of their most wild activities (building a shrine to Harry Styles's puke) are done by people who were in on the joke and know that it's something intentionally funny and weird to do.

So, yeah, a fun and interesting read but NOT as described on the tin!! I think it would also have teen appeal, esp for teen 1D (or tangentially K-Pop) fans.