Book Review: Christina Tynan-Wood’s “How To Be A Geek Goddess”
This book’s title is certainly an attention-grabber. “How To Be A Geek Goddess: Practical Advice For Using Computers With Smarts And Style” by Christina Tynan-Wood is a hands-on introductory guide to the world of computers, their accessories and some of the more popular enticements on the web, all specifically tailored for women who have little or no experience with computing.
I want to send a copy of this book to every woman I know who’s ever said that computers just eluded her. I don’t mean those folks who aren’t the least bit interested in learning about the hardware and software they use. I mean those women who think that they’re just not “smart enough” to get the hang of computers, but wish they were.
Whether she’s describing the most rudimentary of computing details or explaining how to find a date on the internet, Tynan-Wood’s tone throughout this book never once condescends to the reader. No question is too basic, and no aspect of computing is off-limits, from home networking to online shopping to virus protection - whatever a woman with a computer might be interested in is covered in this book.
With the exception of some of the Dummies books and Idiot’s Guides on the market, many books never approach this level of clarity in explaining complex subject matter, which is to Tynan-Wood’s credit. This is one of the most readable technical tomes I’ve ever had cross my desk.
What’s good: A whole lot, though I’ll try to be brief. Here are just a few things this book does well:
- It includes step-by-step instructions on what to look for when purchasing a new computer, and what to watch out for when talking to salespeople.
- It has clear and concise descriptions of computer technology, includes screenshots that are clearly explained, and has examples of typical sales material to give the consumer an idea of what she’s likely to see when shopping for new gear.
- It explicitly explains the “gotchas”: extended warranties, eBay and Craigslist scams, parental controls, adware - whatever might come back to haunt you later is clearly detailed as a warning.
Tynan-Wood even includes some open source software options, though she stresses their lack of cost more than the whole open ideology. (She mentions Linux once, but it’s clear from the get-go that this book isn’t directed at your typical Linux user.)
She also answers user questions great and small throughout the book, and their subject matter ranges from the mundane - “what’s USB?” - to the sensational - “how do I get naughty emoticons?” I can’t think of another book that covers such a broad range of topics, yet still manages to be thorough.
What’s bad: This book does only one thing wrong, but it’s big. On the very first page of this book is a “Note For Men” explaining why this book isn’t for them. I realize that the author and her husband are being a bit cute by including this “foreword”, but instead of coming across with humor, it makes the book seem apologetic. It’s as if they’re saying, “Gee, guys, sorry this book isn’t for you.” Who cares? Do we really have to do the Mars/Venus, guys-vs.-girls thing all the time? I don’t often jump into the realm of feminista, because I think other folks do it better than I do and because it’s outside of the focus of dotFiveOne, but these three pages got my hackles up so much it took me awhile to get past it. Women are allowed to have their own tech books without apologizing for it, and mentioning the interminable debate about how men and women might approach computing differently just takes something away from the power of this book. This may not have been the author’s intention, but it certainly disappointed me and distracted me from the book’s content.
That said, I want to be clear about one thing: I *highly* recommend this book to women who want to learn more about their computers. What follows those three annoying pages are three hundred more with information you might find somewhere else, but not in this delicious format.
Tynan-Wood should write her next book about computing at the intermediate or advanced level, because she’s got a great talent for breaking big ideas into small steps, and skipping the unimportant stuff to get to the information a reader really wants. I’d buy *that* book in a heartbeat, but rest assured that I’ll suggest this book to all my non-geeky friends who keep calling me for computing advice.
“How To Be A Geek Goddess” is available at your favorite bookstore, as well as the link below.
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February 12th, 2009 at 7:50 am
This book sounds like something I need to bring to the attention of some of the elder community that I’ve been writing basic how-tos for. Except, there are a lot of men in that crowd. I need to get a copy and find out just how offensive that “no men” admonition is to me.
February 12th, 2009 at 9:19 am
Though written expressly for women, I think anyone can find value in this book. It’s *that* well written. Besides, women have been reading books written for men for thousands of years - I think guys can put up with it once in awhile.
You should definitely get your hands on a copy. As I writer, I can learn a lot from the author’s style - such clarity is unfortunately rare!
February 17th, 2009 at 1:07 pm
So it sounds like you will first tear out those blasted 3 pages before giving this book out to anyone. If only you could get to them at the bookstore and rip them all out.
The book sounds great and thanks for making us aware of it. If only it was around (or I was aware of it) over the holidays.
February 17th, 2009 at 2:06 pm
No, that’s a tad drastic, even for me. I just wanted to give my $.02 about that part of the book.
You should check this one out, Nicki. I think you’d enjoy parts of it - the other parts would just reinforce what you already know.
February 25th, 2009 at 9:03 pm
Probably IT folks should read this book. It can help them to discover usability issues in their work.
February 28th, 2009 at 10:16 pm
Alex,
That’s an excellent idea for the use of this book, and one I hadn’t considered. At first glance, I thought that most IT folks would give this a miss since we understand the tech involved. Instead, I thought this was a great book to recommend to other non-techy folks. But in order to understand what users really need, we need to actually listen to their questions, as Tynan-Wood does in this book on nearly every page. What?
Listen to users? Who knew?