The Geeks Shall Inherit the Earth: Kelly K's reaction

I honestly have to say that this book underwhelmed me, disappointed me, and puzzled me a bit.

Starting out, I was excited by the title because it is actually a phrase I have used before in reference to the book's topic and it reinforced my own beliefs that the students who are considered "weird" or "unpopular" in middle and high school or often the ones who become most successful and dynamic in their adult lives.  Not to mention that they are usually far more interesting and insightful than students who conform to peer pressure or the  "populars" who often set the norms for their peers and only stick to their cliques while cruelly judging everyone else.  The bottom line was that I had a good feeling that this book was going to resonate with me and I looked forward to the insight into the interpersonal relationships and social dynamics of humans - and more specifically - teenagers.

However, at about the half-way point of reading this book, I was really struggling to stay engaged, which surprised me, considering my interest in the topic.  However, I was not getting many "aha" moments out of it.  The specific subjects that the author writes about were fairly diverse in nature, including a "popular bitch," "loner," "nerd," "gamer," "new girl," "band geek" and "weird girl." These generic labels for non-popular students covers a lot of ground in defining the different "types" of kids that fall within their labels and each story gives a great deal of personal insight into the fear, anxiety, loneliness, frustration and struggles encountered by the non-popular students (who actually seem to make up the majority of the student population).  Even more fascinating was the twist on the "weird girl" story, where it turns out to be a teacher who also happens to be an out lesbian.  As a future teacher, the "teacher clique" horror stories were particularly surprising and terrifying.  

However, this book meandered on and on, weaving back and forth between the different stories and intermingling factual interludes to (sort of) tie it all together.  In my opinion, the book could have easily shaved off half of its 400 pages and still effectively conveyed the author's main points.  And those main points, I guess, have something to do with "quirk theory," another  meandering phrase that popped up now and again in an attempt to tie the different stories together.  I feel like I simultaneously already understood this concept while at the same time never fully feeling that the author herself ever clearly defined her own theory in her own words.  Again, lacking on the "a-has" here.  Or the "Wow" factor, as Tim Gunn puts it.  

Once again, I feel that the format the author chose for the book undermined the impact of her theory and her stories.  It became tedious to hop from one subject's story to the next, trying to keep everyone's individual story straight and a lot of it feeling repetitious and generic.  Significant parallels and connections within the circle of characters might have been more clearly articulated with a different writing approach.  For example, just allotting a chapter for each individual story would have been sufficient and easier to follow, not to mention making it easier to swallow her spoonfuls of "quirk theory" goodness that she sprinkles here and there over the 400 pages.  

Yes, I am getting a little snarky now.  

Maybe it's because I had high expectations for this book; maybe it's because I'm jealous that the author got to go on Oprah; or maybe it's just because this all seems very obvious to me.

I think I would have preferred a more straight-forward message, perhaps more effectively conveyed through a Youtube video or website, rather than a lengthy novel with drawn-out stories and pseudo-scientific theories.  In fact, they already have those things!  I think that Dan Savage's "It Gets Better" campaign succinctly states what this author is trying to get across in this novel.  It's just that, instead of 400 pages, he does it in under 4 minutes, which is also appealing to the attention spans of today's youth.

Newlyweds featured on itgetsbetter.org

 And they're from Madison! 

Despite the tone of this blog so far, I am actually glad that I read this book because the topic still fascinates me and there were still plenty of insightful moments throughout each subject's journey within the book.  While I don't see myself assigning or teaching this book to any of my future classes, I would definitely have it in my classroom library for independent reading.  I think it still has valuable insight, and it might actually be very impactful and helpful to other teens who may be going through the same struggles that the kids in the book experience. 

While I myself might not find the information groundbreaking, if it helps just one student, I'm all for it.  Also, it is never a waste of time to invest in learning more about your profession and those that you serve.  In this case, that would be teenagers, and so this book can be used as a point of reference to help keep me grounded in where my students are at emotionally and mentally.  I also think there are probably plenty of related titles, so if nothing else, this book serves as a springboard into exploration of a topic that will (unfortunately) always be relevant in our society.

The book does end on high notes for all of the subjects, and while all of their problems may not be resolved and their futures not 100% clear, it gives the reader encouragement that you are never stuck in high school hell forever.  It does, indeed, get better.

**Now I'm going to go read Kelly B's blog, as I'm curious to get her thoughts.  And I saw an image of The Breakfast Club, so it has to be good!**