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The Story of My People
Scribner
May 2008
On Sale: May 13, 2008
240 pages
ISBN: 0743288017
EAN: 9780743288019
Hardcover
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Non-Fiction
Most people know a nerd when they see one but can't define
just what a nerd is. American Nerd: The Story of My
People gives us the history of the concept of nerdiness
and of the subcultures we consider nerdy. What makes Dr.
Frankenstein the archetypal nerd? Where did the modern jock
come from? When and how did being a self-described nerd
become trendy? As the nerd emerged, vaguely formed, in the
nineteenth century, and popped up again and again in college
humor journals and sketch comedy, our culture obsessed over
the designation. Mixing research and reportage with
autobiography, critically acclaimed writer Benjamin Nugent
embarks on a fact-finding mission of the most entertaining
variety. He seeks the best definition of nerd and
illuminates the common ground between nerd subcultures that
might seem unrelated: high-school debate team kids and ham
radio enthusiasts, medieval reenactors and pro-circuit Halo
players. Why do the same people who like to work with
computers also enjoy playing Dungeons & Dragons? How are
those activities similar? This clever, enlightening book
will appeal to the nerd (and antinerd) that lives inside all
of us.
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