American Nerd, a Story of my People

Title: American Nerd, a Story of my People

Author: Benjamin Nugent

Summary: American Nerd, the Story of My People"; Benjamin Nugent's look into the
subculture of nerdism, is a mix of facts and memoir. He looks back at his childhood, spent with similar boys, all finding fantasy games, books and computers easier to face than their peers. The safety found within orderly game rules, programming and building their own worlds protected them from the scorn and insults of their classmates and the worry and well-intentioned help of adults. Their banding together and imaginations eased lives touched by divorce, abuse, economic scarcity, and helped them navigate the treacherous waters of adolescence. Looking back at his childhood and teen years he also has to come to terms with the way he moved away from these friends, sometimes without explanation. At times the text seems to push too hard when trying to establish the scholarship of the "nerd as subculture" idea. It is interesting to see the idea of grouping intellectual and physical outsiders existed far before the term came into vogue. There are examples in popular culture: Revenge of the Nerds, The 40 Year Old Virgin and Dungeons and Dragons and Halo. Being branded a nerd does not doom one to social outer darkness. The new world of Internet gaming provides a social gathering place for "nerds"(I immediately plan to cut my World of Warcraft hours). Sword fighting by the Society of Creative Anachronism and like activities helps to dispel part of the myths that nerds are physically frail and doomed to social exile. The business world actively courts those with computer savvy and ability to think outside the box. A great book for the nerd and anti-nerd alike(aren't we each a bit of both?).

Recommendation: This wasn't as engaging as I had hoped. There is a
intellectual distance from the writer and his audience. I would read "Wired" to get a look at the nerds subculture.

Hearts: 2