American Nerd by Benjamin Nugent

As of this morning, Wikipedia states that "nerd, as a stereotypical or archetypal designation, refers to somebody who pursues intellectual interests at the expense of skills that are useful in a social setting such as communication, fashion, or physical fitness." That sounds about right, but it's wrong.


I didn't expect to love this book as much as I actually did.

Being a nerd myself (both self-proclaimed and generally well-recognized as such), I burst out laughing when I saw the title. American Nerd: The Story of My People, it's a great title and one that had me hooked from the get-go.

From the moment I started reading this book, I haven't been able to stop talking about it. Every one of my friends has already heard a comprehensive synopsis, so this will likely be one of the most easily written book reviews I've ever typed up.

American Nerd is a quintessentially nerdy book in and of itself. It is, in essence, a comprehensive study of the American nerd, covering everything from the psychology behind typically nerdy people, the history of the "nerd", and even the racism inherently involved in the classification of nerds (most tend to be Jewish or Asian and described as being "hyperwhite" in personality).

This is definitely one of those books that makes you feel like you are basically soaking your brain in information, amassing knowledge like a sponge dipped in a glass of water. This is a feeling I have come to love and thus my experience in reading this book was even better because of it.

Nugent, a nerd himself, litters the narrative with real-life examples of those generally considered nerds -- from childhood friends to Renaissance CosPlayers, including the life experiences that lead them to making the choices they did and becoming the sorts of people that attend anime conventions and conduct meetings of sci-fi enthusiasts.

All in all, this was an extremely informative book that had me enthralled from beginning to end. This was so much more than I had expected and Nugent's take on different aspects of nerd culture were both eye-opening and intriguing. I would definitely recommend it.

Rating: ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥ ♥


Jack Jenkins and Zack Malitz found in their debate community a way to rebel against what they considered an overly regimented high-school existence. Their nerdy activity was a way out of a cage of false certainties.
Then there are other nerds for whom order is not a cage, but a bright, clean Radisson in the snake-infested wilderness that is their daily life. For them, being a nerd is not a flight from an overly ordered existence; it's a flight from a life of fear and confusion into order.