Customer Reviews

The Geeks Shall Inherit the Earth: Popularity, Quirk Theory, and Why Outsiders Thrive After High School

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"Let your Geek Flag" fly!!! I have thoroughly enjoyed this book - Alexandra Robbins does an amazing job (as usual)!

I am an educator of 26 years and a high school assistant principal. The information I have gotten from this book has certainly helped me to look at my student population in a totally, new light. Not only does Robbins examine the labels that students assign themselves and others and the harm it causes but "The Geeks" also looks at the way that the faculty that educates them treat students and each other. I had never thought of the way that faculty groups mirror the groups of students.

Also, it was an eye opener to think that the influence of the media has caused "mean girls" to be mean, as a way of protecting themselves. We often misunderstand and think that they mistreat other kids because they enjoy it. The fact is that many of these young ladies don't enjoy it at all but the influence of shows such as "Gossip Girl" and "90210," make it "cool" to be mistreat others. It is hard to believe that many students who are viewed as being a part of the "Popular Crowd" are truly miserable but lack the courage to leave for fear of rejection.

Thanks again to Alexandra Robbins for a fantastic read!!!

I can confidently say, with this new book and the others I have read (The Overachievers & Pledged), Alexandra Robbins is one of the first people I know who has poignantly identified and openly discussed struggles in teens and young adults lives. I grew up in a very competitive area academically and socially. I was insecure loner who desperately tried to fit in, but always came up short. I can completely relate to the stories of the teens in this book. Their backgrounds and experiences all have things I'm sure everyone can identify with. Alexandra also does an excellent job of supplementing these stories with psychological and sociological data and experiments. This is an excellent read, and one that I found therapeutic. As an young adult and college student, I definitely have noticed that the quirks and oddities I used to be ashamed of, are things that I'm appreciated for now, and that I fully embrace as an adult. It is these experiences and books like "The Geeks Shall Inherit the Earth" that further inspire me to become a high school teacher, and make a difference in teens lives.

I went to two high schools, each for two years. At both, I was not a complete outcast, but hung out by myself and did what I wanted rather than what the conformists were doing in order to make themselves look good. I would say I was mocked pretty heavily in junior high. I've thought it was interesting that at both high schools, kids who were the equivalent of today's "preps" really had not done as much with their lives as kids who stood out on the fringes. It was interesting to attend class reunions and see some of these populars sitting at the tables in their same groups, not knowing what to say to others who had been living interesting lives and had long forgotten how insignificant they felt in high school.

Raising two kids recently out of high school, it surprised me to see how many parents were involved with orchestrating their children's popularity - making sure they drove the right car, plastic surgery if necessary, buying alcohol and holding parties at their houses. I knew it would be painful for my kids, but I am glad they both chose the paths they did - to be true to themselves.

I especially liked the character of the Loner but also Blue. To do as well as he has without parental support, sometimes no support at all, reminds me of a gay friend of mine who grew up in a turbulent household, no support, but always marched to his own drumbeat, and is now the CEO of a major company.

This book validates many things we've observed but didn't know why they were occurring.

In her social documentary, Alexandra Robbins plunges into the treacherous waters of high schools across the country to tell the stories of six fringe students and one fringe teacher. She calls them by the labels we've all come to know and sometimes loathe: loner, popular bitch, nerd, new girl, weird girl, gamer, and band geek. What makes the book work is how the reader quickly gets caught up in each of these outsiders' separate soap operas. Robbins is adept at including the characters' thoughts, dialogue, and actions, giving it the feel of a novel splintered into seven sub-plots.

The organization of the book is a bit haphazard, with Robbins going willy-nilly from one character to the next, taking time outs here and there for pop psychology and looks at "studies" new and old. The purpose of this "science" is to show group dynamics and human behavior -- the how and the why to cruelty in school cafeterias and hallways. The arrangement can be discombobulating at times, but the story lines carry the day.

I especially like how Robbins included one teacher's story here to show how cliques and nasty games do NOT always disappear with age. In fact, there are "popular" teachers, too, who would much rather hang out with other popular teachers and ignore the nerdier ones. You'd think these behaviors would look transparently pitiful at the advanced ages of these teachers, but Robbins shows that you'd have to think again. Some people never learn, alas, though, in this book, a lot of the kids do. It is, in that sense and in the final analysis, a hopeful book. You'll find yourself cheering for these guys and girls, who should but probably do not take comfort in the fact that they have odds-on advantages to become successful in life after school -- and for the exact same reasons they were teased and ostracized in school. God loves irony, after all, making the Biblical title especially apt....

I first learned of this author from her excellent book, "Secrets of the Tomb" about the Skull and Bones fraternity. What's great about her method is that she does not arrive at her conclusions via the cliché method of shining a spotlight from the outside in, but rather wisely illuminating her subjects from the inside out. What truly makes this book so genuinely important is that it uses this method to exhaustively flesh out what's really going on in America's most profound social institutions - our schools - during their most influential and brutal phases (grades 7-12).

The case is made beyond effectively that this period can and often does make or break a person, and that those who suffer at the bottom of the totem pole often need only survive until graduation to far surpass their schoolyard oppressors and become the great innovators and worthy role-models of their generation (there's a nerd battle cry in there somewhere).

As a bona fide outsider growing up, I re-experienced my own story unfold over and over in the vivid accounts of the seven students she surveilled over the course of her painstaking research, this time with the benefit of top-shelf analysis and laugh out loud wit. What Alexandra Robbins has created here would have saved me decades of self-doubt and for that reason above all else, I wholeheartedly recommend this to every outsider and every parent who thinks there is even a chance their child is a loner, a popular bitch, a nerd, a gamer, a weird girl, a band geek or any other click that could be propping up his/her self esteem now or in the future.

When I heard that Alexandra Robbins had written a new book I was intrigued. I'd read The Overachievers which I found enlightening and somewhat disturbing (my teens were attending the school featured in the book). The fact that Robbins' new book was about the "unpopular" kids this time made me excited to read it, mostly because of baggage from my own high school experience where I was, not so much a geek, but definitely not popular.

The Geeks Shall Inherit the Earth follows a similar format as The Overachievers did. Several high school students were followed during the course of one school year. While Robbins' focused on one high school in The Overachievers, she chose students from different high schools around the country in The Geeks Shall Inherit the Earth. In both books, however, she interviewed thousands of other students as well.

Robbins does a good job pulling you into the lives of the individuals she interviewed. I was compelled to cheer for the loner, the nerd, the new girl, the gamer, the weird girl and the band geek. Not so much the popular bitch, however. While I understand why Robbins chose to include her among the others, I felt little compassion for her. I felt more sympathy for her mother who at one point in the book says, "This is the most pleasant you've been basically since you were born".

If I had to summarize my feelings about The Geeks Shall Inherit the Earth in one word it would be "Duh". What Robbins' tells us in the book is not news. While reading it, I cannot remember how many times the topic came up in various media (tv shows, movies, songs, news broadcasts, newspaper articles, etc). This may have been because my mind was on the subject. In fact, in the Showtime series, "Weeds", one of the (teenage) characters says something about wishing to live in a world where geeks would rule the world someday.

While other people I know who have read this book find that Robbins' analysis is not as solid as the storylines of the individuals, I don't agree. While what Robbins terms Quirk Theory (what sets students apart in high school is what helps them stand out later in life) is not a new idea, the way she frames it and supports it with extant research is new, at least to me.

Much of what was in this book was painful for me to read because it reminded me of my own middle and high school experiences. When my daughter was struggling with friendships and lack of popularity in high school I'd tell her that once she was out of high school none of that was going to matter and that she'd end up being more interesting than the kids that were popular in high school. I don't know if it helped her then, but she believes it now that she's a junior in college.

Disclaimer: While I bought one copy (on Amazon) the author sent me a second copy for free.

I just finished this book & loved it. As the Mom of four girls it was insightful & I plan to buy a copy for both the high school my daughters attend and the one in our district that they don't! Their school does a great job in this area, the one they should attend (thank God for School Choice in Mass!), doesn't.

My eldest was pushed out of the "striving to be popular" crowd in 6th grade, and I am so thankful now. She is a smart geek who loves anime, draws beautifully, and is about to start college to be a biomechanical engineer. "Geeks" does a fabulous job of examining just why the "cafeteria fringe" possess the characteristics to become successful in life beyond high school.

I intend to use this book to show my kids (one starts HS this fall) that they shouldn't strive for "popular" status; just be happy, study hard, and do those activities that make you happy.

The Geeks Shall Inherit the Earth and the author's Quirk Theory are are at the top of my list of "things every parent and educator must know."
The writing is engaging and the characters held my interest from the start. The book is well researched and citations are easy to follow for the detail oriented reader. But the text of the book is so delicious I could not put it down.
Two issues are of special interest to me: first, what are the coping strategies that "geeks" successfully use to survive high school with their creativity and brilliance in tact; secondly, why are "popular" people so mean?
I found excellent information on both issues.
The recent research connecting "perceived popularity" to aggression was especially enlightening. In other words "treat me like I am popular or your life will be ruined" has replaced genuine popularity. The section on seratonin and "popularity" inspired me to google other seratonin research. I read that 80% of the body's seratonin is in the digestive tract and relates to food satisfaction vs food scarcity. It is primitive stuff and yet pop psychology has glorified serotonin as a mood enhancer. Studies (Geeks Shall Inherit writes it up beautifully) correlate high seratonin levels with high "popularity". The main serotonin-induced personality traits are: conformity, preoccupation with grooming and lack of empathy.
Some of the most surprising sidebars in this book come from former - usually older - "populars" who describe the cruel things they did to other students in high school and now, looking back, say with regret "I can't believe I did that."
Read this book. Then donate it to a school library.

I have two young children who are nowhere near high school age. But considering both their parents were "kids on the fringe", there is a pretty strong chance neither of them will become part of the mainstream crowd when they hit their teens. And we're ok with that because, as this book so eloquently points out, the less popular kids are typically the ones who have the most success as adults. This is a truism I've seen over and over again in my own life and with my adult peers. Think about it...how many of the popular kids at your high school ended up leading fascinating and fulfilling lives? Perhaps a few...but, if your experience is anything like my own, not many. Why is this? As "The Geeks Shall Inherit The Earth" points out, the traits that make a kid stand out from the crowd during high school are precisely what allows them to thrive when they hit the college years and beyond.

This book reads, in parts, like a YA novel -- which will make it appealing to teens as well as their parents. But there's just enough legitimate psychological studies and jargon to keep the grown-ups happy. It also has some surprises, one in particular which should be very interesting for any educators who are reading this book (I'm not going to spoil it for you!). What I particularly loved is how Robbins provides some concrete steps we can all take to help "fringe" kids navigate the high school experience without losing their souls or motivation. I also really enjoyed getting to know each "case study" and was excited to find I can track their continued development via the book's Facebook page. One of the bigger surprises for me is that private schools (single sex or otherwise) with a uniform policy have no less chance of growing cliques and bullies than public schools. Yeah, I know this stuff goes on any place where teens gather in mass quantities...but I'd assumed some private schools, especially those with smaller class sizes, would have better luck working with kids and breaking down the social BS than their public counterparts. Apparently not.

If you know (or are) a kid who doesn't easily fit in with the popular crowd (or any crowd, for that matter)...PLEASE read this book. It's highly likely you will find yourself in these pages...and even if you don't, you'll find yourself rooting for each of these young men and women to make it through high school and transform into the fabulous adults I know they will be.

Alexandra Robbins strikes literary gold again with her latest book: The Geeks Shall Inherit the Earth: Popularity, Quirk Theory, and Why Outsiders Thrive After High School. The book follows 7 high-schoolers from different cliques through a school year: The Loner, The Weird Girl, The Gamer, The Band Geek, The Popular Bitch, The New Girl, and The Nerd. As one gets to know the "characters" (I put that word in quotations because these are real people, not works of fiction), one can't help rooting for them as one finds that they are much more than the labels that seemingly define them. As per usual, Robbins' writing is vivid, witty, and smart without being pretentious. Woven through the narrative stories of these 7 "characters" are stories and anecdotes from educators, psychologists, researchers, and students around the country about social development and what it means to be popular.

It's basically impossible to not be able to relate to this book - if you've been to high-school you'll find yourself strolling down memory lane, using the research and stories in this book to illuminate your own high school experience. However, as you re-live your experience, you are joined by 7 new friends along the way.

I am not a parent, but I have to imagine that this book would be quite eye opening for parents of teens currently in high-school or about to enter high-school. The messages that the book sends (that it's OK to be different, that being different is an asset, that if you pull back the stereotype you'll likely meet an awesome person underneath) are timely and important and ones that should be heeded by all students, parents, and educators. Perhaps best of all, at the end of the book Robbins offers tips to all these groups to help make the high-school experience a better one for all involved.

In short, I'd DEFINITELY recommend this book!