The Geeks Shall Inherit the Earth

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

I thought I'd throw in a nonfiction read for those who like to read it. The fact that I prefer fiction is probably why I thought this was not only an informative read, but actually interesting. Robbins does a good job of telling her subjects' stories in narratives that read like fiction (there's dialogue, development, etc.). The book focuses on the school lives of six different people throughout the United States; these people are the "Cafeteria Fringe" or outsiders in their school/social communities. Joy is a new girl from Jamaica, Blue is a gamer, Eli is a nerd, Noah is a band geek, Danielle is a loner, Regan is a lesbian, and Whitney is a self-proclaimed popular bitch. All of these people face hardships in their social lives, even though they have different experiences and different places on the social spectrum. Robbins issues each subject a challenge during the school year that will [hopefully] change their social lives without forcing them to conform or change their own personalities in order to fit into a group.

 Honestly, I think that this book should be required reading for any student attending school to be a teacher. It's not uncommon knowledge that middle and high school is hellacious for students who don't fit the social mold--are you rich enough/smart enough/thin enough/hip enough/athletic enough/vapid enough--but this looks into the problems that administrators and teachers have when it comes to allowing such behavior. Not all teachers and principals are guilty of protecting the social hierarchies established by teens, but some do grant favors or look the other way based on who is popular.  I'm not naïve enough to think that reading a piece of literature will change one's ways, but perhaps it can influence one to stop and think about his/her actions.

Oh, and I loved how an entire section was devoted to why 7th grade is the worst year of school. Might I add that I really love my new job? :p

Target age range: adults