Benjamin Nugent
Now in paperback, â€œone of the seasonâ€™s most talked about cultural studiesâ€ (,Los Angeles, ,Times,)Ã¢â‚¬â€an incisive and irrever-, ,ent appreciation of nerds that combines history, sociology, psy- chology, and memoir from noted journalist and self-proclaimed nerd Ben Nugent.,Most people know a nerd when they see one, but yet canâ€™t define just what a nerd is exactly. ,American Nerd: The Story of My People ,gives readers the history of, ,the concept of nerdiness and its related subcultures. 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 in the nineteenth century, and popped up again and again in college humor journals and sketch comedy, our culture obsessed over the phenomenon. ,â€œPart history, part memoir, and all funnyâ€ (,GQ,), ,American Nerd, is critically acclaimed writer Benjamin Nugentâ€™s enter- taining fact-finding mission. He seeks the best definition of nerd and illuminates the com- mon ground between nerd sub- cultures that might seem unre- lated: high-school debate team kids and ham radio enthusiasts, medieval reenactors and pro- circuit videogame players. Why do the same people who like to work with computers also enjoy playing Dungeons & Dragons? How are those activi- ties similar? This clever, enlight- ening book will appeal to the nerd (and anti-nerd) that lives inside everyone.
Nonfiction,Sociology,Autobiography,Memoir,Culture,Pop Culture,Biography,Cultural,History,Humor,Psychology,Writing,Essays
American Nerd: The Story of My People