The Geeks Shall Inherit the Earth: Popularity, Quirk Theory and Why Outsiders Thrive After High School by Alexandra RobbinsMy rating: 3 of 5 stars
Full disclosure - I was an outsider in High School. I had friends, but was in no way a "popular" kid and nobody would have invited me to anything that involved the "cool" kids. I was poor, uncoordinated, and was interested in everything that gets you labeled "weird." I was, by every reasonable social measurement, a complete failure at High School.
I loved college and law school. Professionally I'm the same weird guy, but that doesn't seem to matter much anymore. This is the thesis Alexandra Robbins attempts to prove in her book. The qualities that get a person labeled an outcast in High School are the very attributes that can lead to success - assuming you survive High School.
Full disclosure again - the author is the daughter of my Criminal Law Professor. I probably wouldn't have picked up this book without that connection, mostly because my pleasure reading is primarily fiction. Regardless, I found the narrative style very interesting and like many novels I read. I got a little bogged down in the documentary style narratives of the High School kids. However, by the end of the book I really felt I knew them and was invested in them moving beyond the High School paradigm.
Despite reliving some painful personal High School memories, it was an enjoyable read.
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