About this item
Most people know a nerd when they see one but can't define just what a nerd is. American Nerd: The Story of My People gives us the history of the concept of nerdiness and of the subcultures we consider nerdy. 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, vaguely formed, in the nineteenth century, and popped up again and again in college humor journals and sketch comedy, our culture obsessed over the designation.Mixing research and reportage with autobiography, critically acclaimed writer Benjamin Nugent embarks on a fact-finding mission of the most entertaining variety. He seeks the best definition of nerd and illuminates the common ground between nerd subcultures that might seem unrelated: high-school debate team kids and ham radio enthusiasts, medieval reenactors and pro-circuit Halo players.
About the Author
I grew up in Amherst, Massachusetts, and now I have an apartment in Brooklyn but I spend more time in Los Angeles. When I was a nerdy child I would think, 'how come there's not a history of this name people shout at me when they throw things at me? ' I started out as a reporter at Time, and I've written for The New York Times Magazine, Time, New York, and n 1, among other places. My favorite part of writing American Nerd was tracking down my friends from junior high and interviewing them about their lives and how they remembered our clique.
