American Nerd The Story of My People [Paperback]

“One of the season’s most talked about cultural studies” (Los AngelesTimes)—an incisive and irreverent appreciation of nerds that combines history, sociology, psychology, and memoir from noted journalist and self-proclaimed nerd Ben Nugent.

Most people know a nerd when they see one, but yet can’t define just what a nerd is exactly.American Nerd: The Story of My Peoplegives readers the history ofthe 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.

“Part history, part memoir, and all funny” (GQ),American Nerdis critically acclaimed writer Benjamin Nugent’s entertaining fact-finding mission. 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 videogame players. Why do the same people who like to work with computers also enjoy playing Dungeons & Dragons? How are those activities similar? This clever, enlightening book will appeal to the nerd (and anti-nerd) that lives inside everyone.Benjamin Nugentjoined the staffofTimemagazine as an arts and pop culture reporter at the age of twenty- two. He’s written for numerous publica- tions, includingNew Yorkmagazine,n+1,NME, andLegal Affairs. His first book,Elliott Smith and the Big Nothing, a study of the indie rockmusician, was published in 2004. He lives in Los Angeles. He was a nerdy child. American Nerdis very funny and consistently smart, but it's also mildly controversial -lÃ'