Alexandra Robbins is a journalist and author who has written books about sororities, overachievers, and the ivy league. Now in her new book, The Geeks Shall Inherit the Earth: Popularity, Quirk Theory, and Why Outsiders Thrive After High School, she examines the psychology and science behind popularity, cliques, and the desire to either “go along to get along” or “let your freak flag fly”.
Intermixed with essays on these topics, Robbins also shares the stories of seven real people grappling with these issues in high school.
The Loner, who has withdrawn from classmates since they persuaded her to unwittingly join her own hate club;
The Popular Bitch, a cheerleading captain both seduced by and trapped within her clique’s perceived prestige;
The Nerd, whose differences cause students to laugh at him and his mother to needle him for not being “normal”;
The New Girl, determined to stay positive as classmates harass her for her mannerisms and target her because of her race;
The Gamer, an underachiever in danger of not graduating, despite his intellect and his yearning to connect with other students;
The Weird Girl, who battles discrimination and gossipy politics in school but leads a joyous life outside of it;
The Band Geek, who is alternately branded too serious and too emo, yet annually runs for class president.
Described as “a smart, entertaining, reassuring book that reads like fiction” and “Gossip Girl crossed with Freaks and Geeks”, Geeks Shall Inherit the Earth should be on the New Releases shelf very soon. Watch for it and read it on your own self-imposed Saturday detention.
Here is a link for other materials in the collection on Group Identity.
And now, for no reason other than that the book description made me think of it, here’s the closing letter scene from The Breakfast Club. 🙂