The Geeks Shall Inherit the Earth
by Alexandra Robbins
(Robbins is also the author of The Overachievers.)
This book really spoke to me. Not a day goes by where I think to myself, “I’m really weird.” Like, I know that I am very very very strange. I don’t think like a lot of people, I have different (off the wall) opinions, I don’t like normal things that college students should like.
It’s always bothered me that I’m not “normal.” I was a mathlete (and loved every minute of it) during middle school. I had a small, close group of friends in high school…. but I had very cliche High School Movie moments. I won’t get into the details of some of the things my classmates did, but trust me… it wasn’t pretty.
I felt so connected to a lot of the characters in the book for one reason or another. I don’t think I could have read it at a better time, however. I think it would have given me a bit of relief had I read it in high school, but I was more or less satisfied then.
But now… I’m not on the rowing team anymore. The only thing I miss, frankly, is having people to eat meals with from the team. It’s also made me reevaluate what kind of energy I want to put into “friendships.” I think my current friendships have been strained and tested. Especially with Little V not on campus with me, I feel a little isolated.
This is not to say I don’t have friends, because I do. But only in the sense that I can find people to talk to in my classes and I’m not scrambling to form groups with strangers for projects. I don’t have close enough friends to sit with in the dining hall, for instance. I’m not signing up for senior disorientation because I don’t have a close enough friend group. It’s weird, and yea, a little sad.
After reading The Geeks Shall Inherit the Earth, however, I feel more comfortable to reach out to new people as friends and I also feel more comfortable with the label of quirky.
Anyway, the book is great for geeks, nerds, artsy people, (fill in with any social “label”), and even popular kids. Parents, teachers, and really any member of society would benefit from the book!
xoxo
