Nerds!

Ok, so as my readers probably realize - I own a lot of books.  In case I haven't mentioned it before, this is because at the Sun-Times, every couple months we have 'booksales' with brand new hardcovers for $1 each.  It's a really well-loved employee perk - the inside of a booksale looks much like the Filene's Basement wedding dress sale.  

Anyhow, I was just looking over a book I snatched about four months ago - "Nerds:  Who They Are and Why We Need More of Them", by Dr. David Anderegg.  The first line of the book description is "Are you socially awkward?".  How could one not be intrigued?

Anyhow, I haven't read the book yet, but in the brief description, he defines nerds (those who are technologically and academically advanced or passionate about niche subjects) and how the social stigma and stereotype we have associated with them is potentially greatly affecting our society.

It sounds kind of quirky at a first glance, however - as children begin to discover what it means to be a "nerd", does this affect their academic performance and discourage them from getting involved in certain interests?  On a larger level - this could possibly affect us in a competitive global economy!  International math and science testing shows American teens coming in 24th place amongst the world's most developed nations.   There have been a lot of studies looking in to why American teens don't do better, considering our quality of life and quality of education available.  I think this man could be on to something!

He also raises the idea that we may be affected by certain social stereotypes long after we should know better.  I find this interesting because in a previous blog about another book - I noticed a lot of famous and successful women milling over their childhood unpopularity - it seemed interesting to me that people in their shoes could be stuck on something so seemingly trivial.  I even raised the question - are nerds the ones ruling the world?  Are they (painfully ironically) not smart enough to realize that their own nerdiness is a good thing?

America - we need to re-market the nerd for our own good! 

I cannot wait to start reading this book.   And I, for one, fully embrace the nerdiness associated with being interested in reading about nerds.