Word freak: heartbreak, triumph, genius, and obsession in the world of competitive scrabble players
Description
This "marvelously absorbing" book is "a walk on the wild side of words and ventures into the zone where language and mathematics intersect" ( San Jose Mercury News ). A former Wall Street Journal reporter and NPR regular, Stefan Fatsis recounts his remarkable rise through the ranks of elite Scrabble players while exploring the game's strange, potent hold over them—and him. At least thirty million American homes have a Scrabble set—but the game's most talented competitors inhabit a sphere far removed from the masses of "living room players." Theirs is a surprisingly diverse subculture whose stars include a vitamin-popping standup comic; a former bank teller whose intestinal troubles earned him the nickname "G.I. Joel"; a burly, unemployed African American from Baltimore's inner city; the three-time national champion who plays according to Zen principles; and the author himself, who over the course of the book is transformed from a curious reporter to a confirmed Scrabble nut. Fatsis begins by haunting the gritty corner of a Greenwich Village park where pickup Scrabble games can be found whenever weather permits. His curiosity soon morphs into compulsion, as he sets about memorizing thousands of obscure words and fills his evenings with solo Scrabble played on his living room floor. Before long he finds himself at tournaments, socializing—and competing—with Scrabble's elite. But this book is about more than hardcore Scrabblers, for the game yields insights into realms as disparate as linguistics, psychology, and mathematics. Word Freak extends its reach even farther, pondering the light Scrabble throws on such notions as brilliance, memory, competition, failure, and hope. It is a geography of obsession that celebrates the uncanny powers locked in all of us, "a can't-put-it-down narrative that dances between memoir and reportage" ( Los Angeles Times ). " Funny, thoughtful, character-rich, unchallengeably winning writing." — The Atlantic Monthly This edition includes a new afterword by the author.
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ISBN:
9780618015849
9780547524313
9780547524313
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Grouping Information
Grouped Work ID | 9da3351d-857e-6886-cfc0-28bc40fd9206 |
---|---|
Grouping Title | word freak heartbreak triumph genius and obsession in the world of competitive scrabble players |
Grouping Author | stefan fatsis |
Grouping Category | book |
Grouping Language | English (eng) |
Last Grouping Update | 2024-03-07 08:33:11AM |
Last Indexed | 2024-04-28 22:27:19PM |
Solr Fields
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0
accelerated_reader_reading_level
0
author
Fatsis, Stefan
author_display
Fatsis, Stefan
display_description
This "marvelously absorbing" book is "a walk on the wild side of words and ventures into the zone where language and mathematics intersect" ( San Jose Mercury News ). A former Wall Street Journal reporter and NPR regular, Stefan Fatsis recounts his remarkable rise through the ranks of elite Scrabble players while exploring the game's strange, potent hold over them—and him. At least thirty million American homes have a Scrabble set—but the game's most talented competitors inhabit a sphere far removed from the masses of "living room players." Theirs is a surprisingly diverse subculture whose stars include a vitamin-popping standup comic; a former bank teller whose intestinal troubles earned him the nickname "G.I. Joel"; a burly, unemployed African American from Baltimore's inner city; the three-time national champion who plays according to Zen principles; and the author himself, who over the course of the book is transformed from a curious reporter to a confirmed Scrabble nut. Fatsis begins by haunting the gritty corner of a Greenwich Village park where pickup Scrabble games can be found whenever weather permits. His curiosity soon morphs into compulsion, as he sets about memorizing thousands of obscure words and fills his evenings with solo Scrabble played on his living room floor. Before long he finds himself at tournaments, socializing—and competing—with Scrabble's elite. But this book is about more than hardcore Scrabblers, for the game yields insights into realms as disparate as linguistics, psychology, and mathematics. Word Freak extends its reach even farther, pondering the light Scrabble throws on such notions as brilliance, memory, competition, failure, and hope. It is a geography of obsession that celebrates the uncanny powers locked in all of us, "a can't-put-it-down narrative that dances between memoir and reportage" ( Los Angeles Times ). " Funny, thoughtful, character-rich, unchallengeably winning writing." — The Atlantic Monthly This edition includes a new afterword by the author.
format_category_gcld
Books
format_gcld
Book
id
9da3351d-857e-6886-cfc0-28bc40fd9206
isbn
9780547524313
9780618015849
9780618015849
itype_gcld
Adult non-fiction
Juvenile Biography
Juvenile Biography
last_indexed
2024-04-29T04:27:19.789Z
lexile_score
-1
literary_form
Non Fiction
literary_form_full
Non Fiction
primary_isbn
9780618015849
publishDate
2001
2017
2017
publisher
Houghton Mifflin Co
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
recordtype
grouped_work
subject_facet
Biography & Autobiography
Electronic books
Games
Nonfiction
Scrabble (Game) -- Tournaments
Electronic books
Games
Nonfiction
Scrabble (Game) -- Tournaments
title_display
Word freak : heartbreak, triumph, genius, and obsession in the world of competitive scrabble players
title_full
Word freak : heartbreak, triumph, genius, and obsession in the world of competitive scrabble players / Stefan Fatsis
Word freak [electronic resource] : Heartbreak, triumph, genius, and obsession in the world of competitive scrabble players. Stefan Fatsis
Word freak [electronic resource] : Heartbreak, triumph, genius, and obsession in the world of competitive scrabble players. Stefan Fatsis
title_short
Word freak
title_sub
heartbreak, triumph, genius, and obsession in the world of competitive scrabble players
topic_facet
Biography & Autobiography
Games
Nonfiction
Scrabble (Game)
Tournaments
Games
Nonfiction
Scrabble (Game)
Tournaments
Solr Details Tables
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ils:.b19446494 | .i133948651 | DC Paonia Adult Non-Fiction | 793.734 FATSIS | 1 | false | false | On Shelf | Apr 03, 2021 | dpanf | ||||
ils:.b19446494 | .i121204601 | Lake County Non Fiction | 793.734 FAT | 1 | false | false | On Shelf | Aug 29, 2022 | lcanf | ||||
overdrivecmc:ODN0003640711 | ODN0003640711 | Overdrive (CMC) | Online Overdrive (CMC) | eBook | eBook | 1 | false | true | Overdrive (CMC) | http://link.overdrive.com/?websiteID=162&titleID=3640711 | Available Online | Overdrive (CMC) |
record_details
Bib Id | Format | Format Category | Edition | Language | Publisher | Publication Date | Physical Description | Abridged |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
ils:.b19446494 | Book | Books | English | Houghton Mifflin Co | 2001 | x, 372 pages : illustrations ; 24 cm | ||
overdrivecmc:ODN0003640711 | eBook | eBook | English | Houghton Mifflin Harcourt | 2017 | 1 online resource |
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