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Word Freak: Heartbreak, Triumph, Genius, and Obsession in the World of Competitive Scrabble Players

Word Freak: Heartbreak, Triumph, Genius, and Obsession in the World of Competitive Scrabble Players

List Price: $15.00
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Product Info Reviews

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Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Some astute apercus
Review: Early on, the author begins a sentence: "Without knowing, I imagine...", and there seems to be a fair bit of that in this book. On page 146, he attributes my refusal to grant him an interview to my being "too frustrated to rehash" my dictionary "battles". (The main reason: I had just completed an extensive email interview with a prospective author to whom I felt a sense of loyalty inasmuch as I had sold him my collection of Scrabble News. The questions in that interview covered a lot of ground missing from this book, so I hope the book appears someday.) Alas, lightning destroyed my surge protector and the computer on which my emailed refusal resided; without knowing, I imagine that it contained the phrase "word freaks", and I'd be real surprised if it contained any of the words "frustrated, rehash, battles".

Nonetheless, a leitmotiv of Mr. Fatsis' opus is his ability to lay out lucidly and fairly positions with which he may disagree, and he does so with respect to my thoughts on the official dictionary in the chapter titled "Words", and alludes to them on at least two other occasions. Some of this chapter's astuter apercus appear to stem, without explicit credit, from an article I wrote for a language review, though the article appears in the sources on page 370 (of the paperback edition, which contains a 3-paragraph update to the original edition), and there are two direct, credited quotations.

There's a lot of information on the invention and marketing of the game. But most of the book is about people, tournament enthusiasts. Unfortunately, much of the focus is on the three players described by the author himself as "most extreme" in a classic understatement. There's a tsunami of information on the author's own rise to expert ranks; one would think that some of Robert Felt has rubbed off. In this rather long book, there's still plenty of room for descriptions of a wide variety of other enthusiasts, most of whom I knew when I played, and the descriptions ring true even if one must be suspicious of details. There's a lot of info on the clothes worn by interviewees, enough to make one wonder what the author himself wears. The author would have done well to interview in addition a half dozen or so "blue-hairs", who collectively have enriched my life in countless ways; it's no membership is meager when a significant portion thereof is mocked at the highest levels.

So why the four-star rating for so flawy a book? Simply because it's so easy to ignore the rough parts to get to the good stuff. There's enough profanity, drugs, etc., to disconcert many and warrant a PG-13 rating (and you might want to keep this or any Scrabble book away from your kids till after they take their SATs, since a lot of the acceptable words are misspellings in any other contemporary context). But when the author puts his mind to it, he often finds le mot juste or a clever figure of speech. (One of my favorites: "stiffer than Al Gore".)

In my experience, perhaps 15% of people who find word games attractive want to play solely with the vocabulary they already know. Such people are probably not reading this review, and in any case probably won't enjoy this book; the author tosses out words like "eidetic, hiragana, weltanschauung," and dozens more with every expectation that you can look them up if necessary.

Of the other 85%, fewer than 1% find that they can long enjoy an environment where they are hustled into accepting forms like DE (as in "Charles de Gaulle"; I wish I were kidding). For that 1%, this book could be the start or continuation of a great adventure. And for the other 84%, including people like me now retired from clubs and tournaments, the book is a great read and will help confirm that the right decision has been made.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Excellent
Review: Thoroughly enjoyable read from cover to cover.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: totally absorbing
Review: This book is a must read for anyone who has ever become addicted to any kind of puzzle. Fatsis lives the life of a scrabble addict for 3 years, studying word lists, memorizing 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 and 7 letter words, developing his talent for anagramming (they key to a top scrabble player). Perhaps more interesting are his brief bios of scrabble luminaries, an odd but somehow endearing bunch who are totally devoted to the game. For novices like me, the strategy and intricacy of the games played are mind-boggling. I don't think I've ever scored a bingo in years of casual playing, but good scrabble players score several EACH GAME! Of course they also follow odd lexicons of scrabble words -- many don't quite know what the words mean although they know whether it's a word or not. In fact, most living room players wouldn't even recognize half the words on the board, no less be able to calculate the odds of returning a letter for a better "rack." Fatsis did a great job describing his own obsession, his own rise (and sometimes fall) and his ability to play with the big boys. I loved it from start to finish.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Many interesting aspects
Review: This book ties together many different threads into a great package. At a high level, it follows Fatsis' journey into the upper ranks of Scrabble mastery, but along the way he detours into history, American business, popular games, personality profiles in a strange subculture, and an examination of what it takes to gain mastery of any subject.

The interesting characters that Mr. Fatsis describes are the strongest engine propelling the book. I found myself amused by their quirks, but also sympathizing with their desires for approval and validation. Even the weirdest and most obnoxious Scrabble masters have their strengths revealed.

My favorite aspect of the book comes into play only in the last chapters. As Mr. Fatsis approaches the higher levels of play, he finds it hard to truly consider himself a master and begins to examine what mastery means and discusses some of the studies that have been done in the area. Even his cursory examination of the subject (mastery generally takes around 10 years of 3-4 hour-a-day solitary study; accomplishing it faster doesn't usually mean someone is "smarter" but probably just has better study techniques) was sufficient to peak my interest and has provoked some interesting discussions with my friends.

I don't think this is a book for everyone. If you are not interested in language or words or scrabble, or you dislike competetive environments or unusual personalities, then I would think you might have trouble getting involved with this book. But if you can imagine learning a somewhat obscure skill just for the fun of it, you will probably find this a rewarding read.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Scrabble Mania!
Review: I loved this book. Witty, entertaining, smart, and insightful! What is especially wonderful is how the auther becomes so enthralled by this word game. His chracters studies give true insight to the quirkiness of genius. I thought that the best part of his book involved his discussion of female champion Scrabble players and how their approach differed from the men's. I too got the Scrabble itch and am looking at learning how to improve my game!

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Excellent book about a fascinating subgroup
Review: Stephen Fastis writes an excellent book in Word Freaks. After all, how can one write a 350+ book about Scrabble and make it a page turner? Let me explain.

Fastis writes in first person, making the book read more like a journal or memoir than a typical non-fiction book. He decides that, as a book idea, he would attempt to become a world class competitive Scrabble player so as to write about the other people who do. Along the way, he writes about his frustrating mistakes, the odd people to whom he turns for advice, the most unique of competitive Scrabble players, the history of the game, and major tournaments. All taking place during a three year period.

This book was difficult to put down, Fastis writes in a very engaging way. I found myself caring about the people Fastis introduces us to (and even cheering for some over others), and wanting to whip out the old Scrabble board and challenge someone (and I hate Scrabble). The down side of the book, though, is towards the end, you start to wonder what is going to happen to the various people Fastis writes about. It's kind of sad to think that middle aged people exist who don't have any kind of job except; instead they memorize the Scrabble dictionary and concentrate on developing strategies. God's blessings to you, gentlemen.

In sum, it's worth a read. It's entertaining and informative. If nothing else, read it to see how a book about Scrabble hold your interest.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Dysfunctional Literacy
Review: Or everything you wanted to know about Scrabble but didn't even know to ask. Stefan Fatsis, a sports reporter at the Wall Street Journal, gives over two years of his life, at first writing about, and then surrendering himself to, the oddball and largely-unseen world of competitive Scrabble. Fatsis's skill as both a player and a sports journalist are readily apparent in this entertaining and--believe it--suspenseful recounting his personal quest to reach a "1700" expert ranking before the 2000 National Championship. Interwoven with the account of his progress are profiles of the sport's obsessive, dysfunctional champions (who Fatsis at times resembles); an explanation of the game's strategies and lexicography; and a history of the game itself, from its mundane origin at the hands of an unemployed Depression-era architect to its management/mismanagement at the hands of its past and present corporate owners. For those of us who have regarded Scrabble as an intellectual exercise subordinate to chess; an occasional pastime that anyone can play competently; or a souvenir for the closet or the toybox, this book is definitely an eye opener. Well done.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Modern Anthropology
Review: "Word Freak" is not about Scrabble; it is about a subculture of humanity. In this Scrabble subculture, people's obsessions, relationships and understandings of the world unfold in little wooden squares on a cardboard battlefield.
As I sat, wide-eyed, reading this book, I felt as if I came to know the people on the page. Fatsis takes his character's obsession with this silly little game and, at least in my experience, reminded me of how amazing a thing is the human mind. The world of competative Scrabble became a microcosm for the world at large--the personal battles of day to day life, the victory and pain that we create out of what each individual deems important. The people who appear in this book are true individuals, and Fatsis illustrates just what that individuality entails; each character approaches those same wooden letters in a completely different way.
Not only is this book an excellent cultural study, it's incredibly entertaining. Fatsis' writing style is smooth, and the intensity of pace just kept me going until I ran out of pages. Fortunately, once the book was finished, I had a whole new world to explore. I am now a member of the National Scrabble Association, and instead of reading about a Scrabble obsessed culture, I have become part of it. For those of you who have never gone out of an endgame with a 97 point Bingo, you have no idea what you are missing.
For anyone who is interested in reading about a strange little world that often seems a bit too familiar, grab this book. Hopefully someday I'll see you at the National Finals.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Compelling!!
Review: As a writer, I'm much more intrigued with the MEANING of words than how they score on a Scrabble board. Still, I can get a little obsessed with word puzzles, like George Bredehorn's SPLIT DECISIONS. But my obsession pales in comparison to the folks in this book - including the author - they're all POSSESSED!! This book is a fascinating journey into their world and Mr. Fatsis makes it come alive on the page. The various levels of Scrabble addiction are depicted brutally and I found myself truly CARING about these players, how their tournaments went, what they learned and how they coped. Games are a strange way to pass time, but how we handle the competition tells us a lot about ourselves. This was a VERY interesting read - I heartily recommend it!

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Qwerty.
Review: And I just scored a whole ton of points on Scrabble.

Ah, Scrabble. Many an evening of my life has been spent playing the famous board game, especially since coming to college.

Blasted college girls and their so-called "standards."

But if my sex life has not improved, my vocabulary certainly has, as has the vocabulary of the people around me.

For instance, two of my regular Scrabble chums swear they had never heard of the word "moot" before I used it in one of our first games. Now, everything around them is "moot."

And "Qwerty" is another designated (unofficial but Scrabble-friendly) name for the universal keyboard on a computer or typewriter. You know, the keys start out with the letters "q," "w," "e," "r," "t" and "y."

(If one of your professors catches you reading this today in his or her class and tells you to actually learn something, explain what "Qwerty" means. Then tell him or her that the class you're attending has been rendered moot. They'll love it.)

If I weren't so cheap, I'd be buying all my Scrabble chums a copy of "Word Freak," by Stefan Fatsis, who I think has the greatest authorial name since Zadie Smith came along with "White Teeth" last year.

Fatsis, a sports writer for The Wall Street Journal, uses "Word Freak" as a window into, as the book is subtitled, "Heartbreak, Triumph, Genius and Obsession in the World of Competitive Scrabble Players."

Too often in nonfiction, there will come along a book with a clever concept that turns out to be an absolute snooze in reading. ... good for your coffee table but not much else.

"Word Freak" is painstaking in its Scrabble coverage. Actual information is peppered all the more by Fatsis' fascination with the game, and with other players' obsession with the game.

We start out with Scrabble players in the park and are eventually introduced to actual fanatics of the game. Kudos to Fatsis for not hiding behind a "names were changed to protect anybody" façade, and actually calling the people involved by name.

There's Matt, the drug-addicted high school dropout who is just mad crazy about anagrams (he can mix up a word's letters alphabetically in a matter of seconds, like "ABDEILMORSTUXY" and "ABCEGHILNOPRTUY," which of course unscramble into "ambidextrously" and "uncopyrightable").


There's Joe Edley, for quite a while an unbeaten champion and the "ultimate Scrabble swami," and one of many to take Fatsis under his wing.

There's Lester, an old radical and former champ. Lester's chapter opens the door to introduce Don, a homeless man and former player in the Nationals tournament ...

And along the way, Fatsis himself becomes more and more obsessed with the game, memorizing word lists, playing anagram games and struggling to increase his own puny Scrabble score.

If this book doesn't become some sort of unofficial Scrabble player's bible, I'll eat my hat. Fatsis literally doesn't leave a stone unturned, venturing back into the board game's history and providing a comprehensive (but not boring) profile of its creator Alfred Butts, and even uncovering an obscure board game with a concept similar to Scrabble's.

All kidding aside, "Word Freak" is a very interesting, unique book that would make a great holiday gift for the deserving Scrabble fan on your Christmas list, and an interesting novelty for anybody else.

You might want to cross-reference it with a dictionary, though.


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