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Geeks : How Two Lost Boys Rode the Internet Out of Idaho

Geeks : How Two Lost Boys Rode the Internet Out of Idaho

List Price: $12.95
Your Price: $9.71
Product Info Reviews

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Rating: 4 stars
Summary: A modern tale about geeks
Review: When I originally saw the title of the book "How two lost boys rode the internet out of Idaho" I was immediately curious, and indeed this book is very unusual. The book tells the story of Jesse Dailey and Eric Twilegar, 2 self proclaimed Geeks. Eric and Jesse are two teenagers who lived in Idaho in a place which is really as remote as it gets in the US. They did not fit in their school's society, and their only joy was a "Geek club" which was started by a teacher of theirs - and the internet. The author, Jon Katz, was very intriguied with Jesse and Eric after an email correspondence, so he flew to Idaho to meet and interview them. This started a chain of events which led Eric and Jesse to leave Idaho for a search of a better life. The book tells their story.
But that's not all. The book is more than that, it also contains "essays" (I have no other word to describe these) about geekness in general, why there are outcasts in high schools and other interesting related issues.
To summarize: I loved the book! Reading what Eric and Jesse had gone through really made me feel close to them, and the way they grew and matured was truly heartwarming. The geek essays were also very interesting, and gave me a lot food for thought. But more than that, the story of these 2 smart teenagers really is a tale of the internet age - how anybody who is smart, brave and good with computers can make a better life for himself these days. I certainly see a lot of the book in my personal life.

I recommend the book to geeks and non geeks alike, and I wish Eric and Jesse luck everywhere they go to.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: Touching, personal, but not perfect
Review: This book's power seems to be more in the strong chord of recognition it rings in geeks everywhere than in its own merits. That isn't to say that it's not a good book -- it's just a little more facile than it needs to be, and it seems to be written more from the standpoint of a manual/bird-guide "identify and understand your geek" than from the real heart of geekdom. It does read a bit like a stretched-out magazine article, and some of the theories and observations put forth by Katz read as the simplistic generalizations of a non-Geek, breaking it down into the same wide lanes of definition that help create the problems of geeks/mundanes friction to begin with. After all, Katz still is limited by the fact that (as he freely admits), he's really merely an observer and not a hardcore geek himself. Still, he does a fine job from that viewpoint, and his careful efforts in learning to understand Geek Culture are apparent. This book will go a long way towards simply making an unknown subculture more understandable, and therefore less threatening to the mainstream. And the sense of relief, sanctuary, and feeling of homecoming that it carries to thousands of geeks everywhere is well worth my enthusiastic recommendation.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: "The Net is their only net."
Review: Jon Katz's latest book goes a long way to explain the recently-emerged member of society known as the geek by following two recent high school graduates, Jesse and Eric, out of the hinterlands of Idaho and into the corporate world of Chicago. Through the trials of the two boys, Katz inadvertently finds himself in the middle of the geeks' story.

The recent rise and rise of the Geek has been documented in several different ways. Witness "Pirates of Silicon Valley," Robert X. Cringely's columns and shows, the success of Wired (and Slashdot, for that matter) and - lest we forget - the reign of Bill Gates, to name a few examples. No one has delved so deep thus far into the Geek realm as Slashdot's own resident journailst/author Jon Katz.

Straight outta Idaho, Geeks tells the story of Jesse Dailey and Eric Twilegar, two textbook examples of the modern geek. They both work in small retail outlets in nearby microtowns (one in a computer repair shop the other in an Office Max - the closest thing to geek-friendly jobs in the area), are ostracized by the local Mormon moral majority, spend most of their time online and are complete outcasts for the most part. If it wasn't for one hip teacher who sees the obvious unharnessed potential of these two and their few friends and starts a Geek Club, Jesse and Eric might end up like so many other geeks: completely overlooked and unrecognized for their talents. By putting added emphasis on this aspect of the story, Katz brings to light the gaping hole in our education system through which most geeks fall. And as he showed in spades with his "Hellmouth" columns, lately that hole has been of the 'black hole' variety (see also the countless email messages from the Hellmouth included in Geeks).

On the flipside, Jesse and Eric are (like most other geeks) multitasking geniuses. They read, listen to music, chat with friends online, talk on the phone, download files, trade MP3s, as well as eat and drink, all while sitting in front of their computers. A dizzying deluge of information screaming hither and thither on the screen, over the phone lines, through the modem and through the air. Extreme concentration and juggling skills as such are typically rewarded highly when they are known about.

So, post-Hellmouth, Jesse and Eric realize that they can go anywhere and that anywhere else would probably be better. With minor guidance from Katz, the boys end up in Chicago. Jon Katz draws lines and crosses them throughout the book. He wants to document the story, but at the same time he identifies very strongly with Jesse and Eric. He doesn't want to see them fail despite their high hopes and thin ropes, and as he says, "the Net is their only net." In addition to their tribulations at school, Jesse and Eric have minimal home lives and suffer a severe lack of family involvement in their decisions. As he documents their move from small town to big city, Katz struggles to stay out of the story. But he flies into Chicago to be there the day of Jesse's first job interview and he goes to bat for both boys when it comes to their aspirations for college. Making sure there were two less geeks lost in the cracks of America became more important to Katz than the integrity of his report. A fact he openly admits repeatedly in the book.

During his following of the story of these two geeks, Katz finds that he fits the description of "geek" himself as much as either of them do. Now if only more older geeks would step up for the new generation of geeks instead of ostracizing them. The book Geeks is both good read and a good example. Good job, Jon Katz. Twice.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Great read for geeks everywhere
Review: As soon as you finish reading this book, you will want to be a geek. Or at least, you'll want to learn more about the world of geeks.

This book follows the journey of Jesse and Eric, two self-proclaimed geeks from Idaho who are stuck in dead-end jobs and spend their lives on the computer, playing games, surfing the net, and chatting with friends. When Jesse writes to Jon Katz, a journalist who writes and article on geeks, their world begins to change. Katz visits the boys in their town and sees what their world is like. He mentions that with computer skills like theirs they could get jobs anywhere, and the games begin.

This book starts off a little slow with the introduction of how Katz meets the 'geeks' from the title, but as soon as Jesse and Eric begin their journey, you are sucked in completely. I had a difficult time putting down the book at night, even when it was 2 am, and I had to be up early the next morning. You become so engrossed in how their lives turn out. It is not hard to care for the boys, because even though they are geeks, you find that you have a little bit of geek in you too.

Might be a little advanced for children younger than 13 or 14, but if they are in to computers, this could be a great tool to let them know what their opportunities are in life.

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: Firmly "okay". Not the best, but not bad.
Review: It's difficult for me to say much about this book. The story is short, easy-to-read, and empathic as hell, but really didn't move me to tears, as it did prior reviewers. Katz well describes the turmoil that exists inside his young friends, and creates within the reader a strong empathy. However, even as a geek, I am compelled to agree with a prior reviewer who described the story as a "story about disenfranchised youth"... who happen, in this case, to be geeks. I did not get the feeling that the book really had anything to do with geeks, but could be about any pair of isolated persons, following their hearts to "ascendancy". The book spoke to me, but I suspect it would speak to any person with a past or present filled with isolation. It's an easy, quick read, and well worth your time, but it just didn't get to me. Thus, it's stuck with an okay - 3 stars.

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: Dated
Review: Now that the Internet boom is over, and the Internet jobs profiled in this book have gone from most desirable to least desirable, it would be interesting if Katz would add an update - are Josh and Eric still working? Have they moved on to other things (such as Katz himself, who's now writing about dogs)? Or have they returned broke and unemployed to convenience store jobs in Idaho?

Rating: 1 stars
Summary: If you are bored... read somethings else!
Review: Tbe blunt truth about this book is that it is a poor read. Among the many flaws that this book had was there was no "real" story to tell.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Geek
Review: I absolutely loved the book and identified with the problems faced by Jesse and Eric.

Rating: 2 stars
Summary: It has happened `` Geeks`` have started their comeback!
Review: It has happened Geeks have started their comeback!

Geeks was an ok book. It is not my favorite book but it has some good parts. I would rate this book two stared, because it didn't catch me at all. There were two main charters Earic and Jessie. As you can tell they both are geeks. I think that they should have made the story back further before Jessie was in the geek club. I think that this book could of used more action in it. It would have been better if there was less swearing but it goes with Jessie's background. I think that this book would be better for teens on up because it is more difficult for some people. Well this is all I have for this book good luck on the book Geeks.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: The New Age Wizards - Who Are They?
Review: Geeks is a wonderful tale about two 19 year old boys trying to overcome adversity in a new and blossoming networked world of possibilities. However to the surprise of everyone (even Katz himself) his story reached beyond the boundaries of his quest to define "geek," and opened doors that would soon reveal deeper social issues of alienation, fear, rejection and non-conformity that teens sometimes face.

The story opens up with Katz's desire to document the life of two so called computer "geeks" by the names of Jesse Dailey and Eric Twilegar. Katz soon discovers that these two boys have the smarts and potential drive to leave their small hometown of Caldwell, Idaho and encourages them begin a new life in the big city of Chicago. From this point, the story of Jesse and Eric takes us on ride though their growing experience from total "closet geek" to a potential life of social happiness/healthiness and endless possibilities to a bright future.

I personally loved the way Katz takes on the almost impossible exploratory task of trying to universally define the word geek. Unlike what we may traditionally think of as "geek" Katz was able to compile a story of how others uniquely define it. We soon realize that geek is not just a term for a computer wiz, but it's a way of life and certain way of thinking. They are the all important gate keepers to our information society, but yet no one really understands them. Because of Katz, we are invited to see not just who these teens are from the outside, but he also captures what's processing inside their minds. From behind their blaring computer screens, we begin to see their sometimes extreme emotions, and their non-traditional yet highly acute thinking skills. All of which if not properly channeled and carefully nurtured, could be used against society's standards. Perhaps this is not a bad thing?

Katz's writing style is very easy and enjoyable to read. He is an artist, writer, an entertainer and a messenger. He was on a mission to explore the life of a geek, and instead realized that what these so called "geeks" really wanted was to be heard, accepted and understood. The Internet provided all of this. Thus the Internet is their life. Katz became the conduit and voice to relay this message. I commend this man for his efforts on helping these teens to deal with their feelings of confusion and acceptance.

I would recommend this book to anyone who is interested on how the net has impacted teenagers. Teens seem to be spending more and more time on the net, and perhaps they may never reach "geekhood" but this book provides a wonderful insight into a world that many of them choose to live in. One that is networked, accepts all, judges none, never sleeps, and is always listening.


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