Rating: 
Summary: Exposing geeks.
Review: "Geeks" is one of those books that you won't be able to put down. As soon as I got it I curled up next to the fireplace, started reading it and couldn't put it down until I was finished.Using a journalistic, yet very intimate approach, JonKatz does an excellent job of showing people who a geek really is, why a geek acts the way (s)he does, and what a geek stands for in general. I hope that parents and teachers will use this book as a tool to understand the "geek children" they may encounter. Take a fair look at this book before you think of anyone as anti-social because they like to write computer programs, play with computer games, or go on the internet for extended periods of time. This book shows even more how geeks are going to be a major part of the future and hopefully people will take the time to understand them instead of ostracizing them for thinking that they are weird and anti-social.
Rating: 
Summary: Best taken with a grain of salt...
Review: This book is certainly not the most painful that I've ever read, and I can't recommend that others steer clear of it. But it might be better with a disclaimer. Perhaps the following: Warning! Readers should be apprised that not all geeks are criminal misanthropes who can only get ahead with the assistance of modestly talented, self aggrandizing writers. The individuals and environs depicted herein should not be construed as exemplars of all geeks or geekdom. In fact the inclusion of the word "Geeks" in the title is an editorial oversight, since this book is about the struggles of two disenfranchised young men, and sheds very little light on how their being geeks makes them different from the thousands of other intelligent, disenfranchised young men and women who are not geeks.
Rating:
Summary: Hopegiving, positive and insightful
Review: Finally I can get and wear the t-shirt with "geek pride" - I didn't see the outcast thing in this light before. With this document I know that others felt and feel exactly like I did too. Other. Not in. Alone. After have finished the book, well, I immediately lent it to a (geek) friend of mine. And I plan on lending it to people around me. It gives hope. It is positive. It comforts. Many thanks to the author Jon Katz for such a shining beacon of hope as this book and the story behind it really is. There is life in - and beyond - geekdom.
Rating: 
Summary: Inspiring
Review: This book serves as a reminder that geeks, although treated as outcasts, are needed by nearly all companies and institutions. Other than one chapter where the author, Jon Katz, seems to ramble on about something that, in my opinion, is off topic, the book is very well-written and easy to read. A must-read for all geeks, especially for those who are in or have recently graduated from high school.
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Summary: A Human Look at the Geek Ascension, done Open Source Style
Review: I'm not a computer geek but I've been writing about them and for them for nearly a decade now. I write on the Web for Slashdot (as well as for Rolling Stone, Yahoo!Internet Life and other publications) and work for two of the most amazing geeks who ever lived -- Slashdot-creators Rob Malda, and Jeff Bates, even though they're half my age and persist on calling me "Grandpa." I've been working on this book for four years, having first introduced the idea in a series of columns on the website Hotwired, for which I used to write. There aren't two better places on the Internet to learn about the people who have built the most remarkable sub-culture on the planet, the Internet and the World Wide Web than these two sites. Geek used to be a pejorative term, but no more. Geeks are the workplaces only true indispensables now, building the systems that run the world. Their bosses might love to get rid of them, but they don't dare. Wherever you work, there's a geek nearby and he or she is the one who keeps odd hours, dresses informally, and is the only person who truly knows where everything is. I wrote this book in an open source fashion -- that is, I put the idea out on the Net several years ago, and began an online -- and often, real world -- series of conversations with thousands of people who call themselves geeks and nerds. This process was beneficial to me, an example of how writers can use this technology in new and interesting ways and still preserve the forms and function of story-telling in textual form. When I wrote my first Hotwired column, "The Rise of the Geeks," I got thousands of replies. I got an online education that continues today. I made many of my mistakes online, was steered in many positive and productive directions, and had a rich and educational series of virtual discussions that made me feel as if I really knew what I was talking about by the time came to write this book. One of the thousands of e-mails that came to me was strikingly, even brilliantly written. It was from Jesse Dailey, a self-described computer geek from Middleton, Idaho, and the member of the Middleton, Idaho High School "Geek Club, a pioneer organization started by a wonderful man and teacher named Mike Brown to give some of his brightest and most techno-centered (and ostracized) kids a club of the own. I was on the next plane to Idaho. Jesse is an amazing human being, bristling with character, intelligence, determination and the most amazing computer knowledge one can imagine. This is his story, a human window into technology and this remarkable culture. Geeks are a group that have defied long odds to built the Net and the Web. The book was meant enter technology in the most human way, following the tale of Jesse and, to a lesser extent, his friend Eric Twilegar. "Geeks" traces their journey from Idaho to Chicago -- they had no resources but the Net to help them, and it served as their highway-- and the lives they have worked to build there. I never imagined the way the story would turn out. Jesse ended up being as unpredictable as the technology he loves so much. As the reviewer from Kirkus says above, this is something of a love story. I've never been more grateful as a writer than to get to tell this tale. Besides Jesse, the books deals with geek issues ranging from social struggles, alienation, disconnection from the political system, and Columbine. I am, of course, happy to hear from any readers or anybody interested in the book or the subject: jonkatz@slashdot.org
Rating:
Summary: Read This Book
Review: Some Amazon reviewers have argued that "Geeks" is simply about two disenfranchised kids and that their geek-ness is only incidental to the story. I couldn't disagree more. The story of Jesse and Eric, while profoundly moving, is only illustrative of the larger movement about which Katz is writing. Geeks are in the ascendance in our culture -- despite the fact that that culture looks down upon them and makes many of their lives nearly unbearable. That is the interesting central theme of the book. Their exile from the mainstream world has helped spur their technological savvy, which the rest of the world now needs to survive. It is the ultimate revenge of the nerds. "Geeks" describes the nascent changing of the guard that can be seen everywhere (with differing results): in the bellies of American corporations; in American high schools; in the Dow Jones; at the University of Chicago; and in journalism. Usually, one can only write intelligently about such an event after it has long past; Katz is writing about it now. Thanks.
Rating:
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.
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Summary: It has happened `` Geeks`` have started their comeback!
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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