Geek Wisdom [Hardcover]

Every self-respecting techie can recite some quotes off the top of her head and expect every one of her friends to know its origin and context: "With great power comes great responsibility," or "Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic," or "Fear is the mind-killer. Fear is the little-death that brings total obliteration." You nodded at these, right? This is the book for you.

When I saw this short book among my Amazon Vine selections I thought that would be all it would be: A selection of large-print geek quotes, the nerdy equivalent of "Quotes for Writers" (I have several such titles because, y'know, I can't help myself). And that would be fine, because I could then attack-harumph about the selection (What?! Just one quote from Firefly?).

But Geek Wisdom is a little more than that, in a very nice way. Rather than try to assemble all the geek memes in one place, Stephen Segal uses these to illustrate how we use them "to guide us toward maturity by helping us ask and answer the big, cosmic questions about existence." And in so doing he illuminates why we care so much about these "sacred teachings." One page at a time, so we don't have to pretend this is incredibly deep, just enjoyable. It's like telling us that our favorite chocolate is also healthy for us.

The sayings and quotes and such are organized into sections examining wisdom about the self (My name is Inigo Montoya), wisdom about the universe (Billions and Billions), wisdom about the future (In the year 2929), etc. So under two quotes from Labyrinth (including "You have no power over me"), Segal discusses "girlhood in geekdom" with some sensitivity as well as humor: "...Which may be why David Bowie's androgynous, seductive, and artful Goblin King won the hearts and fantasies of so many geek girls. He was a bad boy... and yet, a pretty good babysitter. ... Bucking the trend of the typical Hollywood epic, Labyrinth showed a young woman learning to take responsibility for her actions, persevere in an unfair world, and own her sexual identity. She wasn't just a babe -- she was the babe with the power."

End result: This is a fun, quick-to-read book that is both good for geek quote-offs and thoughtful bathroom reading. If you're a geek, grab a copy. If you know one (and we are notoriously difficult to shop for, for some reason), it's a perfect *perfect* gift.

Whenenver some particular subsection of the popular culture reaches a critical mass, there is inevitably a panoply of amusing books written to capitalize and celebrate its newsworthiness. The pattern was set decades ago by "The Preppy Handbook" and the formula has made authors and publisheers much in the way of disposable income to those who manage to tap into either the subculture in question or the larger culture's perception of it.

"Geek Wisdom" is an entertaining if uneven contribution to this tradition with its subject all things geeky. Its cheeky overview of the philosophical side of geekiness is an times insightfully funny and at other times shallowly predictable but generally gives a few good laughs and a larger collection of smirks and smiles.

Like most books in the "amusing but knowing look at subculture" genre, it is a one sit read and will likely be passed on and only brought up in conversation to say "Yes I read that and it was cute." This one was particularly uneven but even the best are only meant to be amusing rather than profound. The book fits the genre well but whether it is a best seller or merely one of many forgettable books trending on the geek subculture will be a matter of timing rather than depth.

The best thing about this little slice of nerddom is its inclusion of sooooo many geeky quotes and references. And so is the worst thing. Editor Stephen H. Segal packed a grand total of 185 separate and related quotes ranging from the usual nerd suspects like Star Trek and Conan the Barbarian to unexpected and diverse sources such as A League of Their Own, Clue, and Goldfinger, and paired them with brief essays outlining the core geek concept contained within each. It's quick entertaining bathroom reading -- meaning each essay is short enough to be read during one, ah, sitting. And therein lies the problem.

When I chose this book (through LibraryThing's Early Reviewers program), I expected something a little meaty: thoughtful analyses of "Sometimes I doubt your commitment to Sparkle Motion" or "Do. Or do not. There is no try." Instead, it seems Segal was anxious to include every geek touchstone he could imagine into one book, and so sacrificed quality of analysis for quantity of nerdiness.

Each unattributed essay barely grazes the surface of its accompanying quote, scarcely getting its metaphysical toe wet in the deep waters of "There is no spoon" or "The truth is out there." Granted, this superficial surface-grazing helps raise questions and may point the reader in a direction he may otherwise not have ventured, "to boldly go where no one has gone before," so to speak (a quote, by the way, that is not included in this slim volume), but this reader would have preferred fewer quotes, more substance, and a sequel.

The postscripts to each essay are a lot of fun and occasionally pose their own separate questions; for example, one proposes the following thought exercise: Who would win a scavenger hunt: Indiana Jones or River Song?

Who indeed?