Stephen H. Segal

I am not quite sure what I was expecting with this book, but I know it wasn't what the book actually was. It was an extremely quick read, and very dependent on your geek pop culture knowledge (which I discovered was lacking). It was fluffy though, and a bit less philosophical and more quick musings on the potential deeper meaning of certain lines from what the authors considered cult classics of geek culture.

Cute enough but I always find these sort of books unsatisfying, when what I really wanted was less a walk down the aisle of a candy store and more Tao of Pooh introspection. I do have a list of new books and movies to check out though.… (meer)

"Geek-hood," I realize, is all relative. I'd like to think that I have the street cred to call myself a geek or nerd. Graduate degrees in science. Book-lover. Technophile. Fantasy author. But as I read through the snippets of "wisdom" in this book, I kept thinking perhaps my grown daughter is more of a geek than I am. I got most of the pop culture references, but I think she might've gotten more of them. And (a look of embarrassment crosses his face) I am Doctor-Who-illiterate (gasp!).

The "sacred teachings" were at times mildly humorous, or cute. But surely the editors could've found some profound gems of wisdom to throw in! Perhaps I expected too much. I just didn't get much out of this.

And there was no mention of "Nerds," the candy. Too bad.… (meer)

What can we learn from Geek culture? As it turns out, a lot.

This book is sourced from a ton of books, shows, movies and even a few internet memes from at least the last 30 years, so you can expect a lot more that just a cheesy "5 things I learned from videogames" crappy listicle.

It's made of several column-like articles with a quote or two from geek media and the lesson one can learn from it, grouped in six big categories: The self, relationships, humankind, conflict, the universe and the future.

I think it's a great book, under certain circumstances and for those who want to learn (I wrote more about that here). If you're looking for pre-digested feel-good "wisdom", you won't find it here.

Instead, this book can show you how lessons can be learned anywhere, from pretty much anyone. In that sense, this is a great book for geeks and non-geeks alike.… (meer)