Scan barcode
Reviews
Brainiac: Adventures in the Curious, Competitive, Compulsive World of Trivia Buffs by Ken Jennings
sharonfalduto's review
Jeopardy! champ Ken Jen (we're tight, so I can call him that) tells the story of his own meteoric rise (75 time Jeopardy! champion, until H&R Block and a woman named Zurg outdid him) as a background for a tale that is part history of trivia, part trivia itself, and part a paean to all trivia players past and present.
kejadlen's review
3.0
Fun to read, although not as interesting as I thought it would be. Jennings intersperses talking about his experiences on Jeopardy with writing about trivia in general, and although the latter is neat, it's not something I'm particularly interested in.
janemarple's review
funny
informative
reflective
fast-paced
4.0
Half memoir of his time on Jeopardy and half history of trivia in America, the book might have been stronger if it was fully a history rather than also a memoir (I found the back and forth narrative jarring and there was a lot more that could be said about trivia and the stories and people behind it.
That said, Ken Jennings is a surprisingly good author and this book is very enjoyable, like all his others.
That said, Ken Jennings is a surprisingly good author and this book is very enjoyable, like all his others.
evan_whitlock's review
5.0
I rather enjoyed this book as an avid viewer of Jeopardy! and a Ken Jennings fan. It was an interesting insight into trivia history as a whole and Ken’s time on the show.
jaclynhyde's review
5.0
Jennings is a funny and engaging writer, and this book on his Jeopardy! experience and the history of trivia and trivia competitions is an enjoyable read. He seems to be sincerely humble about his winning streak, too--he gives a lot of credit to his competitors and the part luck and familiarity played in his performance. The trivia questions scattered throughout the book are fun as well. Anyone interested in trivia or curious about a slightly odd subculture of geeks should enjoy this book.
rebecita's review against another edition
5.0
Oh Ken, I never actually saw you on Jeopardy, but I officially love you and everything about your book. You had me at the Richard Dawson reference on page 8. (I could go on, but I think the appreciative audience already knows who they are. Basically, if you think you might like it, you will. Do it!)
shinychick's review
4.0
I love me some Ken Jennings. This book -almost- slipped into boring, but narrowly avoided it. Maybe by the inclusion of trivia questions slipped into each chapter.. A good read, but another one that ATE MY LIFE.