Reviews

Weird: The Power of Being an Outsider in an Insider World by Olga Khazan

metawish's review against another edition

informative reflective medium-paced

3.75

The book cuts personal stories between research and data about culture, society, and, well, weirdness. Most of the meat is the stories of many different "weird" people, but it serves as a means for people to connect with and relate to the different people and their backgrounds.

bristlecone's review against another edition

2.0

This book was fine but not as advertised. There is very little about "the power of being an outsider in an insider world" and a lot of advice about how to deal with being an outsider. In addition, like many books written by journalists, the author relies on a colloquial term --- weird --- without ever really wrestling with providing a definition. It is never clear what the author means by "weird". What makes a person weird? Cultural difference? Physical difference? Neuro-atypical? Is it just feeling like you're different than most of the people around you? If so, when is one weird and when is one human? How many differences does one need to have to be "weird"? When is one weird enough to access that "power" the author alludes to in the subtitle?

Ultimately, it was fine, but I was disappointed

klemily's review against another edition

challenging hopeful informative inspiring reflective medium-paced

4.0

bootman's review against another edition

5.0

This was my first introduction to Olga Khazan, and this was a really good book. I know most of us felt “weird” growing up, or we’ve felt out of place in new environments. This was super true for me growing up, and as an introvert with social anxiety, I’ve spent a lot of my life stuck in my head feeling different. Olga starts the book sharing her personal experience moving from Russia to the United States as a child and trying to adapt, and throughout the book she shares more stories from others who have felt weird. The book has an incredible blend of stories and scientific research, so it keeps your attention throughout the book, which explains why I couldn’t stop reading it for hours on end. While reading, you’ll feel less alone, but more importantly, you’ll start to feel empowered. Khazan shares some great stories and studies about how your weirdness can be a massive advantage in this world, and she also dedicates some time to discussing how therapy can help us cope and rewrite our narrative. So, if you can relate to being “weird” or have ever felt alone, this is a must-read book, and I can definitely see myself reading it again in the future.

privatecaboose's review against another edition

5.0

This book was not quite what I was expecting (I prefer to go into books and other media cold, without any ancillary information). I picked it up because I went to college with the author, and I enjoy her articles in The Atlantic. I thoroughly enjoyed the many different backgrounds and perspectives investigated in this book, and the personal author's stories as well. Overall, it's a wonderfully researched and cohesive book that presents an often difficult experience - being weird, or an outsider - which can also confer overlooked advantages.

awallbookwork's review against another edition

4.0

Very insightful and interesting, just a lot of typos that distract from the book.

jazpb's review against another edition

4.0

I enjoyed this book and recommend it. And perhaps I'll elaborate on that later on.
BUT, what the heck is with all of the typographical errors throughout this book? How did this make it to print with whole words inside of other words and hanging words at the end of paragraphs? I may have to go back through the book to see if there is some hidden message in these errors, because I can't imagine how these would otherwise make it into a final proof.
That said, read the book. It is timely, well researched, and entertaining.

cecile_graphstory's review against another edition

3.0

Too much anecdote, not enough actual facts.
I thought it was a non-fiction with some personal comments, not random interview without a clear analysis of norms....


Really disappointing

kbratten's review against another edition

4.0

I usually don't love when non-fiction pop-sciencey books are clearly wrapped up in the personal life/history of the author. In Weird, though, it's no secret that Olga always felt weird and wrote the book as an investigation of the notion. It didn't feel like a memoir, there was enough other substance besides her life, but it felt personal while still at least trying to be objective. There was decent variety of examples of the ways in which people felt weird (beliefs, background, gender identity, etc), though I think there still could have been more. The structure worked well. It could have felt disjointed, but didn't. I enjoyed her writing style, it was full of colorful detail but in a direct, not too flowery way.

dirtgoddess's review against another edition

emotional hopeful informative inspiring reflective medium-paced

4.0