Reviews

Geeks: How Two Lost Boys Rode the Internet Out of Idaho by Jon Katz

ncrabb's review against another edition

Details the lives of two high-school nerds from Idaho who learned they could use their computer skills in a large city where those skills would be valued rather than ridiculed as had been the case. The writing style is good, but the book frankly bored me.

yangyvonne's review against another edition

3.0

A story about two young boys who escape their dead end lives in Idaho and move to Chicago in search of a better life and real understanding of their passion for all that deals with computers. We see how even when they are embraced by the geek culture, they are still not "whole" and while one manages to find a way into mainstream life, the other stagnates.

Slow in parts, better by mid-story. The little snippets of random emails added nothing to the story and just distracted me. I would like to know if Jesse is still at UChicago and whether he will graduate in 2004? What happened to Eric? Best part is the pride of knowing UChicago was brave enough to take a chance on Jesse.

rcbeiler's review against another edition

4.0

Geeks in many ways is a time capsule of early internet and gaming culture. I really loved the perspective that Jon Katz was able to take with this novel. He really broke down the situation that they were in bit by bit, showing a human element to their struggles and victories.

Knowing these are real world people gave me such an interest to know what happened to them after the events of the book as well, I had to force myself not to look into it before I finished.

cathydesi55's review against another edition

3.0

I read this about seven years ago, and loved the references to Columbine,and all the latest stuff going on with technology and computers at that time. I used the book for summer reading for my seniors for two years in a row.

tdrapeau's review

4.0

Great look at the world of geeks circa 1999. At a time when internet access was mainly for academics and geek culture, Slashdot.org just coming into prominence, and the computing world ablaze, we follow the author and 2 teenagers from Idaho on their journey into Chicago and the world. Interesting how the story runs into the MSM coverage of the Columbine shootings, causing the beginning of the Hellmouth series on Slashdot. Well written book -- at the end you feel you really know who Jesse (the more outgoing of the 2) is.