The Geeks Shall Inherit the Earth

High school is perhaps one of the toughest social environments American teenagers experience. A student can be considered an outcast for the slightest deviation from the norm set by popular kids, parents, and even teachers. Robbins (The Overachievers: The Secret Lives of Driven Kids) here explores how and why students divide one another into groups. She considers the different groups to which students are assigned by their peers and, shockingly, by teachers and how these labels affect them, and she issues challenges to the seven main subjects of the book (six students and one teacher) to get them out of their comfort zones, out of the "cafeteria fringe," and on to meaningful and rewarding experiences. Robbins follows her subjects for a school year, tracks their progress with her challenges, and shows how the very traits that marginalize students in high school often lead to success after graduation.