Seven students who are just trying to get by. That is what Alexandra Robbins’ novel “The Geeks Shall Inherit the Earth” is about. Sure, it follows seven stereotypical teens that are not what they appear to be, but it is really about just surviving high school.

The novel was inspired byRobbins’ experiences listening to high school students who told her their struggles as they spent years as outsiders. She offers up “Quirk Theory” which is the idea that what characteristics and interests that make a kid seem dorky or just plain uncool, are what will make them into intriguing and compelling adults. She argues that some are just way ahead of their time and that they have to wait for the world to catch up to them.

Whether it be band geeks, loners, weirdos or popular preps, this novel applies to everyone. Not every story is relatable but they all share the theme that the insiders are often outsiders. The possibility that not every peer you know is really what they appear to be can be so difficult to grasp, but Robbins’ makes it seem effortless.

Each student is followed by Robbins throughout one year of high school. Robbins interviews the students and encourages to share their side. But halfway through the year, she gives them challenges and the results are unexpected.

“The Geeks Shall Inherit the Earth” examines the psychological aspects of social hierarchy and the effects of popularity in an easy to understand manner. The whole book is almost formatted like a research paper but so much more interesting and relatable.

This novel should be read by every teenager out there. Everyone needs a little perspective and this is one of the best books to get it from. This is the book everyone longed for in junior high. Books about popularity existed then but these are the results taken from real life that confirm and deny what perceptions people have about high school drama.

Scrutinizing the public education system, Robbins’ illustrates why schools refuse to deal with the problem of conformist clique mentality and why it suffocates student creativity and stifles their
expression.

The sheer magnitude of research done by Robbins is an amazing representation of high school social jungle and the battles between teenage tribes. This book leaves you nodding and sadly agreeing with everything Robbins says. It is an unfortunate state of affairs but it is the truth. This is one of the first novels to not dramatize the struggle of popularity but appeals to kids just the same. Even adults need to read is as well because of this surprisingly accurate portrait of teenage reality in modern times.