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Bottom of the pile
13
/100
I Index Overall Rating
Readers
9/100Critics
17/100Scholars
Author:
Olga Khazan
Publisher:
Hachette Go
Date:
April 7, 2020
An Atlantic staff writer explores the highs and lows of not fitting in, drawing on her own life experiences growing up as a Russian immigrant in West Texas as well as interviews with a range of unique characters.
What The Reviewers Say
Khazan goes to great lengths to look at multiple types of outsider stories, since so many people feel different for such a wide variety of reasons, and they all respond to it in their own ways. This book isn’t just a lighthearted, anecdotal tale of how it’s OK to be an outsider. Instead, Khazan outlines the fascinating, often heartbreaking reality of how difficult it can be for people who don’t fit in.
Weird is a distinctly odd creation. A medley of social science reporting, autobiographical confession and in-depth interviews with an array of 'weird' people, it is held together—just barely—by the singular voice of its author.
Khazan tries to do much too much in her well-written, often absorbing work of memoir and reportage.
Journalist Khazan debuts with a series of sharp, empathetic portraits of individuals who identify as weird and who faced obstacles yet found success. Khazan casts a wide net on who is considered weird.
