The Geeks Shall Inherit the Earth: A Conversation with Alexandra Robbins

Alexandra Robbins, the New York Times bestselling author of The Overachievers and Pledged, has a new book about middle and high school out this week: The Geeks Shall Inherit The Earth: Popularity, Quirk Theory, and Why Outsiders Thrive After High School. For the story, she followed seven high school students for a year: a popular mean girl, a weird girl, a gamer, a loner, a nerd, a band geek/emo, and a new girl. In the middle of the year, she surprised them with a challenge, daring them to try to make over the way their classmates perceived them without directly changing anything about themselves.Her publisher writes, "Cross Gossip Girl with Freaks and Geeks, add MTV’s MADE, a shocking plot twist, and Alexandra Robbins’ signature investigative style – and that only begins to describe this smart, entertaining, reassuring book about the secrets of students who are popular and the triumph of those who are not."Watch Alexandra talk about the new book on the Today show!Alexandra is speaking in New York City on May 5 and the DC area on May 7.Meanwhile, to tide you over, here’s a conversation we had about her book:RS: Alex!AR: What’s up, Rach. You’re a rockstar.RS: No, you're the rockstar. You're like Bob Woodward for the young adult set. Tell me how this next book is going to rawk my world.AR: It’s about popularity – what it takes to get it, what it really means, and whether it’s worth it. The Geeks is also about outsiders, not just geeks. I talked to students labeled as floaters, punks, emos, indies, scenes, skaters, Goths, theater geeks, art geeks, "weirdos," nerds, "freaks," and so many others. While the storyline focuses on the 7 people I followed, I separately interviewed hundreds of other students.I also researched cool psychological experiments and talked to experts to answer questions like "Why is 7th grade the worst?" "Why are popular people mean?" "Why do labels stick?" and "How do schools make the social situation worse – and how do we fix it?"

RS: Why did you write this book?AR: I’ve met way too many students who are awesome people and yet think that just because they’re excluded in some way from any group, or because they’re not in the popular crowd, that something must be wrong with them or that they’re somehow less socially successful than they could be. And I think that some schools, teachers, administrators, and even parents can unknowingly cause them to feel that way. So this book celebrates those kids and offers ideas for improving the school atmosphere. More important, it sets out to prove that students who are excluded are going to make outstanding adults.

RS: You came up with a name for that idea, right?AR: Yeah! I call it "quirk theory." The quirks that differentiate you in school (which might cause you to be excluded, bullied, ignored, etc.) are the same quirks that people will admire/love/respect about you after graduation. Quirk theory is important because people keep trying to tell students that it gets better after you’re done with school, but they aren’t able to tell them why, exactly, that is. Quirk theory, based on research explained in The Geeks, explains why.RS: What are some examples of quirk theory?AR: There are so many! I’ll share some of the fun celebrity examples. One of the reasons Taylor Swift was excluded in school – girls actually stood up and left the lunch table when Taylor sat down – was because she liked country music. Well, she began her career with country music; now she’s the top-selling digital artist in music history. J.K. Rowling, who "lived mostly in books and daydreams" and was bullied in school, is beloved because of her books and daydreams. Bruce Springsteen started a band because he was an outsider in school. Tim Gunn was taunted because he was "crazy about making things." Now he’s a fashion icon. Lady Gaga was mocked in school because of her eccentricity; that very quality turned her into one of the world’s most powerful celebrities.I included an enormous list of celebrities who were outsiders in school, but quirk theory often holds true for doctors, scientists, inventors, artists, writers, and many other people – anyone who is brave enough to resist conforming in school.RS: What’s the big takeaway message from this book?AR: If you’re excluded in school, that doesn’t mean that anything at all is wrong with you.RS: What was your biggest surprise?AR: I didn’t expect that so many teachers – who are supposed to be the adult role models and educators – would openly form exclusive cliques themselves. With NAMES! And T-SHIRTS! What the heck? So here are the schools complaining about students’ social behavior, when meanwhile, the teachers are doing the same thing and getting away with it. Students aren’t blind – they’re well aware of what teachers are up to.RS: Were you in the popular crowd in school?AR: Hahahahano.The Geeks Shall Inherit The Earth: Popularity, Quirk Theory, and Why Outsiders Thrive After High School is available at online and major bookstores and through the link at alexandrarobbins.com.