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Loading... Brainiac: Adventures in the Curious, Competitive, Compulsive World of… (2006)by Ken Jennings
 TheDivineOomba | Jun 13, 2013 |  Jeopardy! fans may recall the 2004/2005 season, when a software engineer from Salt Lake City named Ken Jennings played in an unprecedented 75 consecutive games, racking up a large winning total and rekindling interest in the show. In this book, Jennings uses his experience on the show to frame an in-depth look into the world of trivia, from the first published books of trivia questions to the quiz-show scandals of the 1950s, from pub quizzes to the university trivia circuit. Some of the information has aged a little bit, since the book was published in 2006, but regardless it is an entertaining look at the trivia culture. Having had some experience with trivia at the university level, I particularly enjoyed the discussion and history of the various leagues. Trivia buffs will also enjoy the quiz questions sprinkled throughout each chapter (answers at the end of the chapter to test your knowledge). If you're a fan of Jeopardy! or University Challenge, have watched/read Starter for Ten and want to know more about the University Challenge sort of world, or enjoy collecting seemingly useless facts, then pick up this book. (  ) rabbitprincess | Apr 19, 2013 | Learn about Ken Jennings and the subject of trivia! Jennings' gentle, nerdy, self-deprecating humor is a soothing balm for an overexposure to Chicago snarkiness (present Chicago buds excluded, of course :o). He reads like I fear I sound, although I don't have close to the knowledge base he draws upon. Good grief, I hope I'm not as know-it-all as that. Entertaining look into the history of trivia, it's current forms and festivals, and a behind-the-scenes viewpoint of Jeopardy!. Enjoyable read and endorsed by Will Shortz. ( ) EhEh | Apr 3, 2013 | Of course, I'm a little bitter that my Jeopardy experience was, shall we say, less triumphant than his, but his book is really interesting. He combines the story of his reign on Jeopardy with a history of trivia contests and lots of jokes, some funnier than others. There are also little trivia-question footnotes for each chapter. All in all, Jennings seems like a fun guy, and the book was actually a page-turner. ( ) JenneB | Apr 2, 2013 | This is my second Ken Jennings book. I read Maphead last year and really enjoyed it so my husband got me this one for Christmas. I really enjoyed this one too. My favorite parts of this book (just like in Maphead) are his anecdotal stories. In this case - this book follows his journey on Jeopardy - from his decision to audition all the way up until he is eliminated. Those memories are interspersed with stories about the history of trivia and the other forms of competitive and collected trivia. Some of the historical diversions get a bit dry - but when he comes back around to his experiences - his writing is so lively and funny. Recommended! ( ) alanna1122 | Apr 2, 2013 |
 Jennings is a very charming, insightful writer. Jennings offers his own unique philosophy on trivia: in an era of specialization, trivia is not trivial; it allows us to know a little bit about a lot of things. Jennings's prose is competent enough to keep even the trivia-impaired turning the pages in this survey of his nerdy avocation's lore and history. [T]he former computer programmer is a charmingly self-deprecating guide to the subculture of esoterica.
References to this work on external resources.
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 Google Books — Loading...RatingAverage: (3.83)
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Wikipedia in English (5)
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Ken Jennings is always funny, a bit sarcastic, but mostly aimed at himself. It is never over done, and always leaves a person wanting more. This book is more than just winning a bunch of games on Jeopardy! (