Amy Schneider

Amy Schneider is the most successful woman ever to compete on Jeopardy!, winning 40 games. That total is second only to that of Ken Jennings. She is also the first openly trans person to be a Jeopardy! champion.

This book is not what I expected to read about a Jeopardy! champion That's what makes it so wonderful. Amy takes us along on her journey to figure out her true self with brutal honesty and, often, a sense of humour. We see Amy as brave, curious, willing to try new experiences -- all show more the things that would make her such a great champion. We also see her fears and doubts as she explores the world, and her inner self. I admired her brains on Jeopardy! And now, I also admire her spirit. She is an excellent role model for being yourself and being honest with yourself and others. show less

When I started reading this book, I didn't understand why it had so many poor reviews. I thought maybe people were being harder on Amy because she's trans and bisexual. The beginning is about Amy's childhood, and I always like to hear about how a famous person I admire became the person they are today, so that was great and really engaging for me. Then, of course, I loved hearing about Jeopardy. And I loved the chapter on Daria! It was basically one of those critical essays that interweave show more personal anecdotes (I can't remember what this type of essay is officially called) and could, I think, stand alone in an anthology of similar essays.

But sometime after the middle of the book it definitely became less engaging for me. I am a strong believer that memoirs should only be defined by their writers -- the memoirist decides what is most important for people to know about them and their personal story. Amy chose to write several chapters about her sex life. That's what she believes is important, and I can definitely see how that would be really revelatory for a trans bisexual person who started figuring out gender and sexual expression later in life. But as a reader... well, I'm asexual and I don't love to read detailed sex scenes. Sure I read a lot of academic texts on sex history, but the details... are not for me. And yet I will stress that these chapters are important. I can see Amy's experience being studied as a primary source for future sociology and history projects. Many people are scared to talk about their sex lives so publicly, but I'm sure reading about these lived experiences could help fellow LGBT+ readers figure out their own sexuality and gender.

So in the end, I'm giving this book four stars based on personal enjoyment, but overall I thought it was an enlightening and positive read. show less

Amy does a great job of bringing herself to life in the telling of this story. While her experiences on Jeopardy are the foundation of the book her personal reflections, particularly those dealing with her sexuality and growing up after what truly make the book both interesting and remarkable. While there are still many questions in my mind about what it means to be transgender and why it happens her book provides very human insights. Perhaps a central challenge of life for everyone is show more defining what it is to be human. show less

Amy Schneider was a contestant on Jeopardy! and made history there, becoming the most successful woman on the show and second only to Ken Jennings' run for most consecutive wins. She also happens to be trans. This is her story, told as a series of essays, each starting with a question, and then telling a story (or a few) related to it.

From talking about her realization that she was trans to polyamory to the teachers that made a difference in her life, Amy leaves no subject taboo in this show more unique memoir. I was most interested in reading about the Jeopardy! experience, which is the final essay and arguably the smallest part of the book. I found the memoir a mixed bag, and the frank discussion of sexual experiences and drug use was frankly more than I bargained for, nor did I really care about Tarot. However, there are also some really interesting essays - for example, the one on ADD made me laugh because I could so completely relate and it illustrated the way in which my brain works so very well. I also really appreciated the author's note at the beginning in which she rather humbly states she is "open to being wrong, to reconsidering my beliefs. It is my hope that, in the future, I will come to disagree with, and perhaps even disavow, some of the statements I've made in these pages, because it is my hope that I will never stop learning." I like and admire that willingness to learn and improve. Whether you were a fan of Amy on Jeopardy! or not, if you're at all interested in her story, I do recommend it. But if, like me, you find yourself less interested in some essays - well, go ahead and skip some. It's written in such a way you can jump in and out, read what interests you, and not feel like you have to read every word front-to-back. show less