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This "marvelously absorbing" book is "a walk on the wild side of words and ventures into the zone where language and mathematics intersect" (San Jose Mercury News).

A former Wall Street Journal reporter and NPR regular, Stefan Fatsis recounts his remarkable rise through the ranks of elite Scrabble players while exploring the game's strange, potent hold over them -- and him.

At least thirty million American homes have a Scrabble set -- but the game's most talented competitors inhabit a sphere far removed from the masses of "living room players." Theirs is a surprisingly diverse subculture whose stars include a vitamin-popping standup comic; a former bank teller whose intestinal troubles earned him the nickname "G.I. Joel"; a burly, unemployed African American from Baltimore's inner city; the three-time national champion who plays according to Zen principles; and the author himself, who over the course of the book is transformed from a curious reporter to a confirmed Scrabble nut.

Fatsis begins by haunting the gritty corner of a Greenwich Village park where pickup Scrabble games can be found whenever weather permits. His curiosity soon morphs into compulsion, as he sets about memorizing thousands of obscure words and fills his evenings with solo Scrabble played on his living room floor. Before long he finds himself at tournaments, socializing -- and competing -- with Scrabble's elite.

But this book is about more than hardcore Scrabblers, for the game yields insights into realms as disparate as linguistics, psychology, and mathematics. Word Freak extends its reach even farther, pondering the light Scrabble throws on such notions as brilliance, memory, competition, failure, and hope. It is a geography of obsession that celebrates the uncanny powers locked in all of us, "a can't-put-it-down narrative that dances between memoir and reportage" (Los Angeles Times).

"Funny, thoughtful, character-rich, unchallengeably winning writing." -- The Atlantic Monthly

This edition includes a new afterword by the author.

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Price Summary

  • We started tracking this book on May 8, 2013.
  • This book was $9.99 when we started tracking it.
  • The price of this book has changed 209 times in the past 4,286 days.
  • The current price of this book is $11.99 last checked 3 hours ago.
  • This lowest price this book has been offered at in the past year is $2.99.
  • The lowest price to date was $1.80 last reached on August 10, 2018.
  • This book has been $1.80 one time since we started tracking it.
  • The highest price to date was $16.15 last reached on October 21, 2023.
  • This book has been $16.15 one time since we started tracking it.

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Additional Info

  • Text-to-Speech: Disabled
  • Lending: Disabled
  • Print Length: 508 Pages
  • File Size: 4,666 KB

We last verified the price of this book about 3 hours ago. At that time, the price was $11.99. This price is subject to change. The price displayed on the Amazon.com website at the time of purchase is the price you will pay for this book. Please confirm the price before making any purchases.