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Weird
Book

Weird

The Power of Being an Outsider in an Insider World

Hachette Book Group USA, 2020 plus...


Editorial Rating

8

Qualities

  • Applicable
  • Concrete Examples
  • Engaging

Recommendation

If you’ve ever felt like you don’t fit in, Atlantic magazine writer Olga Khazan has some people for you to meet. As a Russian-Jewish immigrant raised in rural West Texas, Khazan always felt set apart from those around her. In time, however, she learned that feeling “weird” is not such a bad thing. Khazan uses her life story, psychology research and interviews with other distinctive people, to explore the power – and struggle – of feeling different. Given self-acceptance and mental strength, Khazan explains, you can learn to make weirdness your superpower. 

Take-Aways

  • Michael Ain did well in college, but, due to his short stature, he had a hard time getting into medical school.
  • Social ostracism can make feeling like a weirdo painful, but older definitions of “weird” hint at an outsider’s power.
  • With the right attitude, people can transform their weirdness from a negative to a positive.

About the Author

Atlantic staff writer Olga Khazan covers health, gender and science. She won the International Reporting Project’s Journalism Fellowship twice and the 2017 National Headliner Award for Magazine Online Writing.