Meh. Before I bought this audiobook, I read the summary and I knew there would be several case studies of individual outsiders grappling with high school politics. I liked the teenagers chosen for the case studies and I liked the narration of this audiobook. There were even some interesting tidbits thrown in that I found compelling. However, based on the title, I also thought there would be a conclusion that would give some fantastic statistics about how the geeks win in the end combined with anecdotal information on the case studies and how those outsiders found their win.

The book didn't end the way I had hoped. What I remember most about the ending is Robbins' somewhat preachy tone to adults on how to create environments that allow geeks to thrive while in high school. She has great ideas and I certainly hope that we transform into a society where everyone is treated well. However, I do think she shows her true colors with her preaching, which is present even in the case studies. Not everyone who is popular is an idiot or a dick. Not every school administrator glorifies football. Not every adult outsider is going to successfully mentor a teenager. I'm guessing that she spent a great deal of time with her cafeteria fringe subjects and maybe lost some objectivity.

In the end, I really wanted her "quirk theory" to be heavy on the science and studies and statistics. The way I understand quirk theory is that it's the belief that the qualities and characteristics that make someone an outsider, and therefore teased and ostracized, are the same qualities and characteristics that make that same person successful later in life. So really with her anecdotal case studies, where Robbins does not interview anyone but her subjects who are image-conscious teenagers, this piece is really more a self-help book with quirk theory being her positive affirmation mantra.