The first review cometh

From Booklist: 

Wisenheimer: A Childhood Subject to Debate. 

Oppenheimer, Mark (Author) 

Apr 2010. 256 p. Free Press, hardcover,  $25.00. (9781439128640). 974.4.  

In this wise, witty shout-out to geek culture, Oppenheimer relays his evolution from problem child to world-class debater. Part of what makes this memoir so special is the author’s openness about the frustration and isolation he met with as a precocious kid, especially during third and fourth grades, when he had a teacher who literally despised him. Tension at school caused him to act out and to remain friendless until he joined debate club in middle school. There he finally met other kids who, like him, loved language and lived to talk. He was so gifted at debate that he was soon participating in international tournaments—and winning them. This outlet for his verbosity not only garnered him the esteem he was so desperate to attain but also exposed him to some world-class talkers, among them the wry English, gregarious Australians, and hot-dogging Scots, who possessed a “merry nihilism.” His deft running narratives of various competitions contain the same suspense and thrills as the best sports books, while his astute analyses of teammates, coaches, and competitors read like the best kind of psychology. Read it for its sheer entertainment value or for its exuberant celebration of language—just make sure you read it. 

— Joanne Wilkinson