Reviews
"An engrossing, inside look at the strange and rareified world of competitive Scrabble. It's a pleasure to experience vicariously a level of play that I'll never achieve!" -- Will Shortz , New York Times crossword editor and puzzle master of NPR's Weekend Edition Sunday "Fatsis . . . writes with affectionate zeal about the game and the fraternity of brilliant, lonely, and otherwise dysfunctional oddballs it attracts." -- The New York Times " Word Freak has an impassioned subtitle, and it lives up to every word." -- People "Fatsis is a wonderful writer." -- The New York Times Book Review "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 "While a book about Scrabble sounds as appealing as a work on the beauties of watching paint dry, Fatsis brings drama and suspense to the game....His crisp reporting is enough to make the reader hyperventilate." -- The Atlanta Journal-Constitution " Word Freak is a fascinating look into a thriving, cultish world that's best admired from an armchair." -- The Christian Science Monitor "Fatsis's marvelously absorbing excursion into the world of Scrabble...is a walk on the wild side of words and ventures into the zone where language and mathematics intersect.... Fatsis clearly doesn't regard Scrabble as just 'a board game,' and he tells us its history in loving detail." -- San Jose Mercury News, "Fatsis . . . writes with affectionate zeal about the game and the fraternity of brilliant, lonely, and otherwise dysfunctional oddballs it attracts." - The New York Times " Word Freak has an impassioned subtitle, and it lives up to every word." - People, "An engrossing, inside look at the strange and rareified world of competitive Scrabble. It's a pleasure to experience vicariously a level of play that I'll never achieve!" - Will Shortz , New York Times crossword editor and puzzle master of NPR's Weekend Edition Sunday "Fatsis . . . writes with affectionate zeal about the game and the fraternity of brilliant, lonely, and otherwise dysfunctional oddballs it attracts." - The New York Times " Word Freak has an impassioned subtitle, and it lives up to every word." - People "Fatsis is a wonderful writer." - The New York Times Book Review "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 "While a book about Scrabble sounds as appealing as a work on the beauties of watching paint dry, Fatsis brings drama and suspense to the game....His crisp reporting is enough to make the reader hyperventilate." - The Atlanta Journal-Constitution " Word Freak is a fascinating look into a thriving, cultish world that's best admired from an armchair." - The Christian Science Monitor "Fatsis's marvelously absorbing excursion into the world of Scrabble...is a walk on the wild side of words and ventures into the zone where language and mathematics intersect.... Fatsis clearly doesn't regard Scrabble as just 'a board game,' and he tells us its history in loving detail." - San Jose Mercury News, "An engrossing, inside look at the strange and rareified world of competitive Scrabble. It''s a pleasure to experience vicariously a level of play that I''ll never achieve!" - Will Shortz , New York Times crossword editor and puzzle master of NPR''s Weekend Edition Sunday "Fatsis . . . writes with affectionate zeal about the game and the fraternity of brilliant, lonely, and otherwise dysfunctional oddballs it attracts." - The New York Times " Word Freak has an impassioned subtitle, and it lives up to every word." - People "Fatsis is a wonderful writer." - The New York Times Book Review "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 "While a book about Scrabble sounds as appealing as a work on the beauties of watching paint dry, Fatsis brings drama and suspense to the game....His crisp reporting is enough to make the reader hyperventilate." - The Atlanta Journal-Constitution " Word Freak is a fascinating look into a thriving, cultish world that''s best admired from an armchair." - The Christian Science Monitor "Fatsis''s marvelously absorbing excursion into the world of Scrabble...is a walk on the wild side of words and ventures into the zone where language and mathematics intersect.... Fatsis clearly doesn''t regard Scrabble as just ''a board game,'' and he tells us its history in loving detail." - San Jose Mercury News, "An engrossing, inside look at the strange and rareified world of competitive Scrabble. It''s a pleasure to experience vicariously a level of play that I''ll never achieve!" Will Shortz, New York Times crossword editor and puzzle master of NPR''s Weekend Edition Sunday "Fatsis . . . writes with affectionate zeal about the game and the fraternity of brilliant, lonely, and otherwise dysfunctional oddballs it attracts." The New York Times " Word Freak has an impassioned subtitle, and it lives up to every word." People "Fatsis is a wonderful writer." The New York Times Book Review "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 "While a book about Scrabble sounds as appealing as a work on the beauties of watching paint dry, Fatsis brings drama and suspense to the game....His crisp reporting is enough to make the reader hyperventilate." The Atlanta Journal-Constitution " Word Freak is a fascinating look into a thriving, cultish world that''s best admired from an armchair." The Christian Science Monitor "Fatsis''s marvelously absorbing excursion into the world of Scrabble...is a walk on the wild side of words and ventures into the zone where language and mathematics intersect.... Fatsis clearly doesn''t regard Scrabble as just ''a board game,'' and he tells us its history in loving detail." San Jose Mercury News
