{"product_id":"word-freak-heartbreak-triumph-genius-and-obsession-in-the-world-of-competitive-scrabble-players-9780142002261","title":"Word Freak: Heartbreak, Triumph, Genius, and Obsession in the World of Competitive Scrabble Players","description":"Scrabble may be truly called America's game. But for every group of \"living-room players\" there is someone who is \"at one with the board.\" In \u003cb\u003eWord Freak\u003c\/b\u003e, Stefan Fatsis introduces readers to those few, exploring the underground world of colorful characters for which the Scrabble game is life-playing competitively in tournaments across the country. It is also the story of how the Scrabble game was invented by an unemployed architect during the Great Depression and how it has grown into the hugely successful, challenging, and beloved game it is today. Along the way, Fatsis chronicles his own obsession with the game and his development as a player from novice to expert. More than a book about hardcore Scrabble players, \u003cb\u003eWord Freak\u003c\/b\u003e is also an examination of notions of brilliance, memory, language, competition, and the mind that celebrates the uncanny creative powers in us all.\u003cp\u003eA Book Sense 76 pick.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAbout the Author\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003eStefan Fatsis is the author of the \u003ci\u003eNew York Times \u003c\/i\u003ebestseller \u003ci\u003eWord Freak: Heartbreak, Triumph, Genius, and Obsession in the World of Competitive Scrabble Players; A Few Seconds of Panic: A Sportswriter Plays in the NFL;\u003c\/i\u003e and \u003ci\u003eWild and Outside: How a Renegade Minor League Revived the Spirit of Baseball in America's Heartland\u003c\/i\u003e. His latest book, \u003ci\u003eUnabridged: The Thrill of (and Threat to) the Modern Dictionary \u003c\/i\u003ewill be published in October by Grove Atlantic. In four decades as a journalist, Fatsis has written and talked for \u003ci\u003eSlate\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eThe Wall Street Journal\u003c\/i\u003e, NPR, \u003ci\u003eThe New York Times\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eSports Illustrated\u003c\/i\u003e, and many other outlets. He lives in Washington, D.C.\u003cbr\u003e","brand":"Penguin Publishing Group","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":51779418161426,"sku":"9780142002261","price":14.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0831\/4771\/8930\/files\/img_8455f9e0-804a-4af5-ab88-361a4de01694.jpg?v=1765370088","url":"https:\/\/surprise-castle.myshopify.com\/products\/word-freak-heartbreak-triumph-genius-and-obsession-in-the-world-of-competitive-scrabble-players-9780142002261","provider":"Surprise Castle","version":"1.0","type":"link"}