Hardwick’s “Nerdist” book brings self-help to geeks

book-cover-nerdist-wayChris Hardwick‘s new book, The Nerdist Way: How to Reach the Next Level (In Real Life), isn’t quite what I expected. It’s clever, witty, and interesting – these are all things I expect from Hardwick’s stand-up and assorted writings in Wired. Actually, given the excerpt in the current issue of Wired (which is what led me to get in contact with Berkley and request a copy for review), I was expecting something more akin to memoir than what I got.

What did I got, anyhow? Well, The Nerdist Way is, essentially, a self-help book. Now, wait! Don’t run away. I, too, think self-help books are annoying. However, Hardwick has an easy way to deal with this: he understands that the average nerd who listens to his podcast, watches him on shows like Web Soup, or just sort of knows him as that dude who recorded the bluegrass cover medley of Radiohead songs isn’t necessarily willing to listen to what he has to say.

Thus, Hardwick couches everything in nerd speak, and suggests you LARP your life. I’m summarizing, of course, but his book is set up to where you just take the things that set you apart as a nerd – hyper-focus, obsessing over details, etc. – and using those positives to work on the thing you need working on. The Nerdist Way is essentially a book that ever-so-gently suggests that you can do this, and might you want to get your lazy ass off the couch and away from whatever screen you’ve been staring at, and possibly fucking do something with your life?

Now, granted, it’s not all wonderful. The repeated exhortations to go look stuff up online stands in opposition to the warnings regarding what a K-Hole the internet can be regarding your ability to manage time wisely. As a matter of fact, in the early pages, Hardwick suggests you look up examples of how to make your Character Tome on the Nerdist website. Seriously?

Don’t send me to a website. I’m reading a book. Put the examples in pictures in the damned book, dude. I know you can put in pictures – I saw one ten pages back! Seriously, though: there’s an entire middle section devoted to pictures of a bear doing exercises as a visual aid for those who might be a little lost. One page wherein you show me how to use graphing paper to make a progress bar wouldn’t be that hard.

All in all, though, Hardwick manages it to make you feel good. The man’s a fantastic fan of you, and your potential, and for the various flaws in the book (a serious lack of personal anecdotes, which is what sold me in the first place, really keeps the book teetering on the precipice of generic), it’s great way to figure out how to make that first step away from the Cheetos and Mountain Dew.