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= Word_Freak =
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Introduction
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'Word Freak' is a nonfiction narrative by Stefan Fatsis published in
2001 ().
The book is subtitled 'Heartbreak, Triumph, Genius, and Obsession in
the World of Competitive 'Scrabble' Players'. Fatsis, a sports
reporter for 'The Wall Street Journal', introduces the reader to the
world of competitive Scrabble through a narrative of his slow
transformation from "a good living room player" into a player ranked
as expert by the National Scrabble Association. Fatsis's humorous
approach and descriptions of fellow competitive Scrabble players are
interspersed with game strategies as the reader follows his ascent
through the ranks of tournament players. The book also covers the
history of the game, how tournaments are run, and the background
politics of the Scrabble scene. 'Word Freak' is a 'New York Times'
Bestseller and 'New York Times' Notable Book.
A 10th-anniversary paperback edition of 'Word Freak' came out in 2011.
The new edition (18th printing) includes a new 30-page afterword about
what's happened to the game in the last decade: where-are-they-now on
the main characters, here-they-are-now on the new generation of
players, corporate politics, dictionary changes, and much more. The
new edition has the same ISBN as the original, but is distinguished by
a "10th Anniversary Edition" logo on the lower right of the front
cover.
The documentary film 'Word Wars' (2004), while not directly related to
the book, includes many of the same players.
License
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License URL:
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/
Original Article:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Word_Freak
