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Prisoner of Trebekistan: A Decade in Jeopardy!
"In Prisoner of Trebekistan, Bob Harris chronicles his transformation from a struggling stand-up comic who repeatedly fails the Jeopardy! audition test into an elite player competing against the show's most powerful brains. To get there, he embarks on a series of intense study sessions, using his sense of humor to transform conventional memory skills into a refreshingly playful approach to learning that's as amusing as it is powerful." "What follows is not only a captivating series of high-stakes wins and losses on Jeopardy!, but also a growing appreciation of a borderless world that Bob calls Trebekistan, where a love of learning reigns and the smarter you get the more you realize how much you don't yet know." Filled with secrets that only a veteran contestant could share - from counterintuitive game strategies to Jedi-like tactics with the Jeopardy! signaling device - Prisoner of Trebekistan also gives you the chance to play along with the actual clues that led to victory or defeat in high-level tournaments, plus candid, moving reflections on how the games affected Bob's offstage life - and vice versa.
352 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2006
57 people are currently reading
812 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 179 reviews
May 7, 2008
This is a great introduction to how Jeopardy! works, its fandom, but also the life of Bob Harris. I'm a huge Jeopardy fan (I DVR it whenever baseball isn't on), but I learned a lot about the show's history that you don't pick up on just by watching. Bob Harris does a good job explaining the show's origin, its most famous players, and its strategy. (He does his best to make Chuck Forest and Frank Spangenberg household names, just like Ken Jennings.)
I most enjoyed, as you might guess, Harris' detailed breakdowns of all his games. His humor perfectly captures the nerves he felt being on a game show. Before he reeled off his impressive victories, though, Harris went through a ridiculous amount of training and cramming to get good enough to win. ( Ira Glass has a great interview with Harris on This American Life' "Quiz Shows" episode that highlights his training.) He has enough self-awareness to realize that studying for 10 hours a day for a game show is ludicrous, yet it all works out for him in the end.
Detailing two dozen games of Jeopardy won't fill enough pages for a book, so Harris includes a lot of meandering stories about his life. He does tie most of them into Jeopardy!, but I nearly shouted at his text to get back to the game shows. As I've written above, Harris is a funny dude, but he does go on a bit too long.
Prisoner of Trebekistan is a very encouraging book, and made me want to actually take the Jeopardy contestant test rather than just shout at my TV and hit my autographed Ken Jennings bobblehead doll.
I most enjoyed, as you might guess, Harris' detailed breakdowns of all his games. His humor perfectly captures the nerves he felt being on a game show. Before he reeled off his impressive victories, though, Harris went through a ridiculous amount of training and cramming to get good enough to win. ( Ira Glass has a great interview with Harris on This American Life' "Quiz Shows" episode that highlights his training.) He has enough self-awareness to realize that studying for 10 hours a day for a game show is ludicrous, yet it all works out for him in the end.
Detailing two dozen games of Jeopardy won't fill enough pages for a book, so Harris includes a lot of meandering stories about his life. He does tie most of them into Jeopardy!, but I nearly shouted at his text to get back to the game shows. As I've written above, Harris is a funny dude, but he does go on a bit too long.
Prisoner of Trebekistan is a very encouraging book, and made me want to actually take the Jeopardy contestant test rather than just shout at my TV and hit my autographed Ken Jennings bobblehead doll.
May 18, 2007
What did I learn from this book? I have a LOT of studying to do before I finally go on Jeopardy! I also need to practice the buzzer and start dressing in the clothes I will wear on the program, as well as arising at the same time every day and only eat foods that can be found in the green room at Sony Pictures studios. This book is insight into the mind of Bob Harris, a five-game winner who also participated in a Tournament of Champions, a Jeopardy Masters Tournament, and the Ultimate Tournament of Champions. This book is a must for people who like the show (or ADORE it, in my case).
September 2, 2019
As of this writing, Alex Trebek has gone through chemo, and is back where he belongs, helming Jeopardy. Get well and stay well, Alex!
A Jeopardy champion writes about the show, Alex Trebek, and his experiences. It's fun and informative. There's a lot of Jeopardy history most folks don't know, including a bit about the almost forgotten first host, Art Fleming.
HIghly recommended for all Jeopardy fans.
A Jeopardy champion writes about the show, Alex Trebek, and his experiences. It's fun and informative. There's a lot of Jeopardy history most folks don't know, including a bit about the almost forgotten first host, Art Fleming.
HIghly recommended for all Jeopardy fans.
June 11, 2007
One of my top three books last year. Bob has learned something that I've been learning as I go along as well. He just says it much better. I would've loved this book even if I weren't in it...
March 28, 2013
I enjoyed this book more than I thought I would. I remember Newberry's five and dime stores from my childhood, and I grew up in a small town (the South, not the Midwest) so could relate to much of what Harris writes about his parents and his upbringing. I would have been in seventh heaven if my dad had quoted Jabberwocky to me. Yes, his dad would have loved Shakespeare...as Bob discovers when he falls in love with the Bard in the course of learning facts about him.
This book is as much about Bob Harris and his journey from being pretty much a misfit comedian to being a Jeopardy-winning misfit comedian...NO, I'm just being funny...to being a person with a life, in addition to an obsession with learning stuff to win Jeopardy.
It is also about Trebekistan, which is way more than the country Bob inhabits when he studies for Jeopardy. He first encountered Trebekistan as a child when he visited the Bull Run battlefield:
"Unmarked by the years, those hills could have still been in the previous century. Forgetting the timeline, I could almost hear the gunfire and see the panicking petticoats scurrying back to their carriages. I was no longer looking at grass and trees and hills or a story in a book. I was looking at a real place, and real events, and thinking about what they meant in ways I hadn't expected. This was my first glimpse of Trebekistan."
You know this place...even if you've never studied for Jeopardy...and so do I.
Imagination opens up supposedly commonplace scenes in this world and makes connections to times, places, things, other people, which make life infinitely richer. This is the story of Bob's journey there. Along the way he makes lots of jokes, which are sometimes fun and sometimes a bit tiresome, but the seriousness beneath gets enough attention to make his book quite worth reading.
This book is as much about Bob Harris and his journey from being pretty much a misfit comedian to being a Jeopardy-winning misfit comedian...NO, I'm just being funny...to being a person with a life, in addition to an obsession with learning stuff to win Jeopardy.
It is also about Trebekistan, which is way more than the country Bob inhabits when he studies for Jeopardy. He first encountered Trebekistan as a child when he visited the Bull Run battlefield:
"Unmarked by the years, those hills could have still been in the previous century. Forgetting the timeline, I could almost hear the gunfire and see the panicking petticoats scurrying back to their carriages. I was no longer looking at grass and trees and hills or a story in a book. I was looking at a real place, and real events, and thinking about what they meant in ways I hadn't expected. This was my first glimpse of Trebekistan."
You know this place...even if you've never studied for Jeopardy...and so do I.
Imagination opens up supposedly commonplace scenes in this world and makes connections to times, places, things, other people, which make life infinitely richer. This is the story of Bob's journey there. Along the way he makes lots of jokes, which are sometimes fun and sometimes a bit tiresome, but the seriousness beneath gets enough attention to make his book quite worth reading.
March 19, 2011
There are Jeopardy! nerds --those who watch the show every night and play along-- and then there are Jeopardy! nerds. Those who shout out the answers in the form of a question to be better prepared for the show, take the qualifying tests and know the names of past favorite players (Ken Jennings doesn't count).
I'm unashamedly one of the latter, and picked up Bob Harris' book partly for insight into game play should I ever be selected. It's a light, quick read, suitable for a couple of nights' before-bed reading or an airplane trip.
Harris worked as a stand-up comedian before going on Jeopardy, and his sense of humor keeps the book moving along as he doles out facts about Jeopardy's history and details about the show's production (what happens backstage, etc.)
You'll learn enough Jeopardy! trivia to drive your friends batty for years: Merv Griffin has made $70 million in royalties from the music alone, the first ever answer was "rats," and Alex has a mysterious secret drawer in his podium, for example.
If you have any aspirations of being a contestant, Harris explains how he studied and crammed his way into a string of wins, and also prepares the potential contestant for the intricacies of buzzer technique and "category bouncing."
In between, Harris tells his life story, one that he no doubt would never have published if he didn't have the Jeopardy! hook to hang the book on. It's not bad --a heartfelt and funny account of an ordinary life-- but it's always a relief when the Jeopardy! thread is picked up again.
It is, after all, what anyone picked up the book for, and I, for one, will thank Bob Harris if I ever make it on Jeopardy! and answer more than a couple of questions correctly.
I'm unashamedly one of the latter, and picked up Bob Harris' book partly for insight into game play should I ever be selected. It's a light, quick read, suitable for a couple of nights' before-bed reading or an airplane trip.
Harris worked as a stand-up comedian before going on Jeopardy, and his sense of humor keeps the book moving along as he doles out facts about Jeopardy's history and details about the show's production (what happens backstage, etc.)
You'll learn enough Jeopardy! trivia to drive your friends batty for years: Merv Griffin has made $70 million in royalties from the music alone, the first ever answer was "rats," and Alex has a mysterious secret drawer in his podium, for example.
If you have any aspirations of being a contestant, Harris explains how he studied and crammed his way into a string of wins, and also prepares the potential contestant for the intricacies of buzzer technique and "category bouncing."
In between, Harris tells his life story, one that he no doubt would never have published if he didn't have the Jeopardy! hook to hang the book on. It's not bad --a heartfelt and funny account of an ordinary life-- but it's always a relief when the Jeopardy! thread is picked up again.
It is, after all, what anyone picked up the book for, and I, for one, will thank Bob Harris if I ever make it on Jeopardy! and answer more than a couple of questions correctly.
October 27, 2007
"This book is hard to get into. Harris has a tendency to ramble about irrelevant details. For example he spends way too much time on the the makeup that got stuck in his nose during show prep. He thinks anecdotes such as this are far funnier than they are ... and there are lots of these. The writing style is awkward and amaturish. Harris is constantly striving to be witty, trying too hard to be a comedian. I struggled to get through the first few chapeter, thinking Harris is like a companion who jokes too much at inappropriate times.
However, about halfway in I found myself getting used to Harris' jokey tone, or at least tolerating it. Meanwhile the the book becomes a suspenseful account of his experiences on Jeopardy!, which usually involve him getting through each round via luck, or knowing answers due to strange co-incidences. Harris doesn't quite let go of his strange writing style, but there is quite enough of interest to make it worth skimming the really unusual parts.
I have no plans to compete on the show anytime soon, but I still find the glimpses of backstage life at Jeopardy! compelling, and the Jeopardy! game strategies useful and interesting."
However, about halfway in I found myself getting used to Harris' jokey tone, or at least tolerating it. Meanwhile the the book becomes a suspenseful account of his experiences on Jeopardy!, which usually involve him getting through each round via luck, or knowing answers due to strange co-incidences. Harris doesn't quite let go of his strange writing style, but there is quite enough of interest to make it worth skimming the really unusual parts.
I have no plans to compete on the show anytime soon, but I still find the glimpses of backstage life at Jeopardy! compelling, and the Jeopardy! game strategies useful and interesting."
March 9, 2013
I absolutely loved this book and read through it in less than a 24-hour period (which is pretty quick for me -- I get distracted easily). Bob Harris is a former comedian and Jeopardy! champion who shares his insights into memory, takes you through stream-of-consciousness in-game responding, reveals the behind-the-scenes of Jeopardy! and shares his own life story.
This story of life-long learning and self-discovery made me laugh and tear up, and ultimately made me want to watch some old episodes of Jeopardy!
(And if you enjoy reading this, Bob Harris has also written a book, "The International Bank of Bob" about his experiences as a Kiva lender -- which is why I picked up this book in the first place -- I am a Kiva enthusiast.)
This story of life-long learning and self-discovery made me laugh and tear up, and ultimately made me want to watch some old episodes of Jeopardy!
(And if you enjoy reading this, Bob Harris has also written a book, "The International Bank of Bob" about his experiences as a Kiva lender -- which is why I picked up this book in the first place -- I am a Kiva enthusiast.)
September 25, 2018
Bob Harris, Jeopardy! champ, offers himself up as a more-or-less average guy who prepares well, takes risks, and occasionally gets lucky working the Jeopardy! boards. There are some useful pointers in this 2006 book, but the price to pay along the way is having to read the author's lame jokes and too-frequent self-references.
January 13, 2018
As a former Jeopardy! junkie, I had fairly high hopes that this book would lead me down a fun and nerdy path in what Harris dubs Trebekistan. I wasn't disappointed. He covers his circuitous party to Jeopardy, and how he chose to study and prepare for his opportunities. I loved the trip down Memory Lane. Plus, the book was quite funny overall. The guy did eke out a living as a stand up comic for a while, after all. It gets a little sappy and faux-deep for a few minutes near the end, but I'll allow it this once because I enjoyed the rest so much.
November 13, 2016
Narrator: Brett Barry. He seemed to capture Bob Harris' writing style perfectly. I kept forgetting I wasn't listening to the author himself reading. Quick, engaging, humorous narration.
I loved this book! A really fun read. Part memoir, part ideas about memory and how the brain works, and of course lots of Jeopardy. I had such a great time playing along with Bob.
I loved this book! A really fun read. Part memoir, part ideas about memory and how the brain works, and of course lots of Jeopardy. I had such a great time playing along with Bob.
August 12, 2019
I wasn't watching Jeopardy during Bob's run and subsequent tournaments, but I love Jeopardy. I'm not a daily viewer, but will enjoy the show on occasion, or on hulu. Harris gives a comedic account of what it's like to test, pass, become a contestant, and then champion. If you love facts, trivia, Jeopardy, comedy, or human interest stories, the book will appeal to you. Some of the book is like reading the show. Bob is taking you through some sections clue by clue, and you're rooting for him!
The book gives a brief history of the shows creation, and longevity, and captures some of what makes the show beloved by millions around the world.
The book gives a brief history of the shows creation, and longevity, and captures some of what makes the show beloved by millions around the world.
July 18, 2020
I was really impressed by this book, especially the last half. When reading about Bob’s experience on Jeopardy!, I certainly expected study/strategy tips and him recounting his games, but I certainly didn’t expect - but was delighted by! - growing teary-eyed in parts. Bob’s relationships with his sister, his girlfriend, his parents, and with other Jeopardy! contestants were honestly quite touching to read about, and I adore how he connects his preparation for and time spent on the show to those positive relationships. It’s not about competing for money, it’s about the quest for knowledge, the people who support you, and the friends you make along the way.
July 12, 2021
This would be one of the select books i enjoyed reading. Though it sounds like boring concept of how one prepares for Jeopardy contest, but this books is anything but boring. The author comes out completely humble, honest and very funny. There is philosophy (not the "Secret" type), love, family, friends, hard work and most of all , hope. And all of these in proper dose interleaved and spread smoothly.
May 22, 2017
I read this basically as research since I'm hoping to become a Jeopardy! contestant. There is tons of great behind-the-scenes information about how the show works and stuff that could give you a bit of an edge. It's definitely a must for all fans of the show.
However, it's also more than that. It's Bob Harris' memoir of growing up in the snow belt, of failed relationships, and of living up to his family's expectations. In that way, I think it might hold some appeal even for people who just like a good human story.
However, it's also more than that. It's Bob Harris' memoir of growing up in the snow belt, of failed relationships, and of living up to his family's expectations. In that way, I think it might hold some appeal even for people who just like a good human story.
January 10, 2019
This book was so much more than I expected. What a wonderful trip through Harris's times on Jeopardy, but also the ways his life changed and the insight he gained. There were even times I cried, and he's a comedian at heart. His realizations of the ways things are connected, and the ways he finds Trebekistan everywhere are so inspiring.
One of my favorite lines: "It was enough to keep learning how much I can still learn."
Now, excuse me while I get some notebooks...
One of my favorite lines: "It was enough to keep learning how much I can still learn."
Now, excuse me while I get some notebooks...
May 24, 2020
What a fun quirky book! A Mother’s Day gift from my middle daughter! I am grateful she found and gifted me this. I laughed and cried and enjoyed the author’s search for wisdom, knowledge, facts and timing. If you are a fan of Jeopardy, don’t miss it.
January 1, 2021
2021 Reading Challenge - A book with an image of a person on the cover
February 12, 2024
Bob’s head is a weird place.
May 19, 2015
Confession: I’m pretty much obsessed with trivia. That said, it’s no surprise that I love Jeopardy! I’ve always assumed, however, that being on the show would be entirely out of reach. How could anyone possibly prepare for a quiz where every subject ever is fair game?
With his totally engaging, often hilarious, and sometimes poignant book, Bob Harris has convinced me that you can study for Jeopardy!
Bob Harris is a B (C? D?) list comedian. He’s no “Ivy League Serial Killer,” yet he repeatedly pulls answers from varied orifices, and in this book he shares his secrets. Pneumonics are key; the baser, the better. “Like it or not, your own hippocampus…has roughly the same tastes and interests as Homer Simpson, drunk, at a bullfight” (27). The mental image of peeking out of a hotel window at a 30-foot rear end links Howard’s End with A Room with a View and Where Angels Fear to Tread in his schema of works by E. M. Forster (91).
Studying for Jeopardy! ends up looking a bit like college: notebooks upon notebooks covering an impossibly wide range of subjects. But pneumonic devices do amazing things for Harris’s retention and recall. Further improving his performance is his clever device of practicing in an environment similar to the Jeopardy! set. Harris rearranges his living room, standing at a low bookshelf that is roughly the same height as a Jeopardy! podium, wearing the same clothes he would wear on the show’s set, under the ridiculous glare of all the lights he can cram into his apartment. Even better, he uses a homemade “Jeopardy! Weapon” (21) to practice his Jedi skills at ringing in without looking at the Go Lights (40).
Super useful for Jeopardy! wannabes is Harris’s discussion of wagering strategies, interwoven throughout the book. Of course, the Final Jeopardy! wager is the most immediate (and I have my own set of theories about how that is properly handled), but Daily Doubles are important, too. Harris makes the super-smart point that “by attacking your weakest category immediately, you’ll probably get the hardest clues off the board with the least possible amount of money at stake. If there’s a Daily Double in the weak category, it will barely matter, while hitting it late puts you in a difficult betting situation” (109). This is some professional level shit that I never would have thought of without this comedian’s seasoned and sage advice.
Apart from the mechanics of doing well at Jeopardy!, this book is valuable for the way it promotes a reverence for of information. “Trebekistan is a location unfixed in physical space and time. It’s a place of pure learning, where hard playful work can bring sudden shocks of unexpected perception. In Trebekistan, art and math and geography and science stop pretending to be separate subjects, and instead converge in a glorious riot” (134). “Entire lifetimes can be spent learning to marvel in humility at all the diversity” (240).
The characters in the books are awesome, too. I kind of love Bob, and by extension his parents and his sister, Connie. He draws Jane as a beautiful soul who teaches him the value of each day. His portrait of Alex is utterly charming. Johnny Gilbert, “the voice of God in a satin jacket,” steals my heart (31). And his characterization of Ken Jennings as Godzilla is unforgettable: “…once Ken hit his stride, the game was transformed into a one-man Japanese monster movie. Players would scream and one of them would pint at the sky, and the Ken would breathe fire and crush them and eat them…” (287). Playing Ken was a (humiliating?) challenge for Bob, but it’s an honor for anyone, and Bob did pretty well for himself over the course of his Jeopardy! career. Being invited to an Ultimate Tournament of Champions is no small task. Neither is blowing everyone out of the water in his five consecutive runaway wins that got him the ToC invitations in the first place.
Overall, this book is amazing. Even the index is funny. And the bibliography is so valuable for anyone who wants to read about Jeopardy! in preparation for one day, maybe, taking the test, hopefully qualifying, and even perhaps, in some fantasy world, actually competing.
tl;dr, Bob gives us:
The Eightfold Path
1. Obvious things may be worth noticing.
2. Remember the basics: the basics are what you remember.
3. Put your head where you can use it later.
4. Doing nothing is better than doing something really stupid.
5. Admit you don’t know squat as often as possible.
6. Everything connects to everything else.
7. Just play each moment. Let go of outcome.
Bottom line, if you love Jeopardy!, read this book.
With his totally engaging, often hilarious, and sometimes poignant book, Bob Harris has convinced me that you can study for Jeopardy!
Bob Harris is a B (C? D?) list comedian. He’s no “Ivy League Serial Killer,” yet he repeatedly pulls answers from varied orifices, and in this book he shares his secrets. Pneumonics are key; the baser, the better. “Like it or not, your own hippocampus…has roughly the same tastes and interests as Homer Simpson, drunk, at a bullfight” (27). The mental image of peeking out of a hotel window at a 30-foot rear end links Howard’s End with A Room with a View and Where Angels Fear to Tread in his schema of works by E. M. Forster (91).
Studying for Jeopardy! ends up looking a bit like college: notebooks upon notebooks covering an impossibly wide range of subjects. But pneumonic devices do amazing things for Harris’s retention and recall. Further improving his performance is his clever device of practicing in an environment similar to the Jeopardy! set. Harris rearranges his living room, standing at a low bookshelf that is roughly the same height as a Jeopardy! podium, wearing the same clothes he would wear on the show’s set, under the ridiculous glare of all the lights he can cram into his apartment. Even better, he uses a homemade “Jeopardy! Weapon” (21) to practice his Jedi skills at ringing in without looking at the Go Lights (40).
Super useful for Jeopardy! wannabes is Harris’s discussion of wagering strategies, interwoven throughout the book. Of course, the Final Jeopardy! wager is the most immediate (and I have my own set of theories about how that is properly handled), but Daily Doubles are important, too. Harris makes the super-smart point that “by attacking your weakest category immediately, you’ll probably get the hardest clues off the board with the least possible amount of money at stake. If there’s a Daily Double in the weak category, it will barely matter, while hitting it late puts you in a difficult betting situation” (109). This is some professional level shit that I never would have thought of without this comedian’s seasoned and sage advice.
Apart from the mechanics of doing well at Jeopardy!, this book is valuable for the way it promotes a reverence for of information. “Trebekistan is a location unfixed in physical space and time. It’s a place of pure learning, where hard playful work can bring sudden shocks of unexpected perception. In Trebekistan, art and math and geography and science stop pretending to be separate subjects, and instead converge in a glorious riot” (134). “Entire lifetimes can be spent learning to marvel in humility at all the diversity” (240).
The characters in the books are awesome, too. I kind of love Bob, and by extension his parents and his sister, Connie. He draws Jane as a beautiful soul who teaches him the value of each day. His portrait of Alex is utterly charming. Johnny Gilbert, “the voice of God in a satin jacket,” steals my heart (31). And his characterization of Ken Jennings as Godzilla is unforgettable: “…once Ken hit his stride, the game was transformed into a one-man Japanese monster movie. Players would scream and one of them would pint at the sky, and the Ken would breathe fire and crush them and eat them…” (287). Playing Ken was a (humiliating?) challenge for Bob, but it’s an honor for anyone, and Bob did pretty well for himself over the course of his Jeopardy! career. Being invited to an Ultimate Tournament of Champions is no small task. Neither is blowing everyone out of the water in his five consecutive runaway wins that got him the ToC invitations in the first place.
Overall, this book is amazing. Even the index is funny. And the bibliography is so valuable for anyone who wants to read about Jeopardy! in preparation for one day, maybe, taking the test, hopefully qualifying, and even perhaps, in some fantasy world, actually competing.
tl;dr, Bob gives us:
The Eightfold Path
1. Obvious things may be worth noticing.
2. Remember the basics: the basics are what you remember.
3. Put your head where you can use it later.
4. Doing nothing is better than doing something really stupid.
5. Admit you don’t know squat as often as possible.
6. Everything connects to everything else.
7. Just play each moment. Let go of outcome.
Bottom line, if you love Jeopardy!, read this book.
November 24, 2017
Bob Harris is a comedian, who transforms himself in unlikely ways to become a Jeopardy 5 time champion and an elite player on the tournament of Champions.
Fascinating look at the strategy behind Jeopardy--Harris was able to win by simply not messing up. Don't guess on Jeopardy. If you get a $1000 dollar question wrong--both your opponents gain $1000. You must bet large on the daily doubles..and their are always clues in these answers that a trivia pro can figure out the answer.
You can study for Jeopardy. Harris set up a lectern in his TV room, created a fake buzzer, eats protein shakes before his matches, and has watched and cataloged every jeopardy question. He bats about 80% on final jeopardy questions. You can memorize state capitols, poets, bodies of water, academy award winners, presidents, etc...Harris has 300 journals filled with obscure trivia..he often uses picture associations.
So what is Alex like?? Harris would say... I don't really know..it's not like they were talking about potent potables in the Jacuzzi together. But he has great respect for Trebek. Alex is always genuinely routing for each player. He really has joy when a tough clue us conquered. Trebek after 20 years still loves a close final jeopardy. He's too modest to admit..but he knows most of the responses and could beat many former Jeopardy champions. Lastly, the rhythm of his voice and smoothness in which he reads the clues is paradigm to the timing of the buzzers..Alex will often go through an entire show without flubbing one syllable (and that may be in latin or French or Chinese.)
Who doesn't like Alex Trebek??
There are 60 clues in a game...3 daily doubles..so 57 decisions if to ring in. A great player still may only know 2/3 of the responses. You are lucky to beat the only players to the buzzer so you may only get 1/3 chances for a question..or about 13 responses in a show. You better get those 13 responses right.
Fascinating book. I'm getting more interested in Jeopardy. Maybe I should start studying obscure trivia and take a shot at applying for the show.
Fascinating look at the strategy behind Jeopardy--Harris was able to win by simply not messing up. Don't guess on Jeopardy. If you get a $1000 dollar question wrong--both your opponents gain $1000. You must bet large on the daily doubles..and their are always clues in these answers that a trivia pro can figure out the answer.
You can study for Jeopardy. Harris set up a lectern in his TV room, created a fake buzzer, eats protein shakes before his matches, and has watched and cataloged every jeopardy question. He bats about 80% on final jeopardy questions. You can memorize state capitols, poets, bodies of water, academy award winners, presidents, etc...Harris has 300 journals filled with obscure trivia..he often uses picture associations.
So what is Alex like?? Harris would say... I don't really know..it's not like they were talking about potent potables in the Jacuzzi together. But he has great respect for Trebek. Alex is always genuinely routing for each player. He really has joy when a tough clue us conquered. Trebek after 20 years still loves a close final jeopardy. He's too modest to admit..but he knows most of the responses and could beat many former Jeopardy champions. Lastly, the rhythm of his voice and smoothness in which he reads the clues is paradigm to the timing of the buzzers..Alex will often go through an entire show without flubbing one syllable (and that may be in latin or French or Chinese.)
Who doesn't like Alex Trebek??
There are 60 clues in a game...3 daily doubles..so 57 decisions if to ring in. A great player still may only know 2/3 of the responses. You are lucky to beat the only players to the buzzer so you may only get 1/3 chances for a question..or about 13 responses in a show. You better get those 13 responses right.
Fascinating book. I'm getting more interested in Jeopardy. Maybe I should start studying obscure trivia and take a shot at applying for the show.
September 13, 2017
(Written in late October 2009. I'm pulling reviews off of my very dusty blog.)
Prisoner of Trebekistan, as the cover makes immediately clear, is about Jeopardy. And while it includes a range of tips and tricks for memorizing anything from books by Daniel Defoe to Secretaries General of the U.N., it’s more a memoir than anything else. Bob Harris writes about the role Jeopardy has played in his life and the games he has played on the show. But in between “Who is Henry James?” and “What is Avignon?” Trebekistan develops into a book about Harris’s life and the people in it, the joy of learning and how full the world is of unexpected connections.
That’s what he means by Trebekistan, actually: a wold view that sees how bits of seeming trivia connect because of a shared location or time in history or an unexpected acquaintance between two famous dead people. It’s Six Degrees of Separation played with a liberal arts curriculum. And if that starts to sound a little weighty, let me tell you that Harris is a comedian. This one I borrowed it from my brother in September and read it on the plane. It’s been sitting on my desk since then, so inevitably I picked it back up. I’ve skimmed some of the memory trick paragraphs this time, but otherwise it’s entirely re-readable. This is a clever, funny, heartwarming book.
Prisoner of Trebekistan, as the cover makes immediately clear, is about Jeopardy. And while it includes a range of tips and tricks for memorizing anything from books by Daniel Defoe to Secretaries General of the U.N., it’s more a memoir than anything else. Bob Harris writes about the role Jeopardy has played in his life and the games he has played on the show. But in between “Who is Henry James?” and “What is Avignon?” Trebekistan develops into a book about Harris’s life and the people in it, the joy of learning and how full the world is of unexpected connections.
That’s what he means by Trebekistan, actually: a wold view that sees how bits of seeming trivia connect because of a shared location or time in history or an unexpected acquaintance between two famous dead people. It’s Six Degrees of Separation played with a liberal arts curriculum. And if that starts to sound a little weighty, let me tell you that Harris is a comedian. This one I borrowed it from my brother in September and read it on the plane. It’s been sitting on my desk since then, so inevitably I picked it back up. I’ve skimmed some of the memory trick paragraphs this time, but otherwise it’s entirely re-readable. This is a clever, funny, heartwarming book.
October 19, 2015
Somewhere between a three- and four-star rating for me. I was drawn to this book since I have some tentative ties to "Jeopardy!" For as long as I can remember, my mom has watched "Jeopardy!" every night, and I also once got the chance to be an audience member for the show. I don't watch it regularly myself, but when I do, I like to play along (badly). In general, I enjoyed this book. It was funny--more of an amusing funny, not laughing-till-tears funny. And I learned some interesting things. I was probably most surprised to read that many of the "Jeopardy!" champs know each other and are friends, and the competition among them is friendly. Buzzer skills, I found out, are key. Probably my main complaint with the book had to do with the writing. Even though Harris is a very smart and talented writer, the book seemed overly long and some rambling sections lost my interest. The book doesn't have a lot of plot, but still, oddly enough, I thought it had the makings of a good movie.
March 13, 2012
The author, a columnist and TV writer, details his successes and failures on the quiz show. He was a five-time champion and was invited back again and again for tournaments of champions, ultimate tournaments, and so on. (In fact, at one point I honestly had no clue why he was back on the show again, since the ones who beat him weren’t invited.) Harris’ laborious explanations of his (actually quite naïve) discovery of the power of mnemonics (had he never studied anything before?) grow tiresome early; but when he’s talking about his love life, his emotional highs and lows, how his wins helped him grow as a person, or even the workings behind the show’s scenes (what’s Alex really like?!), the book really drew me in.
November 18, 2007
Bob Harris isn't a writer, which is too bad. You'd think someone with his Jeopardy! trackrecord could pull off a book. But from what I gather here, he failed many times to qualify, and upon qualifying, he studied very, very hard to win what he did. Not that I ever thought that getting to play (much less winning,) was a cakewalk.
It's scattershot and should focus just on Jeopardy! But he rambles on, makes bad jokes and writes too much about his uninteresting lovelife. Blech. I couldn't finish it.
I loved Jeopardy! when I had cable, so I thought this would bring back all that love for trivia and mundacity. Wrong-o.
It's scattershot and should focus just on Jeopardy! But he rambles on, makes bad jokes and writes too much about his uninteresting lovelife. Blech. I couldn't finish it.
I loved Jeopardy! when I had cable, so I thought this would bring back all that love for trivia and mundacity. Wrong-o.
September 19, 2007
For you Buffy fans, this book was written by Jane Espenson's partner, and he tells some cute stories about her and their relationship. This guys is also one of the top 40 Jeopardy players ever and he structures this memoir around stories of his Jeopardy experiences, with lots and lots of digressions. I found his writing style a little flowery and cheesy at times. I skimmed quite a bit, but I enjoyed it anyway.
December 11, 2018
I loved this book. I may be somewhat biased, having appeared on the show myself, although nowhere near the level that Bob has. I do wonder if I would have been more successful if I had studied more. I guess I see it as a game, and while it was a bucket list experience, studying more would have made it more like work or college. But enough about me.
I enjoyed Bob’s sense of humor—it’s self-deprecating while still being smart (usually). The section about the mnemonics was hilarious. I would love to take a peek at his notebooks. The best sections are about the relationships, both beginning and ending, because Bob is human, not a machine or computer, after all. It’s not surprising that these top level players would become friends; in fact it’s very gratifying to read about them bonding over their shared experiences instead of isolating themselves due to competitiveness. It’s just a game, after all. Real life is much more important and fulfilling, as Bob discovers, and relearns throughout the book. Jeopardy! made many things possible, but it’s what you do with the possibilities that matters. So this book isn’t just about Jeopardy!, it’s also about all the lived experiences that you take to that stage, and how sometimes the things you don’t study make the most difference. Bob writes about those things with heart and humor, the most important things to get through a game show, an illness, or life itself.
Now if you’ll excuse me, it’s almost time for my favorite game show!
I enjoyed Bob’s sense of humor—it’s self-deprecating while still being smart (usually). The section about the mnemonics was hilarious. I would love to take a peek at his notebooks. The best sections are about the relationships, both beginning and ending, because Bob is human, not a machine or computer, after all. It’s not surprising that these top level players would become friends; in fact it’s very gratifying to read about them bonding over their shared experiences instead of isolating themselves due to competitiveness. It’s just a game, after all. Real life is much more important and fulfilling, as Bob discovers, and relearns throughout the book. Jeopardy! made many things possible, but it’s what you do with the possibilities that matters. So this book isn’t just about Jeopardy!, it’s also about all the lived experiences that you take to that stage, and how sometimes the things you don’t study make the most difference. Bob writes about those things with heart and humor, the most important things to get through a game show, an illness, or life itself.
Now if you’ll excuse me, it’s almost time for my favorite game show!
November 17, 2019
This is a fun read, though a bit heavier on details about Harris's personal life than I would've liked. He gives an interesting look into the world of Jeopardy in the late 90s (when it still had the 5-win limit) and Jeopardy tournaments. I particularly enjoyed how much the contestants got to know each other and become friends. Harris also provides a look into how he prepared for going on the show (and how this affected his relationship with his then-girlfriend).
Harris has a background in comedy, and his writing style was largely amusing. However, more and more throughout the book it became more about him, and he not infrequently went a bit deeper and more philosophical than I would've liked. (I also didn't need so much of him referring to "the Snow Belt," which is what he called his upbringing outside of Cleveland, but which is clearly also thinks of a symbolic state of mind.)
I enjoyed Ken Jenning's Brainiac: Adventures in the Curious, Competitive, Compulsive World of Trivia Buffs a bit more; it also provided an account of a Jeopardy! journey, but combined it with a look into the world of trivia; Harris combines Jeopardy! with his own life story. Which at times is interesting, but I think when he writes about his life, his writing style goes a bit off for me.
Still, an enjoyable read.
Harris has a background in comedy, and his writing style was largely amusing. However, more and more throughout the book it became more about him, and he not infrequently went a bit deeper and more philosophical than I would've liked. (I also didn't need so much of him referring to "the Snow Belt," which is what he called his upbringing outside of Cleveland, but which is clearly also thinks of a symbolic state of mind.)
I enjoyed Ken Jenning's Brainiac: Adventures in the Curious, Competitive, Compulsive World of Trivia Buffs a bit more; it also provided an account of a Jeopardy! journey, but combined it with a look into the world of trivia; Harris combines Jeopardy! with his own life story. Which at times is interesting, but I think when he writes about his life, his writing style goes a bit off for me.
Still, an enjoyable read.
January 2, 2018
Do you play along with Jeopardy at home? Think you're pretty good? Sure, we all do. But, having tried out (and failing) to become a contestant, I can tell you it's not as easy as you think it is.
As Bob Harris points out, you can't go in with just the general knowledge you already have, no matter how diverse it is. You have to study! And study he did. He pretty much made it a full time job, hitting the books 8 hours a day and turning his home into a TV studio set just to get the feel of the actual game. His perseverance paid off, but was it worth it? You be the judge.
If you plan on trying out for Jeopardy this book would be an excellent starting point. Lots of ideas on how and what information to cram in your brain. And if you just want to see what goes on behind the scenes of Jeopardy you'll get that too.
Now there are 2 more things I want to mention and I'm having a hard time finding the right words so as not to sound insensitive. I'll just say what I feel and let it go at that.
1. Harris tries way too hard to be funny for the first 125 or so pages. I know he's a professional comedian and that's what he does, but it just doesn't work in this book. He kinda eases up a bit later on so just bear with it.
2. We really don't need to hear about his sister's (real or imaginary) illnesses. I sincerely wish her well, but that's not something that should be made public.
Overall, it's enjoyable reading and can be a valuable tool for some. Have fun and good luck!
As Bob Harris points out, you can't go in with just the general knowledge you already have, no matter how diverse it is. You have to study! And study he did. He pretty much made it a full time job, hitting the books 8 hours a day and turning his home into a TV studio set just to get the feel of the actual game. His perseverance paid off, but was it worth it? You be the judge.
If you plan on trying out for Jeopardy this book would be an excellent starting point. Lots of ideas on how and what information to cram in your brain. And if you just want to see what goes on behind the scenes of Jeopardy you'll get that too.
Now there are 2 more things I want to mention and I'm having a hard time finding the right words so as not to sound insensitive. I'll just say what I feel and let it go at that.
1. Harris tries way too hard to be funny for the first 125 or so pages. I know he's a professional comedian and that's what he does, but it just doesn't work in this book. He kinda eases up a bit later on so just bear with it.
2. We really don't need to hear about his sister's (real or imaginary) illnesses. I sincerely wish her well, but that's not something that should be made public.
Overall, it's enjoyable reading and can be a valuable tool for some. Have fun and good luck!
April 2, 2018
Nice memoir from one of Jeopardy's most enjoyable contestant (5-time winner, tournament of champions finalist, million-dollar Masters contestant, ultimate tournament of champions contestant). A tad too much personal-life detail, but the Jeopardy-related majority of the book makes up for it. Before studying for Jeopardy, Harris studied how the brain works and makes memories. Harris then used images/narratives to memorize vast amounts of detail. The example he gives is the works of E. M. Forester. He constructs an image of a room with a view of Howard's (rear) end through which a man named Maurice makes a passage to India. Most are zanier than this (he also gives an example of narrative using words that sound like the list of UN secretaries general). What I don't understand is how he remembers all the images/narratives! Certainly easier than memorizing lists, though.
Harris' biggest strength in the game is probably command of the signaling device. The trick is to anticipate, not to wait for the lights. This is why winning a third or fourth game is often easier than the first--because you've gotten the hang of the buzzer (fatigue works against this though).
I should mention that Harris is also a stand-up comedian, so parts are also quite funny. Crude language and humor is less funny. Still, a must-read for anyone who'd ever want to compete on the show.
Harris' biggest strength in the game is probably command of the signaling device. The trick is to anticipate, not to wait for the lights. This is why winning a third or fourth game is often easier than the first--because you've gotten the hang of the buzzer (fatigue works against this though).
I should mention that Harris is also a stand-up comedian, so parts are also quite funny. Crude language and humor is less funny. Still, a must-read for anyone who'd ever want to compete on the show.
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