Wisenheimer: A Childhood Subject to Debate

HAVE YOU EVER MET A CHILD WHO TALKED LIKE AN ADULT?

Who knew big words and knew how to use them? Was he a charmer or an insufferable smart aleck–or maybe both? Mark Oppenheimer was just such a boy, his talent for language a curse as much as a blessing. Unlike math or music prodigies, he had no way to showcase his unique skill, except to speak like a miniature adult–a trick some found impressive but others found irritating. Frustrated and isolated, Oppenheimer used his powers for ill–he became a wisenheimer–pushing his peers and teachers away, acting out with prank phone calls, and worse. But when he got to high school, Oppenheimer discovered an outlet for his loquaciousness: the debate team.

This smart, funny memoir not only reveals a strange, compelling subculture, it offers a broader discussion of the splendor and power (including the healing power) of language and of the social and developmental hazards of being a gifted child. Oppenheimer’s journey from loneliness to fulfillment affords a fascinating inside look at the extraordinary subculture of world-class high-school debate and at the power of language to change one’s life.

Author: Mark Oppenheimer
Binding Type: Paperback
Publisher: Free Press
Published: 04/26/2011
Pages: 256
Weight: 0.49lbs
Size: 8.43h x 5.53w x 0.66d
ISBN: 9781451611915
Language: English