This book is a lot of fun. Bob let's you in on what it's like to be on Jeopardy and how a past champion goes about stuying for something that it seems impossible to study for.

This book is supposed to be about Jeopardy--but it ends up being a TV writer trying to write jokes about his life on the game show. There are long passages that have little to do with the show and more to do with the author's self-deprecation for failing so many times. Sure, it contains some history of the show but most of the information about the show has appeared elsewhere. So to spice it up this former National Lampoon writer uses a dry sense of humor to comment on his life, his mistakes, his not reading Robinson Crusoe, etc. There must be someone who cares (since other reviewers give it high marks) but the writing style is annoying--but I wanted to scream at the author to just get to the point about the show and stop telling us unimportant things like you rarely are home at your apartment or that you wear a thrift-store jacket or that it took you eight years to pay off your college debt! He seems to complain a lot and make us want to believe that his top-flight money champion is just a poor schlub. This guy's life isn't that interesting and he uses the lengthy book (over 330 pages!) to blend his overwrought self-observations with his valid thoughts on playing the show. The book is only for Jeopardy fanatics who are willing to put up lengthy parts about the uninteresting author's life.

Bob Harris was a struggling writer when, in 1997, he got on Jeopardy and won 5 times, 4 in runaways (games where the leader before Final Jeopardy cannot possibly lose if he makes an intelligent wager). Since then he's been in 3 tournaments--Season 14's Tournament of Champions, 2002's Million Dollar Masters Tournament, and 2005's Ultimate Tournament. All of this is detailed in the book, but fortunately, that's not the only thing in the book--far from it. Actually, you don't even need to have Jeopardy aspirations to be entertained, although he does have a very humorous section with studying tips (because so many people learn in boring ways, and it doesn't have to be that way, as Harris adeptly shows). Intertwined with the Jeopardy stories is what amounts to an autobiography--and yes, even if your first reaction is who cares, it's worth it. Being a Jeopardy fan helps potential readers pick up the book, but it is not necessary to enjoy it.

Bob Harris writes of his Jeopardy! experience in terms both comic and pensive, relating his often-panicked perceptions of being on the show with a Dave Barry-ish wit, but also ruminating on the workings of human memory and the mind's ability to relate knowledge to experience in unexpected ways. A must-read for Jeopardy! hopefuls.

I bought this book to learn more about Jeopardy!, but I ended up enjoying Trebekistan at least as much for the emotional experience as I did for the information imparted about the show. Bob Harris also has a writing style that's funny and engaging. If you enjoy suspense, trivia, humor, or if you just have a pulse, then you'll like this book.