Answers in the Form of Questions, Claire McNear
Answers in the Form of Questions, Claire McNear
List: $24.99 | Sale: $17.50
Club: $12.49

Answers in the Form of Questions
A Definitive History and Insider's Guide to Jeopardy!

Author: Claire McNear, Ken Jennings

Narrator: Devon Sorvari

Unabridged: 7 hr 3 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Publisher: Twelve

Published: 11/10/2020

Synopsis

What is the smartest, most celebrated game show of all time? In this insider's guide, discover the rich history of Jeopardy! -- the beloved game show that has shaped our culture and entertained audiences for years.
Jeopardy! is a lot of things: record-setting game show, beloved family tradition, and proving ground for many of North America's best and brightest. Nearly four decades into its current edition, Jeopardy! now finds itself facing unprecedented change.

This is the chronicle of how the show became a cross-generational touchstone and where it's going next. ANSWERS IN THE FORM OF QUESTIONS dives deep behind the scenes, with longtime host Alex Trebek talking about his life and legacy and the show's producers and writers explaining how they put together the nightly game. Readers will travel to bar trivia showdowns with the show's biggest winners and training sessions with trivia whizzes prepping for their shot onstage. And they'll discover new tales of the show's most notable moments-like the time the Clue Crew almost slid off a glacier-and learn how celebrity cameos and Saturday Night Live spoofs built a television mainstay.

ANSWERS IN THE FORM OF QUESTIONS looks to the past -- and the future -- to explain what Jeopardy! really is: a tradition unlike any other.

Reviews

Goodreads review by Jill on November 10, 2020

This book is everything I didn't know I wanted it to be. McNear hits the tone exactly right in her writing - witty, smart, curious, and reverent of a gameshow that means something to so many people. It's also particularly meaningful to read this the week of Alex Trebek's death; a fitting tribute to......more

Goodreads review by Bandit on October 24, 2020

I love Jeopardy. Completely and unreservedly. It isn’t just the best game show ever, it’s my favorite sport and by far the only one I’d consider worth watching. It has managed to stay on and stay relevant in a country that has grown increasingly anti intellectual without ever pandering to the unread......more

Goodreads review by Sarah on November 24, 2023

A charming behind-the-scenes tour of one of America’s most beloved game shows! I’m lightly beginning my journey of intending to try out for Jeopardy!, and this book was a good primer of what to expect in the audition process with a lot of fun bonus trivia thrown in. Thank you, Megan, for getting thi......more

Goodreads review by Cindy on December 18, 2021

Exactly a year ago, in late November 2020, I received a phone call from a 310 area code. For many people who hope to be on Jeopardy!, this area code is a particularly auspicious one, as it’s associated with Sony Pictures Studios in Culver City. "Hi, is this Cindy? This is Laura from Jeopardy!." While......more

Goodreads review by Dave on December 30, 2020

RIP Alex Trebek. Man, fuck 2020. This is an incredibly detailed, observant, thoughtful and funny (sometimes very!) book. Super-duper behind-the-scenes, maybe even more detailed than the average reader might want or expect, and maybe kind of inside baseball-y (like the chapter on wagering and game th......more

Quotes

"Claire McNear does a fantastic job capturing the spirit behind the Jeopardy! production team, fandom, and contestant community. I already knew about a lot of this stuff, and I still couldn't put it down."—Brad Rutter, highest-earning Jeopardy! contestant

"Packed with useful advice for aspiring contestants. Read this book and you can lose on Jeopardy!, just like me."—James Holzhauer, multiple-time losing contestant

"I'd anticipated that reading a book about Jeopardy! -- a game show that has been in my life for basically all of it -- would make me feel a certain amount of nostalgia, and a certain amount of warm joy. I had not, however, anticipated how sentimental parts of it would make me feel, and how loudly other parts of it would make me laugh. Claire has built something really great here. I wish I could read this book again for the first time."—Shea Serrano, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Movies (And Other Things)

"McNear lifts up the hood on Jeopardy! and shows us the inner workings, from quirky contestants and fans to details about the buzzer. I saw so many parallels to the Scripps National Spelling Bee too, from intensive and creative studying strategies through the decades to the balance between the live audience and the home audience. If you like Jeopardy! I highly R-E-C-O-M-M-E-N-D this book."—Dr. Jacques Bailly, official pronouncer of the Scripps National Spelling Bee

"Put this in your potpourri: Claire McNear has delivered a treasure. ANSWERS IN THE FORM OF QUESTIONS is a smart and sassy journey into the wide, wide world of Jeopardy! -- a must for anyone who's ever shouted out to Alex from the edge of their couch."—James Andrew Miller, #1 New York Times bestselling coauthor of Live from New York and Those Guys Have All the Fun

"Journalist McNear debuts with a fast-paced and well-researched behind-the scenes look into one of America's most popular game shows. Game show lovers and aspiring contestants will definitely want to pick this up."—Publishers Weekly

Add to Cart
Add to Wish List