The word geek has been co-opted as of late, transformed into a moniker of pride. In a world where wizards are actually cool, it's an easy label to live with. But Mark Barrowcliffe, author of the uncomfortably confessional memoir The Elfish Gene, lived the geek life back in the '70s, when it was a plague on your house. See, he fell into the world of Dungeons & Dragons — you remember, multiplaned dice, elaborate stat sheets, and nary a girl in sight — during that precarious period between boy and man. Thanks to his immersion in D&D, Barrowcliffe was an emotional and social wreck. Luckily, he emerged a funny one, and his gently knowing style makes the pain of identification a pleasure. B+
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