In the Form of a Question: The Joys and Rewards of a Curious Life

So, here’s the thing: I thought this book was about Jeopardy!. And it’s fair to think that, given the title.

But this book has virtually nothing to do with Jeopardy!. I had no idea who Amy Schneider was when I picked up the book. Given the title, I assumed she had some celebrity from the game show. And she does – she had a 40-game winning streak, which is second-best of all time. She won $1.6 million between her original run and the Tournament of Champions.

And she’s a trans-woman. And that’s really what the book is about.

The book is organized as a series of questions. And most of them tell the story about how she was born male and transitioned in her 30s.

In that sense, the book is an interesting look into how this works, from a mental and emotional standpoint. I’m a cis male, and I was absolutely not looking for a book about this, but I can say that a learned a fair amount from it.

She writes very well. The book has a conversational tone which is tough to nail. I listened to it on audio, but I also own the physical copy, and it has a bunch of footnotes (like multiple on every page). I’m not sure how she incorporated the footnotes into the audio patter, but it was seamless (the author read the book herself, which I love).

That said, the book is scattered. It’s all over the place, but it’s so well-written I didn’t care much. I was frankly just kind of fascinated about what the next chapter would bring.

One warning: the book is explicit. She notes in a foreword that it’s not for kids (apparently she has a lot of young fans). She talks about sex a lot, very frankly in some places. And drug use. And a lot of other stuff that’s very adult. She lived a very interesting and varied life.

There are some oddities, like when she explains and defends how her first marriage (when she was living as a man) was an “open marriage” and how people get too weird about infidelity… but that open marriage ends in exactly the way people fear that open marriages will.

And there’s a chapter where she fervently explains why she is an atheist. Then – I believe in the very next chapter – she explains how she believes in Tarot and “the power of the cards.” She even includes an explanation of all 78 cards, which I admit to skipping over.

I wouldn’t know how to categorize this book if I tried. It’s a memoir, clearly, but it doesn’t fit into any neat category otherwise. She talks about a lot of stuff, and it’s always interesting. Just understand that there’s not a lot of focus, but it’s so comfortably written that you should just enjoy it for what it is in the moment.

And know that it has virtually nothing to do with Jeopardy!.

Book Info