Nonfiction

The Nineties: A Book

The Nineties: A Book

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  • Create Date：2022-01-07 17:21:05
  • Update Date：2025-09-06
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  • Author：Chuck Klosterman
  • ISBN：B094GNFS2T
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Summary

From the New York Times bestselling author of But What if We're Wrong， a wise and funny reckoning with the decade that gave us slacker/grunge irony about the sin of trying too hard， during the greatest shift in human consciousness of any decade in American history。

It was long ago， but not as long as it seems: The Berlin Wall fell and the Twin Towers collapsed。 In between， one presidential election was allegedly decided by Ross Perot while another was plausibly decided by Ralph Nader。 In the beginning， almost every name and address was listed in a phone book， and everyone answered their landlines because you didn't know who it was。 By the end， exposing someone's address was an act of emotional violence， and nobody picked up their new cell phone if they didn't know who it was。 The 90s brought about a revolution in the human condition we're still groping to understand。 Happily， Chuck Klosterman is more than up to the job。

Beyond epiphenomena like Cop Killer and Titanic and Zima， there were wholesale shifts in how society was perceived: the rise of the internet， pre-9/11 politics， and the paradoxical belief that nothing was more humiliating than trying too hard。 Pop culture accelerated without the aid of a machine that remembered everything， generating an odd comfort in never being certain about anything。 On a 90's Thursday night， more people watched any random episode of Seinfeld than the finale of Game of Thrones。 But nobody thought that was important; if you missed it， you simply missed it。 It was the last era that held to the idea of a true， hegemonic mainstream before it all began to fracture， whether you found a home in it or defined yourself against it。

In The Nineties， Chuck Klosterman makes a home in all of it: the film， the music， the sports， the TV， the politics， the changes regarding race and class and sexuality， the yin/yang of Oprah and Alan Greenspan。 In perhaps no other book ever written would a sentence like， "The video for 'Smells Like Teen Spirit' was not more consequential than the reunification of Germany" make complete sense。 Chuck Klosterman has written a multi-dimensional masterpiece， a work of synthesis so smart and delightful that future historians might well refer to this entire period as Klostermanian。

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Reviews

Genevieve ，

Review TK but TLDR: Unputdownable writing， what ride， and thanks NetGalley。

Alison ，

As someone who turned 3 in 1990， I viewed the events of this decade through a child’s eyes， so it was enlightening to get Klosterman’s point of view on things。 This book is him at his best — a distanced yet wry observer of everything from Ross Perot’s presidential bid to the post-Titanic Leonardo DiCaprio obsession。

Danielle ，

This was not what I was expecting。 I didn't really understand it。 This type of book isn't for me， but I am sure there are tons of people that will enjoy this！ This was not what I was expecting。 I didn't really understand it。 This type of book isn't for me， but I am sure there are tons of people that will enjoy this！ 。。。more

Elithiyaah Zaria Rahman ，

Cinderella

Lewis Szymanski ，

I received an ARC of The Nineties by Chuck Klosterman from a Goodreads giveaway。 Expected publication date February 8， 2022， by Penguin Press。I never know what to say about Klosterman's essays。 These are what they always are。 They are， as always， well done。 I received an ARC of The Nineties by Chuck Klosterman from a Goodreads giveaway。 Expected publication date February 8， 2022， by Penguin Press。I never know what to say about Klosterman's essays。 These are what they always are。 They are， as always， well done。 。。。more

TimetoFangirl ，

I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review。This is only my second time reading Klosterman， as I loved Fargo Rock City when I was a teenager。 I think this was possibly a disservice to my expectations going into this book， as I remember that being pretty damn funny。 Combine that experience with the amusing cover of The Ninties， and I went into this expecting a light hearted， funny exploration of a decade I sort of remember。 That was not what I got。Now， The Ninties is well-wr I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review。This is only my second time reading Klosterman， as I loved Fargo Rock City when I was a teenager。 I think this was possibly a disservice to my expectations going into this book， as I remember that being pretty damn funny。 Combine that experience with the amusing cover of The Ninties， and I went into this expecting a light hearted， funny exploration of a decade I sort of remember。 That was not what I got。Now， The Ninties is well-written， thought-provoking， and full of highly underline-able quotes。 However， it didn't have the charm and nostalgia factor I was wanting。 I didn't factor that I to the rating， but throwing it out there for any other potential reader to consider。Overall， if you're a fan of essay collections and want to read an insightful and witty account of a highly overlooked decade， than this is for you。 。。。more

James Luck ，

Instresting

Joe ，

I received a copy of this book in exchange for a fair review。 I really enjoyed this book， although it did suffer from the same issues that I feel many Klosterman books have: The idea presented gets lost in Klosterman’s dense， referential sentences。 This didn’t happen a lot， especially in comparison to previous books of his， but it did happen periodically。 At this point， it’s clear that it’s his writing style and not a lack of editing。 I’d really say that you can find many people online that writ I received a copy of this book in exchange for a fair review。 I really enjoyed this book， although it did suffer from the same issues that I feel many Klosterman books have: The idea presented gets lost in Klosterman’s dense， referential sentences。 This didn’t happen a lot， especially in comparison to previous books of his， but it did happen periodically。 At this point， it’s clear that it’s his writing style and not a lack of editing。 I’d really say that you can find many people online that write like Klosterman， particularly on Twitter。 That’s neither here nor there， just a side observation。 In regards to the book， Klosterman’s lived experiences play a part in making the book so enjoyable。 Instead of being written in an academic tone， Klosterman talks about the nineties as though he’s in a conversation with you。 This makes the book fly by in chunks， although I do wish some things weren’t glossed over or talked about about so briefly。 I’d recommend this book to anyone who was alive in the nineties。 I feel like they’d get the most enjoyment out of it。 。。。more

Meg ，

I have heard many people talk very highly about Chuck Klosterman's books although I have yet to read his work。 I was fortunately given an ARC from NetGalley for review。The Nineties is a collection of essays about different shifts and cultural happenings throughout the decade。 I found some of the essays really interesting and others not so much。 There was a brief essay on I believe it was the group the Spin Doctors？ I was unsure why that was added into the book。。。it did not quite make sense to me I have heard many people talk very highly about Chuck Klosterman's books although I have yet to read his work。 I was fortunately given an ARC from NetGalley for review。The Nineties is a collection of essays about different shifts and cultural happenings throughout the decade。 I found some of the essays really interesting and others not so much。 There was a brief essay on I believe it was the group the Spin Doctors？ I was unsure why that was added into the book。。。it did not quite make sense to me with some of the other things that were covered。 Such as， Bill Clinton， of course， and Biosphere 2 and what not。However， if you lived through the 90s or want a great visual idea of what it was like to experience he did a wonderful job bringing that to life in this book。 I see why it will be favorable or something people would like to read， however it just was not for me。 What I disliked the most is that I think it was just not my style of book。 The writing was really nice but this book helped me see that I am not a big fan of the essay-type books and perhaps just not interested enough in Klosterman or reading his views on subject matter but I do see why people read him。 That being said I gave it a 2-star rating because personally I could have spent 25m getting the same thing without spending hours reading a book。 。。。more

Jennifer ，

I received this book free of charge from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review。It’s always a little hit or miss with me when it comes to works by Chuck Klosterman。 This one kind of fell in the middle， but I’m ultimately going to call it a miss。 Born in 1980， I grew up in the 90s， so I was excited when I saw this。 The cover grabbed my attention。 The content in the book？ Not so much。 Parts were interesting （the chapter on the internet， VHS and how it changed movies）， some I had no interest in I received this book free of charge from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review。It’s always a little hit or miss with me when it comes to works by Chuck Klosterman。 This one kind of fell in the middle， but I’m ultimately going to call it a miss。 Born in 1980， I grew up in the 90s， so I was excited when I saw this。 The cover grabbed my attention。 The content in the book？ Not so much。 Parts were interesting （the chapter on the internet， VHS and how it changed movies）， some I had no interest in （the long chapter on Nirvana and rap）， and some I had no idea what was going on （ the chapter that started about clear beverages， transitioned to The Real World， and then talked at length about Biosphere 2）。In the end， I found myself skimming rather than reading。 It was hard to get invested and I DNF’d this at 51%。 Maybe slightly older readers will find this interesting and enjoyable， but it wasn’t for me。 Two stars， wouldn’t recommend。 。。。more

Dan ，

My thanks to NetGalley and the publisher Penguin Group- The Penguin Press for a copy of this social and pop culture study。Chuck Klosterman writes in his collection of essays， The Nineties: A Book， about the last decade of the twentieth century with all its foibles， weirdness and possibilities。 A popular president， that ended in scandal and the beginning of the rise of deplorables。 Music that seemed to come from everywhere and everyone， that soon destroyed the music industry as acquiring music ca My thanks to NetGalley and the publisher Penguin Group- The Penguin Press for a copy of this social and pop culture study。Chuck Klosterman writes in his collection of essays， The Nineties: A Book， about the last decade of the twentieth century with all its foibles， weirdness and possibilities。 A popular president， that ended in scandal and the beginning of the rise of deplorables。 Music that seemed to come from everywhere and everyone， that soon destroyed the music industry as acquiring music came from everywhere and everyone， just not the artists nor labels。 A decade that ended with a Supreme Court presidency， falling towers and endless wars。 And the Internet。The book is written as themed essays covering music， politics， sports， trends life and pop culture。 Lots of pop culture。 Some things will have been forgotten， somethings should better be forgotten。 The book is not a romp that the cover gives it， but a weighty study of a time and place， not a humor book that a lot of people might be expecting。 I'm not sure if the audience is better served having come of age in this decade， or just lived through it， as I am sure what seems super important to some might to older or younger people be like hmm， that's interesting， tell me more about Blockbuster， I read about that in Readly， Player One。As I lived through the nineties， I found some parts interesting， and those that I the time I did not， I didn't find interesting。 As a social history there is a lot more information than I expected which I enjoyed。 Fans of Mr。 Klosterman will definitely like this book， others might skim through to the sections they remember， and try to live in the past。 。。。more

Daniel ，

This was a joy to read！ What a wonderfully crafted work of history that somehow ties together an entire decade of culture， politics， sports， and everything else you can think of。 The 90's have not quite entered the gaze of professional historians but Klosterman expertly weaves together a collection of essays that somehow encapsulate what we were like at the dawn of the internet age we now inhabit。 Perfect for anyone who likes history， sociology， politics， or just existed in the 90s。 This was a joy to read！ What a wonderfully crafted work of history that somehow ties together an entire decade of culture， politics， sports， and everything else you can think of。 The 90's have not quite entered the gaze of professional historians but Klosterman expertly weaves together a collection of essays that somehow encapsulate what we were like at the dawn of the internet age we now inhabit。 Perfect for anyone who likes history， sociology， politics， or just existed in the 90s。 。。。more

Desi Wolff-Myren ，

The Nineties by Chick Klosterman is a collection of essays about different 90’s topics such as Nirvana and Kurt Cobain， Bill Clinton and the Clinton administration， the rise of the internet， Michael Jordan， among others。 While I did not find every topic to be the most interesting to me， the variety of 90’s topics covered is fairly wide so the average person will find something to enjoy。 The topics ranged from music， to sports， to politics， and everything in between。 With the book’s somewhat narr The Nineties by Chick Klosterman is a collection of essays about different 90’s topics such as Nirvana and Kurt Cobain， Bill Clinton and the Clinton administration， the rise of the internet， Michael Jordan， among others。 While I did not find every topic to be the most interesting to me， the variety of 90’s topics covered is fairly wide so the average person will find something to enjoy。 The topics ranged from music， to sports， to politics， and everything in between。 With the book’s somewhat narrow range （10 very specific years） it is intentionally reaching for an audience of Generation X’ers （or some older Millienials）。 As a person born in 1983 I found almost every topic covered in this book to have a connection to my “formative years” otherwise known as the nineties （middle school and most of high school）。 Recommended for people who are interested in learning about the 90’s or for people who lived through it and want to revisit it。 3。5/5 stars。 Thanks to NetGalley for providing me with a free copy of this book to review。 。。。more

Dubi ，

Chuck Klosterman， best known as an essayist mostly devoted to pop culture （although I've only ever read his novels）， tries to make sense of the decade in which he spent the better part of his 20s， the 1990s。 Using the fall of the Berlin Wall and the fall of the Twin Towers as bookends， Klosterman takes a critical look at the culture， politics， social and economic trends， and most significantly the technological advances of the decade。It's all here， even things you'd prefer to forget like Pauly Chuck Klosterman， best known as an essayist mostly devoted to pop culture （although I've only ever read his novels）， tries to make sense of the decade in which he spent the better part of his 20s， the 1990s。 Using the fall of the Berlin Wall and the fall of the Twin Towers as bookends， Klosterman takes a critical look at the culture， politics， social and economic trends， and most significantly the technological advances of the decade。It's all here， even things you'd prefer to forget like Pauly Shore and O。J。 Simpson。 Klosterman seems to find a place for everything， even if the approach is scattershot stream of consciousness。 You may not understand where he's going， but he appears to know how to get there。 The result is fascinating for anyone who remembers the unique qualities of the 90s。I remember the decade quite well。 While Klosterman spent his young adulthood during this time， for me the 90s， centered around my 40th year， began with marriage and ended with business success （tech of course）。 Two children were born along the way。 Making music may have fallen into hibernation， children filling any time left after 60-hour work weeks and two-weeks per month business trips， but I kept up with the musical currents of the decade。 Backpacking around the world became a thing of the past for me， but traveling for work filled in the gap。Two things stand out for me about the 1990s。 Of my six decades， now into a so-far disastrous seventh， the 90s were unique。 Yes there are some major exceptions like Rwanda， Bosnia， and Kuwait， but it was in general a time of unprecedented （and since unmatched） peace， prosperity， and progress。 Klosterman doesn't make much of this， perhaps （having not lived through 1968， the stagflation 70s， or the hair styles of the 80s） taking for granted a time of relative calm nationwide and worldwide that allowed Americans to focus on grunge， Seinfeld， Bill Clinton's indiscretions， and yes， Pauly Shore。If that quality of the 90s is understated， the impact of technology is grossly overstated。 I co-owned and operated a successful business throughout the 90s in the networking and cellular spaces。 Yes， the internet and mobile networks we now live inside of were creations of the 90s， but for the vast majority of us， they made no impact until the 21st century。 Not only was the iPhone years away （2007）， iPods weren't even introduced until 2001。 Unless you lived in Sweden or Finland， texting only gained acceptance in 2000 （AIM wasn't even launched until 1997）， social media even later （even MySpace did not exist until 2003 -- we were on Usenet in the 90s， the few of us who knew about it， remember Usenet？）。What was available technologically in the 1990s was opportunity， of which I was a beneficiary。 The Nineties starts out with a meditation on GenX as slackers due to the lack of opportunity left by the Boomers。 But that's wrong -- the economy of the 1990s was the best in my lifetime， it was rife with new possibilities for those willing to go for it， which would translate to the widespread popularity of these technologies in later decades。 The slackers of the 90s were just slow to see it， living in the past instead of imagining the future。So while I really enjoyed reliving a decade which ranks as my banner decade and may well be the world's best since， I don't know， ever？， I feel that Klosterman has stuck too closely to his personal point of view -- not that he could do anything else really， but I suspect he'd like his book to appeal to more than just his own generation。But in the grand scheme of things， I view these as mere quibbles about a book that I really liked， something to write about in a review that allows for some of my own analysis。 Thanks to NetGalley for an advance review copy in exchange for this honest review。 。。。more

Jillian Doherty ，

I love Klosterman's writing， this is by far the most nostalgic and fun！ From Nirvana， Titanic， Pulp Fiction to big hair and shoulder pads~ it warmly covers our relationship with the beginning of the 90s， compared to the end。 No one makes heady， hilarious， high philosophy out of low culture as he can。 Also with so much engrossing tech and stimulation these days， it felt comforting to think back on a simpler decade， and reminisce on it all。 Galley borrowed from the publisher。 I love Klosterman's writing， this is by far the most nostalgic and fun！ From Nirvana， Titanic， Pulp Fiction to big hair and shoulder pads~ it warmly covers our relationship with the beginning of the 90s， compared to the end。 No one makes heady， hilarious， high philosophy out of low culture as he can。 Also with so much engrossing tech and stimulation these days， it felt comforting to think back on a simpler decade， and reminisce on it all。 Galley borrowed from the publisher。 。。。more

Cori ，

Oh， Chuck Klosterman。 You just get the world into which we were born。 Furthermore， there is just something special about a peer who has the enviable ability to capture and explain our lived experiences for others in a smart， well-researched， and often hilarious manner。 Klosterman has the innate curiosity needed to collect the random flotsam of our social， political， and cultural history and make meaning of both the minor and major significance of events and people。 With The Nineties， Klosterman Oh， Chuck Klosterman。 You just get the world into which we were born。 Furthermore， there is just something special about a peer who has the enviable ability to capture and explain our lived experiences for others in a smart， well-researched， and often hilarious manner。 Klosterman has the innate curiosity needed to collect the random flotsam of our social， political， and cultural history and make meaning of both the minor and major significance of events and people。 With The Nineties， Klosterman is giving voice to the strange and pivotal decade that had a sweeping impact on the world at large。 More importantly for me， he points out the weirdness of Generation X （and the Boomers， but that’s not me！） experiencing two different worlds with the dividing line being before the internet and cell phone became ubiquitous。 I’m also kicking myself because I talk about that all the time！ But who am I kidding; I would have never created such a great work of research and commentary。 It’s an informative and nostalgic walk down memory lane， and you better believe I pulled out that oversized Ambercrombie & Fitch flannel I still have and played some Nirvana and other favorite grunge （on CD， of course） while enjoying this gem。 。。。more

Stetson ，

The Nineties by Chuck Klosterman is collection of thoughtful essays that tells a loose narrative about the 1990s。 Klosterman essentially argues that the nineties were characterized by a type of "post-modern" ambivalence， where it was paradoxically cool to nerd out on niche cultural artifacts （e。g。 Tarantino about eclectic or mediocre films that filled the shelves of Blockbusters） and be completely disinterested in events of major importance （e。g。 political participation and differentiation were The Nineties by Chuck Klosterman is collection of thoughtful essays that tells a loose narrative about the 1990s。 Klosterman essentially argues that the nineties were characterized by a type of "post-modern" ambivalence， where it was paradoxically cool to nerd out on niche cultural artifacts （e。g。 Tarantino about eclectic or mediocre films that filled the shelves of Blockbusters） and be completely disinterested in events of major importance （e。g。 political participation and differentiation were at local minimums）。 Klosterman weaves his arguments around some major events in the 90s like presidential elections， the Gulf War， the Oklahoma City Bombing， Y2K， 9/11， etc。 There is a special focus on music， politics， television and film of the era （expressed in the order of Klosterman's focus）。I found the way Klosterman's framing of the nineties compelling， probably in part due to its concordance with my understanding of that decade too （though I didn't experience it as an adult as a 90s baby myself）。 This is also likely due to the difficulty one would have characterizing the nineties in any other way。 The recent， popular historiography and cultural criticism is either so potent， so omnipresent， or so accurate that alternative visions are automatically unpersuasive。 However， within this prescribed vision Klosterman is pretty creative， insightful， and detailed。 He helps bridge that liminal space between our memory of the recent past and how the past actually was。However， several of the essays could be improved with expanded analysis and wider breadth。 For instance， we get several mentions of David Foster Wallace and his importance to the literary culture of the nineties， but we don't get any comments on his work。 Klosterman does try to focus more on items of popular culture but he still made time for discussion of several niche independent films and other much less impactful items of culture compared to Infinite Jest。 Moreover， some of the political commentary is a bit sophomoric or shortsighted。 Klosterman paints the election of 2000 as the watershed moment for hyperpartisanship， but a lot of extensive scholarship would indicate it was a trend that started much earlier and was largely unavoidable in light of a number of social forces。Overall， I recommend The Nineties to all culturally aware Gen-Xers and Millennials （maybe some Boomers will enjoy too）。***Disclaimer: I received this as an ARC through NetGalley。 。。。more

Matt ，

3。5 stars

Diana ，

My only complaint is that it wasn’t longer。

Manda Nicole ，

The Nineties is a reminder of that time before cellphones and Google， where it was OK to not know where your friend was， or what they are doing at every moment （such as on twitter） The 1990's was such a simple and easy time to grow up。 Join along as Klosterman ventures through everything from politics， to movies， to music， and other trends。 It was such a refreshing reminder of how things used to be back in my favorite decade to be alive。 With sharp wit， a touch of humor， and some interesting wri The Nineties is a reminder of that time before cellphones and Google， where it was OK to not know where your friend was， or what they are doing at every moment （such as on twitter） The 1990's was such a simple and easy time to grow up。 Join along as Klosterman ventures through everything from politics， to movies， to music， and other trends。 It was such a refreshing reminder of how things used to be back in my favorite decade to be alive。 With sharp wit， a touch of humor， and some interesting writing tactics this book is a can't miss for Gen X to reminisce， but also a great book to show our newer generations that we thrived on so many things that are now extinct。 This book isn't perfect， and you wont always agree with every word written， but I found myself enthralled in almost every essay anyway。 I definitely recommend this blast from the past。 Thank you to netgalley and publisher for providing an advanced e-copy for me to read and leave my honest opinion。 I feel very lucky to have experienced this book and cannot wait for it to hit shelves so I can spread it around to people I know will appreciate it。 。。。more

Patrick Pilz ，

A very funny look at the 90s covering all aspects of politics， cultural and social change with a dose of cynical commentary typical of Chuck Klosterman。

Nenia ✨ I yeet my books back and forth ✨ Campbell ，

OMG I HAD THAT PHONE

Jennifer Schultz ，

As someone who was a high school student during the 90s， I was eager to read this book。 Previous comments have stated that the beginning dragged a bit--I actually felt the opposite！ I read aloud bits to my husband （slightly older than me--not entirely a 90s kid！） because I was so invested in what I was reading。 People may quibble with parts that were left out， but I felt that this was a great overview of the decade。 Librarians/booksellers: Definitely purchase for your Gen X patrons！ Many thanks As someone who was a high school student during the 90s， I was eager to read this book。 Previous comments have stated that the beginning dragged a bit--I actually felt the opposite！ I read aloud bits to my husband （slightly older than me--not entirely a 90s kid！） because I was so invested in what I was reading。 People may quibble with parts that were left out， but I felt that this was a great overview of the decade。 Librarians/booksellers: Definitely purchase for your Gen X patrons！ Many thanks to Penguin/PRH and NetGalley for a digital review copy in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more

Jeremy ，

An excellent review of the 90s。 Klosterman does a great job weaving pop culture throughout his narrative。 I enjoyed thinking/relearning about events that we thought were important at the time that I've not thought about in 30 years。Recommended to all those 90s kids。 An excellent review of the 90s。 Klosterman does a great job weaving pop culture throughout his narrative。 I enjoyed thinking/relearning about events that we thought were important at the time that I've not thought about in 30 years。Recommended to all those 90s kids。 。。。more

Kady ，

Wasn't my favorite book of Chucks， but it was full of nostalgia for me so I had an amazing time with it。 Wasn't my favorite book of Chucks， but it was full of nostalgia for me so I had an amazing time with it。 。。。more

Krista ，

The feeling of the era， and what that feeling supposedly signified， isolates the nineties from both its distant past and its immediate future。 It was a period of ambivalence， defined by an overwhelming assumption that life， and particularly American life， was underwhelming。 That was the thinking at the time。 It is not the thinking now。 Now the 1990s seem like a period when the world was starting to go crazy， but not so crazy that it was unmanageable or irreparable。 It was the end of the twent The feeling of the era， and what that feeling supposedly signified， isolates the nineties from both its distant past and its immediate future。 It was a period of ambivalence， defined by an overwhelming assumption that life， and particularly American life， was underwhelming。 That was the thinking at the time。 It is not the thinking now。 Now the 1990s seem like a period when the world was starting to go crazy， but not so crazy that it was unmanageable or irreparable。 It was the end of the twentieth century， but also the end to an age when we controlled technology more than technology controlled us。 People played by the old rules， despite a growing recognition that those rules were flawed。 It was a good time that happened long ago， although not nearly as long ago as it seems。 I have always liked Chuck Klosterman — reading one of his books feels like talking to my younger brother， who has a similarly episodic memory for pop cultural moments and an ironic tone that masks wise insights — and Klosterman’s latest， The Nineties:A Book， seems particularly written for me （and others who lived through that decade as adults）。 Klosterman himself notes that every generation thinks that they’re living through times of intense change， and that’s because it’s always true， but the changes that occurred in the period between the falling of the Berlin Wall and the falling of the Twin Towers， as the world moved from analog to digital， were particularly revolutionary （and maybe I only agree with that thesis because I was an adult during those years）。 We went from people who were tied to our house phones if we were expecting a call， answering every call in case it was important — people who published our addresses and phone numbers in books that were freely distributed — to becoming a people who took our phones along in our pockets， often ignoring calls even from people we know， and made it illegal to “dox” — to publicly publish someone’s address and phone number online。 We went from watching fairly formulaic television — because it was the only thing on， and if you missed an episode， maybe you’d catch it in reruns — to “prestige television” like The Sopranos （which we could tape， then DVR， then stream and binge）， but more viewers watched an average episode of Seinfeld than the finale of The Sopranos。 The nineties were a time of nihilism and postmodernism and a desire not to be seen as trying too hard; the days of Nirvana and Friends and The Matrix; low speed chases and clear colas and domestic terrorism and both Lance Armstrong and Bill Clinton staring into a television camera and insisting that they did not do that thing that they totally did。 Klosterman says that people born after 1985 look back and say， “How could you have put up with all of that？”， and he replies， as do I， you really had to be there。 Because I was there， every little bit of this resonated with me， but I could see how some might see it as pointless navel-gazing about a decade that was about nothing。 As for me， I am happy that this book exists and that I got an early chance to read it。 （Note: I read an ARC through NetGalley and passages quoted may not be in their final forms。） （People born after WWII and before 1985） were forced to wrestle with an experience that reconstituted reality without changing anything about the physical world。 These interlocked generations — Boomers and Xers — will be the only people who experienced this shift as it happened， with total recall of both the previous world and the world that came next。 “If we’re the last people in history to know life before the Internet，” wrote Michael Harris in his book The End of Absence， “we are also the only ones who will ever speak， as it were， both languages。 We are the only fluent translators of Before and After。” My reaction to just about everything in this book was a highly personal one， and as I’ve decided to not make this a navel-gazing public review about my own personal experience of the 90s， I’m just going to put a bunch of quotes and notes behind spoiler tags for my own recollection。（view spoiler）[If I could change anything about this book， it would be to somehow shift the decade to cover 1985-1995 to better match my own experiences （and as Klosterman is five years younger than I am， perhaps the decade aligns perfectly for him as is。） I can accept that the following captures something true about me as a Generation Xer:The generational disinterest in contradicting any allegation of apathy proves that the allegations are correct。 Accusations of an overreliance on “irony” are met with ironic rebuttals。 It’s like a court case where the plaintiff and the defendant are both trying to win by making identical arguments。 The portrait is accepted as accurate because no one is particularly invested in arguing otherwise， and that will remain true for as long as the generation is remembered。 And the following is an eerily accurate assessment of how （and why） I left my university studies: Allan Bloom published an unexpected bestseller titled The Closing of the American Mind， claiming that the modern university system had prioritized relativism over critical thinking， inadvertently leading to nihilism — but Bloom was attacked for being elitist， out of touch， clandestinely conservative， and not really a philosopher。 The nihilism I felt was very real， and this was shared even by my friends who ended up finishing university。 As a group， we would go for coffee and write crowdsourced poetry and songs; all of them ironic and fatalistic。 On a whim， we got together once to record some of our songs。 Kevin had a synthesiser that he didn’t know how to play （when I later saw Ross on Friends sit down to a similar keyboard to “find his sound”， I totally lost it）， but we would select a synth beat and Kevin would just kind of make up chords and moods to go along with them。 We called ourselves Men in Comas and our feature song was called “Men in Comas （Get an Erection）” （because that was a hilarious thing that we heard could happen？）， and the cover of our cassette tape was a reproduction of Marilyn Monroe on the autopsy table， which Kevin had discovered in some book at the library and had photocopied over and over in black and white until he got the “fuzziness” of the gender just right; this was our photoshop。 We had a song called “Save Me a Cyanide Pill” （about committing suicide in the case of a nuclear war — which we assumed was coming — instead of living as a mutant in a hellscape）， “The Orphanage Song” （about being too ugly to get adopted）， and “The Train Bridge” （our country crossover， with half the lyrics in French， begging the high， rocking bridge to not fall down on us）。 I wish I could remember more of the songs （or that I still had my copy of the tape！）， but that was the mood in the late 80s。 We did not know if we would live out the century， and it made it feel like nothing mattered。 I remember thinking when the first Gulf War started in 1991， “This is it。” （And not uncoincidentally because I had been reading Nostrodamus and some details lined up about Armageddon happening in the Middle East， and that when Russia and China intervene， it would all be over。 [Something like that。] And it did frighten me。）My husband， on the other hand， only two years older than I am （born in 1965， so technically actually a Baby Boomer， even if I insist that he is not the same generation as my parents who were actually born right after WWII）， identifies more with the 70s and unironically loves everything about that decade: The seventies were beloved， but not as a historical period; the seventies were beloved as a collection of stuff， some of which was cherished precisely because it now seemed dumb。 He loves all that dumb stuff — the movies， the music， the television; the license plate on his ‘74 Dodge is 70S GUY — and I don’t know if that’s why the nihilism of my young adulthood seems to have skipped him; I couldn’t even get him worked up about the Gulf War at the time。 （Hello world， hear the song that we're singin'。 Come on， get happy！） Something about our different reactions to the times we were living through has lingered until today and the way that we embrace new technologies: He loves Spotify （but only to find familiar songs; he does not want an algorithm to guess what he’d like） and I prefer the human-touched randomness of FM radio; he won’t go anywhere without Google Maps （“Take this right， it’s two minutes faster”） but I would rather stick to my regular route and see what the two minute hold up is about; he will Google any little unknown/unremembered detail and I don’t mind not knowing every little thing （I will say that YouTube comes in handy when reading a book like this; I enjoyed rewatching videos like "Smells Like Teen Spirirt" and "Creep"; watching "Cop Killer" and "Fly Me Courageous" for the first time）; and ever since the first time I saw a sitcom without a laugh track （maybe The Office？）， I was sent along a postmodernist path that sees me now cringing at anything that is trying too hard to craft an “entertaining” experience for me — I feel totally done with Hollywood movies， popular fiction， live concerts with huge production values， and pretty much all scripted television。 （By contrast， my husband can still laugh at Gilligan’s Island， thinks The Rolling Stones and Bob Seger put on amazing live shows as geriatrics， and can well up at the most manipulated Hollywood death scene; his is a sincere heart。） I loved Friends when it first came out — I made my husband watch it with me because it was the first TV show I ever saw about people around our age — but by the time 1995 came around （the year that I would end my 90s decade on）， we were married， had a mortgage， a dog， and a baby on the way。 I remember I was pregnant and sitting at home when live footage of the Oklahoma City bombing interrupted whatever I was watching， and maybe it was the hormones， but that was pretty much the end of irony for me。 All those dead kids in a government building daycare， my first child in my belly， and I finally felt like a full adult who had to behave like everything did matter。 The OJ trial was going on at the same time， and while I might have previously been sucked into watching it as a shared cultural spectacle， I now found the idea totally distasteful; I no longer watched。 I even stopped watching Friends long before it was over; I had grown up and the friends had not。So， maybe as someone who was no longer going to allow myself to be sucked into the overfabricated entertainment machine， I’m not the right person to consider everything Klosterman had to say about movies from this era — that films like Reality Bites， Natural Born Killers， and American Beauty seemed perfect in their day but are now seen as problematic and trashy — and while I would agree that the home VCR and video rental stores absolutely transformed movie watching as a less restricted experience， they didn’t make me an auteur who internalised craft and form and who then proceeded to expertly critique what I was watching。 I don’t even know if the following is true: The mania surrounding DiCaprio in the wake of Titanic was astronomical， bordering on unsettling。 His unprecedented ascendance was the product of two divergent phenomena: He was the last actor to achieve superstardom as a vestige of the monolithic Hollywood system and the first actor to become a megastar within the emerging paradigm of postmodern celebrity。 He will always be the only person to have both of those experiences at the same time。 And while Klosterman writes a lot about sports in this book （so he must be a big sports nerd where I am not？）， I absolutely don’t believe this to be true:The late nineties will forever be defined as baseball’s Steroid Era， to the exclusion of all other events that transpired within that same window of time。 Okay， I really did like The Matrix — maybe because it didn’t actually feel like a big Hollywood movie despite mind-blowing special effects — and I agree with Klosterman that this is the defining film of the times:The Matrix seemed like it was about computers。 It was actually about TV。 There are a handful of news events from the nineties that are now used as historical data points。 The Clarence Thomas hearings of 1991。 The chase of O。 J。 Simpson in the Ford Bronco in 1994。 The shootings at Columbine High School in 1999。 These events destroyed lives and altered the future， and they happened the way that they happened。 Yet the collective experiences of all those events were real-time televised constructions， confidently broadcast with almost no understanding of what was actually happening or what was being seen。 The false meaning of those data points was the product of three factors， instantaneously combined into a matrix of our own making: the images presented on the screen， the speculative interpretations of what those images meant， and the internal projection of the viewer。 What is real？ How do you define real？ The Matrix resonated not because it was fantastical fiction， but because it was not。 These （and， I suppose， the Bush v Gore election and its endless vote recounts in late 2000） were the last culture-rattling events to be exclusively televised， with the horrific events of 9/11 being the first to receive immediate online dissection that now typifies the way that we are presented with the news。 And， if anything， the world feels even less real and knowable today。 （hide spoiler）] The past is a mental junkyard， filled with memories no one remembers。 If someone glances at the Billboard singles chart from any random week of the nineties， they will always find a handful of songs that were extremely popular before being wholly erased from the historical record 。 That process makes sense: The Billboard song chart contains one hundred “hot” songs that change every week， so a music fan who dislikes Top 40 radio might not hear a noteworthy single even once。 Movie theaters shuffle the decks every weekend。 Sales for a high-profile novel might stall at ten thousand copies before the book goes out of print five years after it was published。 Most popular entertainment is designed to be niche and disposable。 For this reason， if no other， I’m glad that The Nineties: A Book exists; it might have been a placeholder decade about nothing， but by its end， the world had changed forever and I am pleased that Klosterman has preserved and analysed the highlights。 Worked for me。 。。。more

Rather。be。reading1 ，

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this book。 I am sort've obsessed with the '90s so I figured I would like this book。 I did end up really enjoying it。 The intro was great and each chapter thereafter was very thorough。 Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this book。 I am sort've obsessed with the '90s so I figured I would like this book。 I did end up really enjoying it。 The intro was great and each chapter thereafter was very thorough。 。。。more

Darius Ostrowski ，

“The Nineties: A Book” is another set of interesting essays and observations from Chuck Klosterman。 It is amazing how much I had forgotten， or just failed to realize， about the 1990s。 Much like Mr。 Klosterman， I am a Gen-X adult， the last people who firmly remember and grew up with one foot in the analog era， one foot in the start of the digital age。 And this book is a reminder of that time before cellphones and Google， where it was OK to not know where your friend was， or who was calling on the “The Nineties: A Book” is another set of interesting essays and observations from Chuck Klosterman。 It is amazing how much I had forgotten， or just failed to realize， about the 1990s。 Much like Mr。 Klosterman， I am a Gen-X adult， the last people who firmly remember and grew up with one foot in the analog era， one foot in the start of the digital age。 And this book is a reminder of that time before cellphones and Google， where it was OK to not know where your friend was， or who was calling on the other end of the phoneline， or whether Nelson Mandela was dead or alive。 If you missed your favorite TV show， you would have to wait for a rerun。 It seemed amazing that you could go to a video store and watch a movie in your own home – would it ever get any better than this？Mr。 Klosterman takes us through all of that and more – politics （Nader and Perot both had outsized influences on who became president）， culture， sports， food （Pepsi Clear and Zima）， music （Smells Like Teen Spirit）， movies （yes， Titanic） and much， much more。 You don’t always have to agree with his conclusions and perspectives， but （unlike some of his previous works） Mr。 Klosterman is usually quite interesting。 And yes， some of these essays seem to be pretty random， but so what？ Enjoy the trip。 If you lived through the 1990s， this is a great reminder of things you probably forgot。 If you didn’t， prepare to be amazed at exactly how different life was not so long ago。I requested and received a free advanced electronic copy from PENGUIN GROUP， The Penguin Press via NetGalley。 Thank you！ 。。。more

Morgan ，

I think I was expecting more of， well， a fun nostalgia trip through the Nineties supported by witty modern prose。 Instead， this is painfully boring and meandering。 Major events through music， politics， movies， and the news are covered， but there is no real flow to the "story" progression。 I've been interested in reading Klosterman for awhile now， but I think I'm going to walk that urge back。 As for the Nineties， maybe they're best covered on VH1。ARC provided by NetGalley I think I was expecting more of， well， a fun nostalgia trip through the Nineties supported by witty modern prose。 Instead， this is painfully boring and meandering。 Major events through music， politics， movies， and the news are covered， but there is no real flow to the "story" progression。 I've been interested in reading Klosterman for awhile now， but I think I'm going to walk that urge back。 As for the Nineties， maybe they're best covered on VH1。ARC provided by NetGalley 。。。more

Reference

google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=The Nineties: A Book

hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=The Nineties: A Book&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft

The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,The Nineties: A Book&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0