The Nineties: A Book
- Downloads：2868
- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2023-02-26 18:21:40
- Update Date：2025-09-08
- Status：finish
- Author：Chuck Klosterman
- ISBN：0735217963
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
Reviews
Cwelshhans
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Some good insights， but it didn’t hold together for me as a premise or a history。
Kim Bowers
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I liked Closterman’s books in college but in todays day with so many podcasts， this seemed totally unnecessary and verbose。 I did enjoy the 5 minutes on Pauly Shore and loved all of his movies。 Other than that， this is a pass for me and took a while to get through。
Loona Mets
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pole tükk aega raamatu puhul tundnud， et ma tõesti-tõesti ei taha， et see läbi saaks。
Chrissie
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Honestly， I don't know what to say about Klosterman's The Nineties that hasn't already been said。 However， some of my favorite things about the stuff being said can be found in the less-than-stellar reviews （pro and amateur） — because they unwittingly tap directly into the commonly applied label Generation X receives: apathy。What I love about that term — when affixed with Gen X — Klosterman addresses in The Nineties， for the most part。 He touches on why the accusation ends up being circular in n Honestly， I don't know what to say about Klosterman's The Nineties that hasn't already been said。 However， some of my favorite things about the stuff being said can be found in the less-than-stellar reviews （pro and amateur） — because they unwittingly tap directly into the commonly applied label Generation X receives: apathy。What I love about that term — when affixed with Gen X — Klosterman addresses in The Nineties， for the most part。 He touches on why the accusation ends up being circular in nature。 Bert says Sally is apathetic， but Sally — mainly， in my opinion and experience， coming from a place of acceptance of events and driving， innate self-sufficiency （which Klosterman doesn't include） — doesn't care about Bert's opinion of her。 Whatever， man。 This in turn only reinforces his understanding of his accusation and use of the word 'apathy。' It's quite amusing， actually。I'm a baby Gen Xer。 I was born at the end of 1978 and fall more in line with the micro-generation Xennials in many ways。 Nevertheless， Gen Xer， I am。 When I was in the full-fledged workforce in my very early twenties （at a bank in the foreign exchange department on the trading floor）， I had some of the older segment of Gen X literally argue with me about being in their cool kids generation。 I found it more than amusing and a wee bit irritating。 Regardless， I'm glad this book exists， and that a Gen Xer wrote it because apparently， our self-sufficiency and go-with-the-flow persistence has landed us in the spot of being a forgotten generation。 An omission that only makes us laugh and roll our eyes — because， obviously。 Klosterman fills the frame with such studied deliberation， while springboarding himself from one topic smoothly into the next。 He covers all the areas that encompassed， shaped， and halted the nineties。 From big world events to strange pop culture phenomena， Klosterman's lens spans the panoramic view of life in a decade that defines a generation。Audiobook， as narrated by the author: Only a nerdy Gen Xer could've successfully narrated this one。 His delivery was great — snark and sarcasm mixed with delicious facts and figures all tying together what makes our own generation so varied and yet so singular。 。。。more
Gee
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3。5*4* for the nostalgia， 3* for the glibness
Jenni V。
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This was full nostalgia for me because the 90s were my formative years （ages 11 - 20）。 It was more analytical than I expected it to be at first glance but that's completely my fault for grabbing it based on title alone。 I was a little intimidated by the small， dense print but once it got past the intro， the chapters were broken up into smaller pieces so I was able to settle in and not feel as overwhelmed。Am I the only one that didn't know the Mandela Effect was named for Nelson Mandela？It made m This was full nostalgia for me because the 90s were my formative years （ages 11 - 20）。 It was more analytical than I expected it to be at first glance but that's completely my fault for grabbing it based on title alone。 I was a little intimidated by the small， dense print but once it got past the intro， the chapters were broken up into smaller pieces so I was able to settle in and not feel as overwhelmed。Am I the only one that didn't know the Mandela Effect was named for Nelson Mandela？It made me laugh when the author talked about That 70's Show and what would happen if they made That 80's Show or That 90's Show since both have happened （the author noted the 80s was a flop; the 90s just came out but seems to be popular for having the right mix of old familiarity and new characters）。Quote From the Book"In the pre-Google world， the internet had changed the way people thought about computers and communication。 In the post-Google world， the internet changed the way people thought about life。"Find all my reviews at: https://readingatrandom。blogspot。com 。。。more
Nathan Perkins
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I lived through the 90s and remember most of what classroom entering on his documentary of the century。 Klosterman expertly evaluates the century through the lens of its influence。 I will read another one of his books。 I hope you enjoy this one， too。
Laura Hammdorff
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The potential of experiencing the 90s as a mid/late teen is the one thing that makes me wish I were 5-10 years older。 Even so， I remember enough of the 90s to love this book- it’s nostalgic and informative， cataloguing the impact of sports， music， politics and past decades on the 90s and the people who came of age during it。
Spraying Bricks
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Thoroughly enjoyed this book。 Although I am a millennial and this book is essentially aimed at GenXers I felt I resonated with some of the music and pop culture trends。 It also gave me a better understand of some of the political nature of the nineties and how it had a knock on effect for my generation。 It’s a great theoretical insight into the introduction of the internet and how that has shaped future generations and trends both negatively and positively。 How despite the seeming individuality Thoroughly enjoyed this book。 Although I am a millennial and this book is essentially aimed at GenXers I felt I resonated with some of the music and pop culture trends。 It also gave me a better understand of some of the political nature of the nineties and how it had a knock on effect for my generation。 It’s a great theoretical insight into the introduction of the internet and how that has shaped future generations and trends both negatively and positively。 How despite the seeming individuality current GenZers hold actually pales in comparison to GenXers due to the fact that during the nineties we didn’t just have the ability to confirm or deny what we were told and what we learnt at the tip of our fingers。 The Millenium really did spark such a drastic change in societal constructs both good and bad。 。。。more
Katie
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DNF。 I got bored and couldn’t finish。 I guess I don’t remember enough from the 90s to find it interesting。 🤷♀️
creepyaliengirl
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Idk why I'm reading this :） Idk why I'm reading this :） 。。。more
Dan Coye
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I had a blast with this。
Tim Combes
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I was born in 1995， which gives me a strange relationship with the nineties。 I was there but not really。 I experienced almost half of it but have a clear memory of none of it。 We moved from Michigan to Kentucky in December of '99， so I can easily place my memories in their correct decade simply by location。 My memories of the nineties include my fourth birthday party at Caesarland （Little Caesar's version of Chuck E。 Cheese I doubt anyone knows existed）， eating a bagel， and a nightmare I had in I was born in 1995， which gives me a strange relationship with the nineties。 I was there but not really。 I experienced almost half of it but have a clear memory of none of it。 We moved from Michigan to Kentucky in December of '99， so I can easily place my memories in their correct decade simply by location。 My memories of the nineties include my fourth birthday party at Caesarland （Little Caesar's version of Chuck E。 Cheese I doubt anyone knows existed）， eating a bagel， and a nightmare I had in which the local swimming pool was infested with alligators。The content of Klosterman's essays on the nineties has the same feeling as those memories。 There's little he talks of that I don't have some concept of--the white bronco chase， the Monica Lewinski scandal， Nirvana--but I experienced none of it while it was happening。 This book feels like its cover， a return to a safer time when things were simpler and more colorful， both literally and in the sense that one's memories always seem safer and more vibrant than the present。 The connections and contextualizations he's able to make about the decade feel similar to a shrink preferring the meaning of a dream you once had。This book is a palimpsest。 It is both about the nineties and the present， insofar as everything ever written bears the mark of its own time period。 Klosterman writes of the nineties to the people of today and therefore is constantly comparing then to now， both directly and indirectly。 He's trying to make sense of the recent past in the context of the present， leaving one to wonder how different this book would be if it were written ten years ago or ten years from now。 I'm sure Klosterman would be the first to say that it would look very different。 One of the main themes of "The Nineties" is that the meaning of anything is almost entirely dependent on what moment in time its meaning is being considered， with initial considerations often coming across as either inscrutable or clearly wrong to people just a few decades later: "the process of revisionism is constant。 It happens so regularly that it often seems like the only reason to appraise any present-tense cultural artifact is to help future critics explain why the original appraisers were wrong" （302）。"The Nineties" is Klosterman's 2022 attempt at nineties revisionism。 Whatever it gets wrong by future standards is belied by its self-awareness of that fact， and its considerations of the meaning of revisionism and changing times。 The book gets four stars for readability and insight and loses one star for barely talking about The Simpsons。 。。。more
Anna
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While encompassing an entire decade， this book felt extremely personal。 That is not a good thing。 The author’s own predisposition leaks through and it serves less like a historical recount of the nineties， and more like your uncle bemoaning a handful of bad years he had after college。 It is impossible to define a decade and a generation with just one voice， and while Klosterman notes this， he does nothing to combat it or expand his limited parameters。
Milene Farkas
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Enjoyed listening even though it was a lot more about politics in the 90s then I would have thought。 However， it wasn’t one sided to either political view but more so just the run down of elections and comparing candidates。 （Pretty much that nothing has changed 20+ years later: they are always close， people always want a recount， everyone thinks their party is better and Democrats won’t acknowledge a Republican as “their” President if they didn’t get their way）。 The beginning talked a lot more a Enjoyed listening even though it was a lot more about politics in the 90s then I would have thought。 However， it wasn’t one sided to either political view but more so just the run down of elections and comparing candidates。 （Pretty much that nothing has changed 20+ years later: they are always close， people always want a recount， everyone thinks their party is better and Democrats won’t acknowledge a Republican as “their” President if they didn’t get their way）。 The beginning talked a lot more about some of the events of the 90s and really made you think about how we can’t really understand how things were unless you were living it。 One interesting point that really stuck out to me was the addiction of phones and how having a landline was a bigger problem than cellphones because they dictated your life plans if you were waiting for a call。 It’s amazing how life has changed so much and so quickly！ 。。。more
Nick Jones
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Loved it。
MrsEnginerd
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Like the phone on the cover， the book is colorful， transparent， and iconic。 The humorous recounts were spot-on for those of us who lived through the decade。 It's a good read for those born after 1989， and those who need to better understand how the transition into social media and the internet occurred。 Would work well for a classroom book report， or as a supplement to US or world history courses （for extra credit）。Because of the nature of the material and opinions， this is one of those works be Like the phone on the cover， the book is colorful， transparent， and iconic。 The humorous recounts were spot-on for those of us who lived through the decade。 It's a good read for those born after 1989， and those who need to better understand how the transition into social media and the internet occurred。 Would work well for a classroom book report， or as a supplement to US or world history courses （for extra credit）。Because of the nature of the material and opinions， this is one of those works best experienced than described。 I give it a solid 4。5， as it is a worthy addition to my library。Enjoy！ 。。。more
Julien L
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Even better the second go around; Klosterman really tries his best from the perspective he's limited to。 I feel like if he were to try and write about the nineties from outside the prism of his own experience， it would have been tonally inappropriate。If you listen to any of the podcasts he's on， you can see him threading ideas from things he's read and talked about in here， such as Mark Fisher's work and the movie Reality Bites and the concept of authenticity。 It's a synthesis of all the ideas h Even better the second go around; Klosterman really tries his best from the perspective he's limited to。 I feel like if he were to try and write about the nineties from outside the prism of his own experience， it would have been tonally inappropriate。If you listen to any of the podcasts he's on， you can see him threading ideas from things he's read and talked about in here， such as Mark Fisher's work and the movie Reality Bites and the concept of authenticity。 It's a synthesis of all the ideas he's thought about publicly for a few years。 。。。more
Fredrik deBoer
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I'm very up-and-down on Klosterman - when I don't like his work I find it intensely annoying - but this book worked for me on pretty much every level。 Entertaining， insightful， and filled with striking facts and anecdotes， it's a love letter to a decade that still manages to be thoroughly critical and jaundiced。 There's love here but it's tempered with the right level of cynicism。 The question， I think， is about the degree to which Klosterman spends time on the parts of the 90s that you're most I'm very up-and-down on Klosterman - when I don't like his work I find it intensely annoying - but this book worked for me on pretty much every level。 Entertaining， insightful， and filled with striking facts and anecdotes， it's a love letter to a decade that still manages to be thoroughly critical and jaundiced。 There's love here but it's tempered with the right level of cynicism。 The question， I think， is about the degree to which Klosterman spends time on the parts of the 90s that you're most interested in; for example， I personally could have done with a little more music and little less sports。 （Could have done with something on post-grunge， late-90s alternative music like Modest Mouse and where that school went after the initial buzz faded。） But this is going to depend on your own interests。 Overall， a really great primer with an unusually clear point of view。 。。。more
Jess
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I always enjoy Klosterman’s thought process and insights。 I felt like there were a lot of ideas strung together but that they weren’t always synthesized into a complete thesis in some of these essays。
Jodi
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Rounded up from 3。5The decade that seems like it was just last decade to this 1981 baby。 I missed a lot of the pop culture as a kid， but appreciated the discussion。 90s music will never not be mine and my husband's favorite， so I loved the frequent call backs to it。 The entire essay on Nirvana did go long， and the internet chapter got really into the weeds。 Columbine happened when I was a senior and that and 9/11 were two of the national events that affect me the most to the present day。 W vs Go Rounded up from 3。5The decade that seems like it was just last decade to this 1981 baby。 I missed a lot of the pop culture as a kid， but appreciated the discussion。 90s music will never not be mine and my husband's favorite， so I loved the frequent call backs to it。 The entire essay on Nirvana did go long， and the internet chapter got really into the weeds。 Columbine happened when I was a senior and that and 9/11 were two of the national events that affect me the most to the present day。 W vs Gore was the first time I voted， and it was interesting to learn more about how the general public viewed both of them （my favorite memory from then was the fake debates on SNL with Darrell Hammond as Gore and Will Ferrell as W）。 Now I want to read more deep dives into the 90s。 。。。more
Jacqueline
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I'm not gonna lie， I totally fell for the cover + subject matter of this book despite having done the same thing almost 20 years ago when Sex， Drugs， and Cocoa Puffs was featured in an episode of The O。C。 A cool cover and ~think pieces on pop culture~ just appeal to me！ I love think pieces and tying in how celebrity/political figures， books， music， films， etc capture the zeitgeist。 However， for both of Klosterman's books that I've read， I've been left unimpressed。 We have pretty similar interest I'm not gonna lie， I totally fell for the cover + subject matter of this book despite having done the same thing almost 20 years ago when Sex， Drugs， and Cocoa Puffs was featured in an episode of The O。C。 A cool cover and ~think pieces on pop culture~ just appeal to me！ I love think pieces and tying in how celebrity/political figures， books， music， films， etc capture the zeitgeist。 However， for both of Klosterman's books that I've read， I've been left unimpressed。 We have pretty similar interests （I appreciated his Dinosaur Jr。 reference in a title chapter of this book that went unacknowledged， I too have read Infinite Jest， I've always been a white guy in my interests tbh） but I don't really find most of what he says that funny or interesting or insightful。 For most of the book it was more like "oh cool， I remember AOL" or whatever。 Some essays were more interesting than others， specifically the 2000 election / Clinton administration （I guess maybe I find his political commentary slightly more engaging）， but I was left with no significant takeaways or revelations。 Just that I'd like to go back in time and check out DVDs from Blockbuster/old school Netflix and troll on AOL chat rooms again。 。。。more
Clint Hubbard
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This book was good。 I think had I spent my more formative year in the 90s instead of the 2000s， it would have been more impactful。 But it was still a very interesting and I learned a lot about the 90s and now have a better understanding of how our culture developed and changed through that time period。 Worth a read if you're interested。 This book was good。 I think had I spent my more formative year in the 90s instead of the 2000s， it would have been more impactful。 But it was still a very interesting and I learned a lot about the 90s and now have a better understanding of how our culture developed and changed through that time period。 Worth a read if you're interested。 。。。more
Kelly Jean
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I listened to this as an audiobook。 It was very interesting and in depth。 Very fact-based and I loved how he related information throughout the decade。
Sandra Foreman
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This was a very interesting dissection of both historical events and pop culture。 While I lived through the 90’s I want really old enough to understand a lot of the events that were happening as they happened。
Diane Zimmer
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Liked this book。。。。non fiction！ Story of the time since graduation （1990） of high school until my first child in 2000。 Loved all the pop culture chapters，if it was all that I would give it a 5 star。 The politics and biodome parts are not my cup of tea， 3 star。 Interesting to sum up a decade like this！！
Emily Ray
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Great fun to read if you're an 80s baby/90's kid。 Or if you just love modern American history。 Great fun to read if you're an 80s baby/90's kid。 Or if you just love modern American history。 。。。more
Daniel Story
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Boring and whiny。 Couldn't get past the 25% mark Boring and whiny。 Couldn't get past the 25% mark 。。。more
Angela
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My favorite， and only， decade。
Kimberly Brooks
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