The Nineties
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- Create Date：2022-02-10 10:51:43
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- Author：Chuck Klosterman
- ISBN：0735217955
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Summary
The Nineties: 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 '90s 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。
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 '90s 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。
Reviews
Allen Adams
，
Chuck Klosterman is arguably the preeminent writer of pop culture commentary of the past 20 years。 I say “arguably” only for the sake of others – to my mind， it’s him and then everyone else。 No one else has come close to putting together his combination of wry observation， pop expertise， humor and sheer flat-out writing ability。So to say that I was enthusiastic to get my hands on a book where Klosterman deconstructs the 1990s – the decade where I too came of age with regard to cultural understan Chuck Klosterman is arguably the preeminent writer of pop culture commentary of the past 20 years。 I say “arguably” only for the sake of others – to my mind， it’s him and then everyone else。 No one else has come close to putting together his combination of wry observation， pop expertise， humor and sheer flat-out writing ability。So to say that I was enthusiastic to get my hands on a book where Klosterman deconstructs the 1990s – the decade where I too came of age with regard to cultural understanding – would be an undersell。 My expectations were sky high – so high that I wondered if I had put the bar out of reach。My concerns were utterly unfounded。In “The Nineties，” Klosterman turns loose his considerable powers on a singular decade， one that marked a significant turning point in the direction our culture has taken。 It is a thoughtful and engaging trip down the Gen-X rabbit hole， exploring a variety of impactful moments and events of that timeframe both in terms of what happened and – most importantly – the differences between that reality and our memories of it。Despite what you may think， this is not a nostalgic book。 In so many ways， the fog of nostalgia clouds our perspective on the past。 Klosterman not only steers clear of that impulse， he pushes in a direction that is more straightforwardly analytical。 This is a book that explores what happened and the subsequent consequences， and along the way， he breaks down the difference between the truth of the moment and the fictionalized stories we tell ourselves。It starts with the very definition of the 1990s。 Klosterman argues – quite convincingly， I might add – that the ‘90s as an era began with the fall of the Berlin Wall and ended with the events of 9/11。 This is not a story that starts on January 1， 1990 and ends on December 31， 1999; it’s considerably more fluid like that， just as so many previous eras loosely defined by decades were。As he tends to do， Klosterman goes full polymath here; while his focus is on popular culture， the truth is that all aspects of our experiences are reflected through said pop culture。 Hence， we get chapters that dig into all manner of topics – music and sports and movies， sure， but also political and technological and sociological realities as well。Right from the jump， Klosterman hits us with the unreliability of memory， choosing the now-ubiquitous notion of the Mandela Effect – something simply didn’t exist in the pre-internet age because if you didn’t know a fact and someone gave you an answer， odds are you just went with it， since you didn’t have access to the sum of all human knowledge via a device in your pocket。You likely won’t be surprised by some of the entry points Klosterman uses here。 There’s a great chapter about Nirvana， of course， though through that， we venture into a much more discursive conversation about the now-quaint notion of “selling out，” an act that was viewed as an ultimate sin then， but has become essentially a goal within itself （though some had that goal in the moment – see Brooks， Garth）。Politically， Klosterman devotes time to both the bizarre and ultimately Quixotic Ross Perot campaign for President in 1992 and the in-retrospect-baffling wide support for Bill Clinton in the midst of the scandal surrounding his affair with Monica Lewinsky。 In both cases， we’re reminded of just how different our perspectives were and left to ask ourselves some interesting questions with the benefit of hindsight。Do you ever consider how the explosive proliferation of the VCR in the 1990s influenced the movie business？ How it fundamentally altered not just our ability to see movies， but the types of movies that would ultimately get made？ Or how dismissive so many people initially were about the overall utility of the internet？ How drastically and relatively suddenly our modes of communication changed？Klosterman digs into these things and more。 The MLB players strike of 1994 and Michael Jordan’s retirement from basketball to go flail at minor league fastballs for a while。 The brief and inexplicable desire of corporations to sell us clear versions of other things。 The omnipresence of TV and the waning days of the monoculture。 “The Real World” and Biosphere 2， O。J。 Simpson and Clarence Thomas。 The evolution of fame and what that even means。 On and on， discussing things you remember， things you don’t … and things you think you remember。There’s a lot of thought given to the basic interiority of Generation X as well。 Just as one example， he engages with the conversation surrounding a film like “Reality Bites，” where we’re ostensibly shown two sides of the same coin （and where we’re reminded that our initial impression of that film has likely changed in the ensuing years – i。e。 Ethan Hawke’s slacker philosopher Troy versus Ben Stiller’s go-getter Michael） proves an apt way in which to contrast the prevailing attitudes of then versus now。Each of the chapters is followed by a brief interstitial of sorts， a few pages devoted to an oppositional or mirrored perspective to what came before。 Through striking this balance， we’re taken even deeper into the ideas and ideologies being explored and expressed， both then and now。“The Nineties” is a bit different than the usual Klosterman fare。 It’s a bit headier and a bit more serious， though he never loses track of the sense of the absurd that makes him such an engaging read。 Serious， but not self-serious， if that makes sense – Klosterman is writing from a place of thoughtful consideration and in-depth analysis， but he also never stops being funny。 It is a clever， smart book that will evoke memories while also causing you to question those same memories。Seriously， how cool is that？This isn’t the first attempt to contextualize the 1990s in the face of today。 Nor will it be the last。 One imagines that there will be plenty of examinations – nostalgic and otherwise – of this particular period。 However， I don’t anticipate that anyone will be able to write a book on the subject that feels nearly as genuine， nearly as lived-in， as Klosterman has。As someone who came of age during this period， “The Nineties” hits me where I live。 The fact that it’s Chuck Klosterman doing the hitting makes it exponentially better。 So throw on your flannel， put your “Nevermind” CD on in the car and head to Blockbuster to see what you can find in the rows between the walls of new releases。Or better yet， just buy this book。 。。。more
Jill Elizabeth
，
I'm such a fan of Chuck Klosterman。 I've always found his books so resonant - they're like talking to someone I grew up with。 His age， background， and life trajectory track my own pretty closely， so I find him very relatable。 Pair that with an engaging writing style and you have a formula for an enjoyable read。 The book covers all the high points - and many of the low - of the era and the mixture of politics， culture， pop culture， and sensibility is round and robust。 I thoroughly enjoyed it！ I'm such a fan of Chuck Klosterman。 I've always found his books so resonant - they're like talking to someone I grew up with。 His age， background， and life trajectory track my own pretty closely， so I find him very relatable。 Pair that with an engaging writing style and you have a formula for an enjoyable read。 The book covers all the high points - and many of the low - of the era and the mixture of politics， culture， pop culture， and sensibility is round and robust。 I thoroughly enjoyed it！ 。。。more
Lori
，
As someone who lived through the entire decade but only began to develop a cultural awareness toward the late '90s， this book didn't ping as much nostalgia for me as， say， an （inevitable？） retrospective on the '00s would。 Instead， I found myself reacting to many of the touch points with the same bemusement one has when looking through an old family photo album。 Do I remember that， or do I remember seeing the photo （or in this case， old footage） of that？ The absence of personal nostalgia and firs As someone who lived through the entire decade but only began to develop a cultural awareness toward the late '90s， this book didn't ping as much nostalgia for me as， say， an （inevitable？） retrospective on the '00s would。 Instead， I found myself reacting to many of the touch points with the same bemusement one has when looking through an old family photo album。 Do I remember that， or do I remember seeing the photo （or in this case， old footage） of that？ The absence of personal nostalgia and first-person experience allowed me to enjoy the book， the first half especially， as a digest of the decade （though it should be mentioned this is an American-centered view of the 1990s）。 The pop cultural moments were more interesting to me than the examination of politics or sports， but that's just personal preference and not indicative of the writing itself。 I enjoy Klosterman's writing style， enjoy a good footnote， and found the book a solid read overall。Thanks to NetGalley and Penguin for providing me with an ARC of this book。 。。。more
Umar Lee
，
3。5。 Will review at length soon。 Klosterman touched upon a lot of key nineties events and trends and the book was very good at times。 However， I can't give him a pass on this very white middle-class American version of the nineties， which omitted numerous things that were important to Black Americans， Latinos， the working-class， and an international audience。 Also。。。 I'm Gen X and I couldn't name a single song by Nirvana， Radiohead， or Liz Phair， and haven't even heard of half of these films he 3。5。 Will review at length soon。 Klosterman touched upon a lot of key nineties events and trends and the book was very good at times。 However， I can't give him a pass on this very white middle-class American version of the nineties， which omitted numerous things that were important to Black Americans， Latinos， the working-class， and an international audience。 Also。。。 I'm Gen X and I couldn't name a single song by Nirvana， Radiohead， or Liz Phair， and haven't even heard of half of these films he discussed。 。。。more
Josh Peterson
，
I don’t want to be too prisoner of the moment， but this might be my favorite Klosterman book yet。 I love the 90s， and I love talking about the 90s。 And it starts so fun and darn near carefree， as it goes through music， movies， and TV of the day。 The Internet changing everything。 Even though it didn’t really change that much in the moment。 And then it hits on the darker moments of the decade。 I couldn’t put it down。 The last chapter was great work。 I love this book。 9。5/10
Julien
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As insightful as a houseplant and about as interesting
Tracy
，
I am GenX。 I was in my teens and early twenties during the nineties。 I still love Nirvana and Guns n Roses。 I remember Blockbuster fondly。 I even had the phone on the cover of this book on my desk while I did my homework and wrote my term papers。 And speaking of term papers， that is exactly what this book reads like… the author had to pick a decade and write a term paper on it。 I didn’t dislike it， but I didn’t really enjoy most of it。 It was well-written and well-researched， but so dry。 I loved I am GenX。 I was in my teens and early twenties during the nineties。 I still love Nirvana and Guns n Roses。 I remember Blockbuster fondly。 I even had the phone on the cover of this book on my desk while I did my homework and wrote my term papers。 And speaking of term papers， that is exactly what this book reads like… the author had to pick a decade and write a term paper on it。 I didn’t dislike it， but I didn’t really enjoy most of it。 It was well-written and well-researched， but so dry。 I loved the idea of this book， but The Nineties turned out to be far more dull than the ‘90s ever were。 If you’re interested in recent history definitely pick this up -- just be warned it’s not really a warm fuzzy romp through pop culture。I'm grateful to NetGalley and Penguin Group/Penguin Press for the opportunity to read and review The Nineties。 。。。more
MB KARAPCIK
，
Chuck Klosterman， the people's intellectual， presents his latest treatise on political events， pop culture， and more with his book， The Nineties。 I couldn't wait to get my hands on it because I always enjoy hearing his opinion even if I may disagree。 However， I find his writing style and opinions mostly insightful and amiable， so it's rare I disagree。 The book's topics dance between the serious and not so serious about what was the 1990s。 He covers the grunge movement and Nirvana while also refl Chuck Klosterman， the people's intellectual， presents his latest treatise on political events， pop culture， and more with his book， The Nineties。 I couldn't wait to get my hands on it because I always enjoy hearing his opinion even if I may disagree。 However， I find his writing style and opinions mostly insightful and amiable， so it's rare I disagree。 The book's topics dance between the serious and not so serious about what was the 1990s。 He covers the grunge movement and Nirvana while also reflecting on former President Clinton's legacy and scandals as well as shocking stories about the Oklahoma City bombing and the Heaven's Gate cult。 But you'll also get a taste of the Titanic， Seinfeld， and， of course， coverage of the O。J。 Simpson trial。 In fact， some stories or cultural touchstones you may have forgotten。 He also shows the evolution of the phone， so the cover photo really speaks to that monumental change in telecommunications。During the book， you may be surprised how much times have changed and how the ominous threat of Y2K felt back in the day。 It's a good recap of 1990s events that you may have filed away or misremembered。 Some passages covering different events or fads can be somewhat dense and may start out where you're not sure where the author is taking you， but stay with him--it all works out in the end。 If you do pick up this book， remember to read the citations。 I am a fan of Klosterman's， so I should have done so because it adds so much to what he's written about a particular time or event。 The last sentence or paragraph was so incredibly powerful and made what happened in the 1990s feel like child's play when you know what's coming up。 The whole tone of the book changes， and it literally made my heart sink。 The 1990s almost seem innocent after reading that last bit。 It was seriously brilliant and profound but so dark and unlike the more whimsical passages Klosterman writes。 Since we're the same age， I feel like he captures the atmosphere of the era perfectly。 So， if you're a fan， it's more than worth it to read this。 And take a look at his other nonfiction books as well--they're so good。Thank you PENGUIN GROUP， Penguin Press for an advanced reading copy of this book in exchange for an honest review！ It was a pleasure！ 。。。more
Lindsay
，
4。5 stars
Cindy
，
I've read Chuck Klosterman's books of essays before so I knew what I expected and this did not disappoint。 Some topics were more interesting to me （movies， TV， science） than others （music， politics， tech） but every chapter reminded me of chapters of my life in the 1990s。 It was so enjoyable to be reading along and say to myself， "Oh， yeah！ Tyson bit off Hollifield's ear！" or "Oh， yeah！ Dolly the sheep。。。 Garth Brooks pretended he was Chris Gaines for awhile。。。 Thursday night NBC TV！" Klosterman I've read Chuck Klosterman's books of essays before so I knew what I expected and this did not disappoint。 Some topics were more interesting to me （movies， TV， science） than others （music， politics， tech） but every chapter reminded me of chapters of my life in the 1990s。 It was so enjoyable to be reading along and say to myself， "Oh， yeah！ Tyson bit off Hollifield's ear！" or "Oh， yeah！ Dolly the sheep。。。 Garth Brooks pretended he was Chris Gaines for awhile。。。 Thursday night NBC TV！" Klosterman is easy to read， but always smart and insightful。 He raises these memories then puts them in context of how they may have influenced the world we inhabit today。 And he very charmingly explains how these crazy things （"Why did a computer chip need to know what year it was in order to work？ If an Apple computer thought it was 1900， would it somehow believe it had not yet been invented？"） didn't seem crazy at all at the time。 The book seems to be equal parts nostalgia for people who lived though the nineties and explanatory text for younger people who didn't。 I recommend this one。 。。。more
SHAMALAA DAYVI
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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 Superb
Ann Marie
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This book is unlike anything Klosterman has ever done before and I LOVED it。 I am a big old Chuck fan and have every book he’s ever even thought about writing。 🤓If you’ve ever read Klosterman’s books before， they are traditionally in the form of essays in which he analyzes some aspect of pop culture with his signature wit and freaking astute observations。 I’m thinking that the pandemic left Klosterman with some serious time on his hands because this book is ACADEMICCC。 We’re talking several page This book is unlike anything Klosterman has ever done before and I LOVED it。 I am a big old Chuck fan and have every book he’s ever even thought about writing。 🤓If you’ve ever read Klosterman’s books before， they are traditionally in the form of essays in which he analyzes some aspect of pop culture with his signature wit and freaking astute observations。 I’m thinking that the pandemic left Klosterman with some serious time on his hands because this book is ACADEMICCC。 We’re talking several pages of sources in the back and everything。 This is without a doubt the smartest and most-researched thing he’s ever written。 And just wow。 As someone who was born in the mid-80s and considers the decade of the 90s as my childhood， this book was fascinating。 It’s like， I remember most of the things he talks about， but with a kid’s brain so reading this book is giving me such perspective on the decade。 Y’all， I don’t think there’s a part of the 90s he leaves out。 He talks about Gen X， Nirvana， The Matrix， OJ Simpson’s Bronco， hanging chads， Columbine， Tupac， Ross Perot， video stores， Tarantino， Titanic， the 1998 College Football Championship （What up， Tennessee？？）， this newfangled thing called the internet， the actual ingredients of Zima， Napster， Michael Jordan trying to be a baseball player， Garth Brooks trying to be Chris Gaines 🤦🏼♀️， Dolly the sheep， Seinfeld vs。 Friends， the Unabomber， Jar Jar Binks， Y2K， and I am telling you - if it ain’t in there， it probably didn’t happen。 If you love a good nonfic with killer footnotes you have come to the right place！ And YES， I did have that phone on the cover but with a green tint。 😎😎😎Thank you to @penguinpress for sending me this wonderful book！ ❤️❤️❤️ 。。。more
Venky
，
Renowned culture critic and acclaimed music journalist， Chuck Klosterman attempts an acerbic encapsulation of the sign of times that was the Nineties。 Pyrrhic obsessions and petulant trends are recollected in a biting style of writing that pulls no punches。 The Nineties represented a decade where thousands of movie goers flocked to the theatres at the screening of the now forgotten Brad Pitt movie， Meet Joe Black， only because the theatres were airing the trailer of another upcoming Star Wars mo Renowned culture critic and acclaimed music journalist， Chuck Klosterman attempts an acerbic encapsulation of the sign of times that was the Nineties。 Pyrrhic obsessions and petulant trends are recollected in a biting style of writing that pulls no punches。 The Nineties represented a decade where thousands of movie goers flocked to the theatres at the screening of the now forgotten Brad Pitt movie， Meet Joe Black， only because the theatres were airing the trailer of another upcoming Star Wars movie， The Phantom Menace。 Imaging paying a full priced ticket， only to walk out of the theatre the moment a trailer of an upcoming production， ended！ The nineties as Klosterman writes， was a paradoxical cluster of ten years。 Obstinately riding on the coat tails of the Eighties， this was also a decade that stridently strove to divest itself of previous mores and birth new legacies of its own。 “Every new generation tends to be intrigued by whatever generation existed 20 years earlier，” asserts Klosterman。The sheer breadth of eclectic topics covered by Klosterman is mildly putting it， eye popping！ The extensive bricolage includes the pervasive rise of the VHF phenomenon， the embrace of musical albums such as Nirvana’s ‘Nevermind‘ ; novels such as Generation X: Tales for an Accelerated Culture， the fledgling rise of modem based internet and the emergence of television as a force to reckon with， with sit coms such as Seinfeld; and Friends。 All these trends not just spawned a subculture of their own but inevitably （although inadvertently） set off an entire industry of copycats that played out competing versions ad nauseam。 In fact according to Klosterman， ‘Nevermind’， denoted ‘the inflection point where one style of Western culture ends and another begins’。The VHF cult in fact ought to take the credit for the rise of nonconformist film directors such as Kevin Smith and Quentin Tarantino。 The duo cocked a thumb at prevailing film making mores and instituted a hitherto unimagined and oeuvre of film making。Klosterman argues that TV was smack in the middle of events defining the nineties。 The key seminal public discourses were predisposed by live TV performances， like the infamous O。J。 Simpson trial （not to mention the chase sequence involving Simpson， a coterie of cops and thousands of cheering onlookers， an event that was telecast live on television for 45 minutes thereby interrupting a key sporting event taking place simultaneously）， or Clarence Thomas’s visceral and clinical outrage that trumped Anita Hill’s more subdued testimony。 The latter case， in 1991， assumed especial significance since the threats of sexual harassment cast an ominous shadow over the confirmation of Justice Thomas as associate justice of the U。S。 Supreme Court。 Thomas was nominated by President George H。 W。 Bush to succeed Thurgood Marshall。 Thomas ultimately prevailed。 These broadcasts， in the words of Klosterman represented， “real-time televised constructions， confidently broadcast with almost no understanding of what was actually happening or what was being seen。”Vitriolic wit and mordant humour， two infallible trademarks of the Klosterman School of Writing find liberal expression in the book。 The passages were Klosterman alludes to the dangerous practice of “Oprahfication” of things where criticisms and adumbrations are appropriated taking recourse to a devious slant are in one part humorous and in two other parts， introspective。“The Nineties” is a spectacular Hodge podge of entertainment and emotions。 Just like the nineties。 Tupak Shakur， Eminem， Leonardo Di Caprio， Bill Clinton， Ralph Nader， Kevin Spacey， Alanis Morrissette and scores of others waft in and out of this incredible book at the speed of light。 The discombobulated nineties， according to Klosterman， is best epitomised by a profound and metaphysical conversation adorning the sci-fi flick Matrix produced by the Wachowski Brothers。 （The Wachowski brothers， incidentally， are now the Wachowski Sisters。 Larry and Andy Wachowski， after successful undergoing gender altering surgeries are now Lana and Lilly Wachowski respectively。The protagonist in the movie， （played by Keanu Reeves）， Neo， upon learning that the world is nothing， but a make believe convoluted and complex computer simulation， asks: “This isn’t real？” Morpheus （played by Lawrence Fishburne）， the character who reveals the state of things and play to a befuddled Neo， laconically and sardonically responds， “What is real？ How do you define real？”（The Nineties: A Book by Chuck Klosterman is published by the Penguin Press and will be available for sale from the 8th of February 2022 onwards）Thank You Net Galley for the Advance Reviewer Copy！ 。。。more
David Cluck
，
3。5 stars; there were some incredible chapters and then a few that I just didn’t find as enjoyable。
Kara Sofilka
，
I received an eARC from @NetGalley in exchange for an honest review。Klosterman can do no wrong in my eyes。 I’ve been reading his work for the past 16 years， and he’s an auto buy author for me。 I thoroughly enjoyed this retrospective of high points of the nineties。 Klosterman does come across as pretentious to me at certain points in the book， but I willingly overlook that。 I love his perspective， I love what topics he includes， and I just love his writing。
Brian
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I dislike the fact that he， like so many others only gives credit to Nirvana for grunge music， when in fact Layne Staley and Alice in Chains released Facelift in 1990 and it became the first grunge album to break the top 50 on the billboard charts。 Nevermind wasn’t released til a year later。 It is so frustrating to see people give so much credit to Nirvana for grunge when Alice In Chains was the first band to break grunge into the mainstream。 As soon as I read that he lost most of his credit as I dislike the fact that he， like so many others only gives credit to Nirvana for grunge music， when in fact Layne Staley and Alice in Chains released Facelift in 1990 and it became the first grunge album to break the top 50 on the billboard charts。 Nevermind wasn’t released til a year later。 It is so frustrating to see people give so much credit to Nirvana for grunge when Alice In Chains was the first band to break grunge into the mainstream。 As soon as I read that he lost most of his credit as an author to me。 。。。more
Steve
，
You guys， reading this fascinating and insightful trip down memory lane felt like getting long-delayed therapy for something I didn't even know I needed therapy for。 First of all， things have changed *a lot* since the 90s。 Obviously！ But it was helpful to contemplate the details of that with a considered guide。 Also， that era shaped me， as a Gen Xer， in very specific ways that I hadn't been able to see entirely。 Thirdly， we think of today's era as being crazy （and， oh， it is！） but the 90s were c You guys， reading this fascinating and insightful trip down memory lane felt like getting long-delayed therapy for something I didn't even know I needed therapy for。 First of all， things have changed *a lot* since the 90s。 Obviously！ But it was helpful to contemplate the details of that with a considered guide。 Also， that era shaped me， as a Gen Xer， in very specific ways that I hadn't been able to see entirely。 Thirdly， we think of today's era as being crazy （and， oh， it is！） but the 90s were crazy in their own way。 One of the things this book makes clear is the huge impact that the much-needed and long-delayed understanding that the #MeToo reckoning has brought about on a culture-wide level。 Looking back with Klosterman at the Clarence Thomas hearings - and some of the pop culture of the time - with a fresh eye was， uh， illuminating。 （Did people understand the truths of women's lives back then？ Many， sure。 I remember writers like Susan Faludi opening my eyes in the early 90s。 But the *cultural* shift is what is so dramatic to see here。）Klosterman is commendably forthcoming about his limitations in perspective， and those limitations become obvious in places。 Quibbling with him along the way was， for me， part of the fun。 Sometimes， in places， he struggles to come up with a thesis and falls into recap mode。 When he does， it's honestly still very interesting。 It is always analytically astute enough that I never felt it sank into nostalgia。 But when he does cook up a thesis here and there， it's generally pretty bold and interesting and well worth wrestling with。 I'll be buying this book and re-reading passages。 This one gave me conversation fodder for days and days。 。。。more
Erin I
，
I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review。I want to remember the 90's。 The phone on the cover of this book， which I myself had proudly displayed on my nightstand as a kid， suggested The Nineties would contain reminders and analysis of similarly wildly popular items and events that have since fallen into the deep recesses of our collective consciousness。 Unfortunately， Klosterman rehashed a lot of the usual talking points: OJ Simpson， the Clinton/Lewinsky scan I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review。I want to remember the 90's。 The phone on the cover of this book， which I myself had proudly displayed on my nightstand as a kid， suggested The Nineties would contain reminders and analysis of similarly wildly popular items and events that have since fallen into the deep recesses of our collective consciousness。 Unfortunately， Klosterman rehashed a lot of the usual talking points: OJ Simpson， the Clinton/Lewinsky scandal， Seinfeld， Michael Jordan。 Also unfortunate， this is a collection of essays that have little in common except for the fact that they're generally about the 90's。 Within essays， the voice is meandering and circumferential。 It was difficult to discern what points Klosterman was trying to make as he connected random subjects without transition。 It ended up reading like a somewhat academic stream of consciousness from the mind of a cis hetero white Gen Xer。 That's not bad， and a lot of people will enjoy。 It was just a droning， laborious read for me， and did not scratch my itch for nostalgia （or deliver the lighter tone and humor implied by the cover）。 。。。more
Lori L （She Treads Softly）
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The Nineties: A Book by Chuck Klosterman is a highly recommended look back at the decade of the 1990's。Presented as a group of essays or discussions of a wide variety of topics randomly organized and interconnected， Klosterman covers cultural observations from the 90's。 This sweeping collection of topics covers major trends in music， TV， film， radio， sports， political moments， technology， and more。 The decade was bracketed between the fall of The Berlin Wall （11/9/89） and the Twin Towers collaps The Nineties: A Book by Chuck Klosterman is a highly recommended look back at the decade of the 1990's。Presented as a group of essays or discussions of a wide variety of topics randomly organized and interconnected， Klosterman covers cultural observations from the 90's。 This sweeping collection of topics covers major trends in music， TV， film， radio， sports， political moments， technology， and more。 The decade was bracketed between the fall of The Berlin Wall （11/9/89） and the Twin Towers collapsing。 It is the era of grunge， Seinfeld， the reunification of Germany， videotape， The X-Files， Bill Clinton， clear drinks， landlines and phone books， Ross Perot， The Phantom Menace and Jar Jar Binks， Art Bell and Coast to Coast AM， Waco， Columbine， Cops， hanging chads， Dolly the sheep， Michael Jordan， and so much more。Looking back at the 90's through Klosterman's eyes is both entertaining and perceptive。 His essays provide a shrewd and diverse look back at a time when you didn't have anything trending or going viral。 If a story was a big news event， it really was news worthy。 People living during this time were the last ones to know life before the Internet。 If you remember the 90's， you will remember the sounds involved in dial-up internet service。 You will also remember life before everyone had a cell phone and you depended on a landline where you never knew who was calling and had to answer the phone。 You also were not connected all the time and could actually be unavailable。 There were no binge watching shows。 If you missed an episode， you had to wait for reruns。 Video rental stores were huge。Disclosure: My review copy was courtesy of the Penguin Publishing Group。http://www。shetreadssoftly。com/2022/0。。。 。。。more
Christina
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DNFd at 50% 😔The moment I saw this book， I knew I had to read it。 I mean， my sister had that exact phone on the cover！ I imagined it being nostalgic and funny and hopefully even a little thought-provoking。 I was a child/teen during the 90s and was excited by the idea of experiencing the decade again as an adult。 I hate to say it， but I was disappointed。 The chapters are long， very long， and jump from one topic to another with the thinnest of threads connecting them。 The last chapter I read start DNFd at 50% 😔The moment I saw this book， I knew I had to read it。 I mean， my sister had that exact phone on the cover！ I imagined it being nostalgic and funny and hopefully even a little thought-provoking。 I was a child/teen during the 90s and was excited by the idea of experiencing the decade again as an adult。 I hate to say it， but I was disappointed。 The chapters are long， very long， and jump from one topic to another with the thinnest of threads connecting them。 The last chapter I read started off with a few paragraphs about Zima and Crystal Pepsi， then moved on to The Real World， Biosphere 2， New Age Thinking， Dolly the Sheep， Jurassic Park and other movies having to do with cloning， and finally ended with a discussion about a Radiohead album。 It's wordy and much more academic than I was expecting。 This isn't necessarily a criticism， it's just not what I was in the mood for。 I'm sure many people will enjoy this book， but I have a suspicion that it might be most enjoyable to Gen X， as that's who the author mostly speaks to。 Thank you NetGalley and Penguin Press for providing me with an advanced copy of this book。 。。。more
EVAN
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"The Nineties" is an interesting study。 It starts from the premise that the 1990s were the last era in which Americans could reasonably be seen as working from a common set of facts， even if the conclusions differed。 Mr。 Klosterman suggests that the pre-Internet era of the 1990s represented the last era in which news and entertainment were given to us en masse rather than curated。 Yet， there's an implicit comparison between the Tv-native Gen X （i。e。， the first generation to grow completely up wi "The Nineties" is an interesting study。 It starts from the premise that the 1990s were the last era in which Americans could reasonably be seen as working from a common set of facts， even if the conclusions differed。 Mr。 Klosterman suggests that the pre-Internet era of the 1990s represented the last era in which news and entertainment were given to us en masse rather than curated。 Yet， there's an implicit comparison between the Tv-native Gen X （i。e。， the first generation to grow completely up with TV and thus more aware of what it was and wasn't） and the digital natives of Gen Z。 The book is written from an unabashedly Gen X perspective， contrarian and cynical （see the chapter on the Perot effect on the 1992 race），。 Ultimately， he seems to be nostalgic for a world in which we weren't all plugged in 24/7 and where we didn't have the ability to pick and choose the news we heard。Thank you Net Galley for providing an advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more
Lowen
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I went into this thinking it might be more of a fun nostalgic look back at pop culture and politics from the 90s and although there was some of that you have to wade through a lot of very heavy information too that I just could not get through。 Although there were some bits that did interest me as someone born in the 90s but who was too young to have much of an understanding of what was going on at the time。
Justin Hall
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This books was amazing！ Thanks to PRHAudio for the COMPLIMENTARY AUDIOBOOK！This is my second Klosterman book and I am already ready to read another。 This book flows with grace and explains and guts the nineties for what it was and how it has subsequently effected life as we know it。 I'm a little obsessed now with learning more about the decade I grew up in。 I knew some of everything he brought up but most of it was much heavier than I had seen it。Really wonderful book！ This books was amazing！ Thanks to PRHAudio for the COMPLIMENTARY AUDIOBOOK！This is my second Klosterman book and I am already ready to read another。 This book flows with grace and explains and guts the nineties for what it was and how it has subsequently effected life as we know it。 I'm a little obsessed now with learning more about the decade I grew up in。 I knew some of everything he brought up but most of it was much heavier than I had seen it。Really wonderful book！ 。。。more
Krista Rausch
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Listen， assigning a grade to a Chuck Klosterman book is kind of ridiculous。 Such scores are supposed to signal to other people the value you’ve placed on a book and whether they should read it。 But with Klosterman in particular， each reader’s relationship to his writing seems distinctively unique。 A five-star rating is going to mean next-to-nothing to an ardent detractor， while his biggest cheerleaders would write off a one-star rating as the opinion of a person who just “doesn’t get it。” Neithe Listen， assigning a grade to a Chuck Klosterman book is kind of ridiculous。 Such scores are supposed to signal to other people the value you’ve placed on a book and whether they should read it。 But with Klosterman in particular， each reader’s relationship to his writing seems distinctively unique。 A five-star rating is going to mean next-to-nothing to an ardent detractor， while his biggest cheerleaders would write off a one-star rating as the opinion of a person who just “doesn’t get it。” Neither is wrong; it's just that subjectivity and confirmation bias seem to have an even more outsized significance with his work。 So for you to place any weight on what I think of any given Klosterman book， you should know exactly where I’m coming from。 I started reading him shortly after the release of Fargo Rock City and thought both it and Sex， Drugs and Cocoa Puffs were fantastic。 Ditto Killing Yourself to Live。 However， over the past 17 years， my enthusiasm for each new project has progressively waned， and the guy who I once would have loved to have a beer with slowly started feeling like the insufferable nag at the bar who thought he was smarter than you and gleefully tried to prove it until last call。 Moreover， his writing started to feel like real empty calorie content — pretty fun to read， but without any lasting impression。 More and more， I would finish one of his essays and struggle to remember how it began or what the hell his point was。 In other words， I’ve found myself really torn but have continued to read each new book， looking for the spark I once felt while reading him dissect Saved by the Bell like it was To Kill a Mockingbird。 So how does someone like me feel about Chuck’s new offering， The Nineties？ It’s fine。 The distinct impression I’m left with is that Klosterman is officially embarrassed or bored with pop culture criticism， because his more overt forays into the trends and entertainment of the 90s read like either stereo instructions or the result of a thesaurus coming to life and dry humping his keyboard for hours on end。 The chapters on Generation X and the internet are so laborious as to be unpleasant。 At one point， Klosterman describes reading an essay from the 1980s on the evolution of culture， describing one passage as “an unwieldy sentence to grasp。” I could only sadly nod my head， ironically knowing exactly how he felt。 On the other hand， there is certainly content in The Nineties that is a joy to read。 Interestingly， his chapters on the presidencies of George H。W。 Bush and Bill Clinton are probably the most vibrant and engaging， making me think that we’d all be better off if he completely dropped the pop pretense and gave us a tome on the current state of democracy or the historical importance of James K。 Polk。 Occasionally， he seems to recapture his love of the inane， like his breakdown of the short-lived Zima/Crystal Pepsi revolution。 After I decided upon my rating for The Nineties （a 2 out of 5）， I glanced at what other readers had thought of the book and indeed found responses across the board， including many that raved of its brilliance。 There is every conceivable chance that you will be blown away by The Nineties， too。 If， however， you are like me， and have been teetering back and forth for the better part of two decades on how you feel about Klosterman’s continued output， The Nineties will like exactly more of the same。 Thanks to Net Galley and Penguin Press for the advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review。 。。。more
Kelly
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This is my third recent nonfiction read that discusses how history can not be explored or understood as history until enough time has passed that we're no longer "living through" that history。 See Music Is History and Major Labels: A History of Popular Music in Seven Genres。 It likewise dovetails nicely into the work of podcasts like "History of the 90s" and "You're Wrong About。"Klosterman's book is an exploration of the actual history of the 1990s through politics and pop culture。 It's fascinat This is my third recent nonfiction read that discusses how history can not be explored or understood as history until enough time has passed that we're no longer "living through" that history。 See Music Is History and Major Labels: A History of Popular Music in Seven Genres。 It likewise dovetails nicely into the work of podcasts like "History of the 90s" and "You're Wrong About。"Klosterman's book is an exploration of the actual history of the 1990s through politics and pop culture。 It's fascinating how he takes disparate stories and weaves the narrative together， with plenty of "why was the media obsessed with Michael Jordan's baseball career that meant nothing， really？" If this kind of history is your jam， you'll like it。 If you're looking for an answer or a thread that unifies the 90s or Gen X， it's there AND not there， for purposeful reasons。 I'll be curious what's said about the '00s when that can be seen as history， especially as Klosterman doesn't touch on Millennials much， particularly those Xenniels like myself， who really do straddle the bizarre worlds of "online all the time" and "was never online。" Also: I had that phone and it was my favorite thing。 。。。more
Lyra
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First things first - I had that phone in green toward the end of the 80’s。 The cover definitely pulled me in。 I enjoyed this more than a lot of the author’s other works - the historical perspective on the ‘90s shows that a lot of what seemed earth-shattering at the time wasn’t， but rather how the adjacent stories set up divisions and tensions manifesting today。 As I read through sections on the 90’s and the central experience of TV， it made me curious what will be written in 20 years about meme First things first - I had that phone in green toward the end of the 80’s。 The cover definitely pulled me in。 I enjoyed this more than a lot of the author’s other works - the historical perspective on the ‘90s shows that a lot of what seemed earth-shattering at the time wasn’t， but rather how the adjacent stories set up divisions and tensions manifesting today。 As I read through sections on the 90’s and the central experience of TV， it made me curious what will be written in 20 years about meme culture and social media trends。 Worth reading。 。。。more
Douglas Perry
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Chuck Klosterman doesn’t believe his generation is anything special。 It’s not the most ambitious or most exciting， it’s not the biggest or baddest。But Generation X， he insists， does have one key attribute: it’s the “least annoying。”To prove this assertion， he’s written a book about the 1990s， the decade when the bulk of Gen Xers were in their 20s -- that is， when they were at their most annoying。“The Nineties，” like all of Klosterman’s work， is idiosyncratic and amusing and very rarely irrita Chuck Klosterman doesn’t believe his generation is anything special。 It’s not the most ambitious or most exciting， it’s not the biggest or baddest。But Generation X， he insists， does have one key attribute: it’s the “least annoying。”To prove this assertion， he’s written a book about the 1990s， the decade when the bulk of Gen Xers were in their 20s -- that is， when they were at their most annoying。“The Nineties，” like all of Klosterman’s work， is idiosyncratic and amusing and very rarely irritating。 It’s lack of portentousness can be found right there on its cover。David Frum’s 2000 book about the 1970s， “How We Got Here，” offers the subtitle: “The Decade that Brought You Modern Life -- For Better or Worse。”The title of Mark Kurlansky’s 2004 tome about one year in the sixties， “1968，” has the kicker: “The Year That Rocked the World。”The subtitle for Klosterman’s book about the ’90s: “A Book。”“The Nineties: A Book” is a highly personalized evaluation of recent American history。 Klosterman， author of memoirish pop-culture-driven books such as “Sex， Drugs and Cocoa Puffs，” came of age in the fug of 1990s grunge， that brief， anti-celebrity period when wannabe rock stars wore their hair long in the front because they didn’t want anyone to look at them。This was indeed a different world， one that， in some cases， is now as remote as the 19th century。Homophobia， Klosterman points out， was still “ingrained” in the culture in the 1990s， a commonplace theme for stand-up comedians and rappers。 At the same time， mainstream movies tended to be more interesting than today because political correctness hadn’t yet banished nuance。“Multiple scenes in ‘Kids’ would now qualify as triggering， and the use of such young actors in scenes so graphic would be considered damaging to the performers，” Klosterman writes。 “The elements of satire lodged within ‘In the Company of Men’ would be willfully misinterpreted。”Inevitably， of course， the 1990s is about the arrival of new media technologies that would upend our lives in endless ways large and small。The decade was the last one when you could walk out your door and truly be unreachable。 The last one when your only option for distraction often was the real world。 （Binge-watch almost any nineties sitcom and you’ll come across a scene in which the advent of the mobile phone is mocked。 Why would anyone but a ridiculous popinjay want to carry around a phone all the time？）Klosterman’s take on all of this is often fascinating and insightful， prompting the reader to think about what our relentlessly connected world has done to our brains， to our sense of selves， to our physical environments。 That said， none of it is driven by scholarship。 “The Nineties” is a book about the author’s specific interests。 In the acknowledgements， he admits the work is an “inessential project。”It’s still an entertaining tour。 Klosterman skillfully analyzes Gen-X touchstones like Quentin Tarantino and “Seinfeld，” Nirvana and Garth Brooks。 He points out that sexist， old-school （i。e。， Boomer） rock critics mindlessly dismissed Alanis Morrisette， missing completely her particular genius and why she captured the zeitgeist。This leads， seamlessly， into politics and the brewing culture war that is now， 25 years later， all-encompassing， suffocating。 Here again， the nineties provided a stark change from preceding decades。 The Soviet Union had suddenly collapsed。 Our only enemy now was right in front of us， in line at the grocery store， in the next seat over at the movie theater。 The fights we picked with each other were absurd， especially when viewed from the distance of two-plus decades （though they’re heady stuff compared to so much of the name-calling today）。Klosterman’s thesis is that the 1990s was the decade Americans became unmoored from reality。 But here’s the twist: it wasn’t because of the fledgling internet。 Cable TV news is the villain。The Clarence Thomas hearings， the Los Angeles riots， the O。J。 Simpson “chase，” the Columbine shootings， the 2000 election recount: these events， among others， were all “real-time televised constructions， confidently broadcast with almost no understanding of what was actually happening or what was being seen。”Why is this so meaningful？ Why is this a turning point in human history？ Klosterman quotes from the 1999 movie “The Matrix，” when Gen-X hero Keanu Reeves learns that the world is actually a complex simulation:“This isn’t real？” Reeves asks。The response:“What is real？ How do you define real？” 。。。more
Natalie
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Thanks for the ARC， Netgalley！ This collection of writings on various components of the 90's was a real eye opener into trends I had never considered。 I enjoyed Klosterman's assessment of the band Nirvana in stark contrast to the message Kurt Cobain himself put forth， and I found it interesting the comparison drawn between Tupac and Cobain's deaths。 The 90's definitely seemed like an almost surreal decade。 People weren't fighting with each other， and everyone had hope and looked to the 2000s as Thanks for the ARC， Netgalley！ This collection of writings on various components of the 90's was a real eye opener into trends I had never considered。 I enjoyed Klosterman's assessment of the band Nirvana in stark contrast to the message Kurt Cobain himself put forth， and I found it interesting the comparison drawn between Tupac and Cobain's deaths。 The 90's definitely seemed like an almost surreal decade。 People weren't fighting with each other， and everyone had hope and looked to the 2000s as this exciting future on the horizon。 Klosterman chose various aspects to highlight curious facts， including presidencies， scandals， bands， sports， movies， TV Shows， the internet。 While I got lost in the politics and sports portions at times， they weren't so overwhelming， and someone unfamiliar with those subjects could still understand and read through。 I didn't notice any political leanings from the author， either， more just a stick to the facts and observation through a dry lens humor sort of approach。 I learning many interesting things， and I will be recommending this title to anyone as obsessed with pop culture and the 90's as I am！ 。。。more
Dave
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I have meant to read Klosterman for some time now and when I saw his new book about the nineties I was convinced and not disappointed。 This book covers the span of time from the fall of the Berlin Wall to 9/11 which is a good way to sum up the decades mentality and it’s creation and end。 I would definitely recommend this author for his astute observations， keen eye， and humor。 Thank you to the publisher for providing me with this drc available through edelweiss。
Anne Pascucci
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Thank you to Netgalley for an early copy of this book in exchange for an honest review。I could not get into this book。 It was well researched and well written but unfortunately not for me。 It is highly informative but reads more like a textbook than something relaxing and pleasurable to read。 There were some interesting tidbits but overall I did not finish it。
Reference
google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=The Nineties
hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=The Nineties&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft
The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,The Nineties&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0