The Nineties

A Book

By: Chuck Klosterman

Narrated by: Chuck Klosterman, Dion Graham

Length: 12 hrs and 39 mins

Publisher's summary

An instant New York Times bestseller!

“Informative, endlessly entertaining.”—BuzzFeed

“Generation X’s definitive chronicler of culture.”—GQ

From the author of But What If We’re Wrong comes an insightful, funny reckoning with a pivotal decade

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. Landlines fell to cell phones, the internet exploded, and pop culture accelerated without the aid of technology that remembered everything. It was the last era with a real mainstream to either identify with or oppose. The ’90s brought about a revolution in the human condition, and a shift in consciousness, that we’re still struggling to understand. Happily, Chuck Klosterman is more than up to the job.

In The Nineties, Klosterman dissects the film, the music, the sports, the TV, the pre-9/11 politics, the changes regarding race and class and sexuality, the yin/yang of Oprah and Alan Greenspan, and (almost) everything else. The result is a multidimensional masterpiece, a work of synthesis so smart and delightful that future historians might well refer to this entire period as Klostermanian.

©2022 Chuck Klosterman (P)2022 Penguin Audio

Critic reviews

“In The Nineties, Klosterman examines the social, political and cultural history of the era with his signature wit. It’s a fascinating trip down memory lane.” —Time

“Always an astute cultural observer and a fan of deep dives into any subject, Klosterman is focused here on a decade in American life that he says is often portrayed as ‘a low-risk grunge cartoon’ . . . Klosterman’s gift is seizing on those moments that any Gen Xer can readily recall and pulling the strings a bit to put it in some kind of historical perspective.” —Associated Press

“Serving up the moments and meanings of a modern decade in a few hundred pages is no easy task, but Chuck Klosterman has managed to boil a hearty stew of insight. . . . [Klosterman is] a master of smooth setups and downbeat finishes.” —USA Today

Great fun overall

Felt like I'm experiencing my childhood once again but with a grown up perspective

not what I expected but enjoyable

I knew of Chuck Klosterman from his short essays like sex drugs and Cocoa Puffs. when I started the book it wasn't what I expected and I initially didn't think I would like it. by the end though I really enjoyed it and I think he did a good job of connecting Trends in the 90s to things that are still going on today. I was afraid it was going to be overly heavy on the Nostalgia which I'm not a big fan of but instead I think it was a critical analysis of a decade and the implications for the future

Easy read and good nostalgia

Enjoyed the book. Took awhile to get used to the narrator but the content is great.

Masterpiece

Can’t say enough good things about this book. A beautiful examination of the importance of the nineties.

Work of art

This book isn’t just a retelling of the past, it takes you back to the time and mindset of the 90’s.

Chuck is So Good

Everything he touches is fantastic. I really enjoyed this one, even moreso than the books that made him famous

Fun listen

Good vacation read. Would recommend
Even if you find one part boring, you can just skip to the next one.

Great review by Klosterman

I tend to enjoy Chuck Klosterman as a critic, not as a novelist, and I think this was him operating at his best. Really enjoyed how seamless it was to go from topic to topic throughout the decade. Wasn't a boring, chronological rehash. Born in 1992, and was glad to read it.

More ruminations from a Gen-X expert

I've been reading Chuck Klosterman's stuff for many years now and he never disappoints. The Nineties is no different. It's the decade he was born to write about. Klosterman is a master of nuamce, taking fine points of culture and expounding on them. Sometimes I agree and so!stones his opinions are far afield from my own, but he's always interesting. I especially enjoy his writings on music. It's always gun to read his thoughts on two of my favorites; Billy Joel and KISS. If you're A Gen-X'er or just like reading about popular culture then pick this one up. It's wide ranging themes won't let you down.

Surprisingly intellectual

I was expecting kitsch, trivia, and one-off personal experience stories. Essentially, what he points out was the 90s experience of the 70s. I assumed I'd listen to 1 essay in between doing other more interesting tasks. I did not expect this in depth analysis or to binge the whole book.

Being gen-x, of course I find this time interesting because it was *my* time. So I can't pretend I'm able to be completely objective. I'm sure an in depth analysis of the years anyone was in high school and college will resonate with them. However, I think it is fair to point out how pivotal this decade was between the pre and post internet and smart phone worlds. This feels relevant irrespective of the reader's/listener's age.