A typically fascinating book by Chuck Klosterman. Klosterman always finds his own take on events without coming across as intentionally contrarian. And that's even more important in this overview of the Nineties, which ultimately lacks a single unifying theme; it's more of a survey of different key events and changes that occurred during that decade than a thesis of that decade.

That might lead to an aimless book in the hands of a different author, but Klosterman is consistently fascinating even if his mind isn't leading to a singular destination.

If anything, Klosterman's analysis is consistent with the decade itself, which was transitional in nature - it didn't "stand" for anything specific but provided a connective tissue to get us past the Eighties, and in many ways stands alone for mores and morals that don't fit comfortably in any other identifiable time period.

If I were hoping for anything more, it'd be more of a showing of Klosterman's humor, which with a few exceptions (look for his take on the "clear" beverages such as Crystal Pepsi and Tab Clear) isn't put into play. But we've been heading for a while to this destination with Klosterman, who started as a lone pro-KISS voice literally in the prairie and has developed a style that's less showy but more thoughtful.

Read The Nineties to spend time with a unique mind. You don't have to agree with all of Klosterman's takes to fully enjoy them and come away working hard to prove that he's wrong (and probably failing). It's hard to imagine a topic where Klosterman's views wouldn't be welcome or accomplished.

I received an advance copy of, The Nineties, by Chuck Klosterman. I found this book to be dry and boring. It had stuff from the 90's like Oprah, Michael Jordan, vcrs, Tiger Woods, and others. I found this book a little too political. Growing up as a teenager in the 90's, life was more light heated,