A thoughtful, question-raising influence at the 1990s. in particular I enjoyed reading about Body Count, the subject of my next book, and I've been thinking of the re-evaluation of Falling Down.

I will admit I approached this book tentatively. It had been a while since I had read Chuck Klosterman, and I thought that maybe I had outgrown his verbose Gen-X snark. Perhaps it just hits too close to home. The nineties, too, were a decade that, despite containing the bulk of my twenties (I was born a year before the author), a free, adventurous, exploring time, I embarrassingly toss this decade aside. Thinking about some of those boyfriends, those fashion choices, those concerts, and all of the damn magazines that I read, it felt like a decade I wanted to lock away somewhere. It was vaguely embarrassing to me. Still something drew me to the book, a chance to make sense of it all perhaps?

Klosterman gets it all. ALL. I could throw out a bunch of names and concepts that he refers to like a "We Didn't Start the Fire," part two, but seriously, it's all in there. Conceptually you might assume that the chapters would be arranged by music, sports, movies, politics, TV, etc., but instead, it's all woven together rather seamlessly. For the purposes of the book he defines the nineties less as being contained exactly during that time and more as beginning at the fall of the Berlin Wall and ending on 9/11. It works.

There's no point in discussing the specific events contained within. Suffice it to say, I came away with more closure than I expected. I heartily endorse this book.

As someone in my twenties during the 90’s, this was an interesting book about our Gen X decade. A decade that wasn’t really defined by anything monumental. Lots of trivia but sometimes this book would drag and I found myself skipping ahead

This book is pure nostalgia and I am here for every minute of it. When dealing with various generations, it is difficult to explain how life was like before accessible internet and GPS. Reboots of shows on streaming services makes it a tad bit easier for newer generations to understand the "plight" of a generation navigating life pre- and post- caller id on land lines vice cell phones. Klosterman does an amazing job of breaking it down for us all wanting to learn about that time... or relive it.

I kept putting down and picking this book back up so many times that I finally decided to quit. It just could not keep my interest. The essays felt like they lost focus and were too rambly for me.

Another insightful analysis of a time near and dear to me. I really enjoyed the nostalgia trip as well as learning things I honestly didn't remember about the decade.

This was such an interesting read. I particularly loved the essays/chapters on pop culture but was still very drawn into the more political chapters based on Klosterman’s writing style. I definitely recommend this to others and am glad I had a chance to learn more about this time period.

I graduated high school in 1995 and absolutely LOVED this book! It took me right back to my teen and young adult years and brought up all kinds of nostalgia. I actually had the exact phone on the cover of the book in my dorm room in college! My husband got annoyed at all the things I read out loud to him and/or texted him each day while reading this. If you were alive and even vaguely aware of your surroundings during the 90s, you'll love this! I've already purchased 2 copies of this book to give as birthday gifts to friends!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the advanced e-copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

It’s been awhile since I’ve read a Klosterman (like, Sex, Drugs, and Cocoa Puffs long time), so I was very excited for this book. The Nineties is a great blend of politics and pop culture with all of the 90s nostalgia. Topics range from the unforgettable (the impact of 90’s records sales/the deaths of Tupac and Kurt Cobain) to the more obscure - remember when Michael Jordan played baseball? Yeah, same.

I enjoyed the nostalgia, but these essays just seemed to meander at times and I lost interest. It was fun to revisit this decade, but something just seemed to be missing. I will still read more from this author in the future and would recommend this book if you are a child of the 80/90s.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an advance copy.

This book sort of just ambles on, without any real direction. Some of the anecdotes are amusing, and some of the anecdotes are lost in complicated language. I have been a fan of Chuck Klosterman and have read many of his book, but this is not his best one.

This is literary comfort food. Klosterman is in his element in describing the 90s. I am not sure if the book has a clear thesis, other than the author describing the events when he was a young adult to people who are younger. It reads as pleasant nostalgia for those of us who were there.

This was a mixture of nostalgia/memories and analysis/presentation of facts. Which makes sense, because as we get farther away from something, our memories aren’t quite as accurate as they used to be, and our present selves shape how we think about the past.

This was a fun mixture of pop culture, world events, politics, celebrity, and shared experiences. I found plenty of things I remembered as a child of the 90s, plus plenty I’m aware happened but I didn’t pay attention to at the time.

Things I wish had been mentioned: pop music like boy bands, Britney Spears and all the young females she was compared to, and teen magazine heartthrobs instead of just alternative and rap. Inflatable furniture, Lisa Frank, pogs, and other random 90s stuff that was larger in my sphere than the author’s.

All in all, this was a good read.

As a member of generation x, I loved Klosterman’s take on the nineties. Was an excellent mix of pop culture, politics, and technology.

Not my cup of tea or bag or jam, depending what generation you are.
You know what I remember about the nineties? Nothing. I feel no connection to Klosterman’s observation, no matter how astute they may be. It is hard to participate in navel gazing when it is someone else’s navel.
I will leave this study to people more deeply involved.

As someone who was born in 1980, and is currently obsessed with the generational divides, "The Nineties" was an immediate addition to my TBR pile. Because I was still pretty young throughout the decade, all of the information in the book was vaguely familiar, but I finally got to experience the decade as an adult and understand what the heck the world was dealing with. Absolutely fascinating and easy to ingest, Klosterman brings his trademark whip smart humor to a collection of facts that could otherwise be as boring as discussing Current Events in Mr. Hofferman's 8th grade history class. This is a must read for anyone who has any memory of the 90s whatsoever.

And just so you know, I had been a fan of Leonardo DiCaprio since BEFORE Growing Pains, and I felt personally attacked when "Titanic" came out and his star rose meteorically. Because that meant I had even less of a chance of marrying him.

Regular readers of Klosterman will enjoy this newest set of essays. I was ages 8-18 in the 1990s, so it was interesting to read about some things I definitely remembered and some I was too young for. While some of his takes on issues can get a bit too pedantic or philosophical, overall this was an interesting and enjoyable read.

Once again Chuck Klosterman turns pop culture into an intelligent conversation. The topics covered here range from standard 90s fair, like the popularity of "Smells Like Teen Spirit," the scandalous presidency of Bill Clinton, and when Michael Jordan ruled the world, to little 90s gems you forgot about, like Garth Brooks being the biggest music superstar and Zima. But the book isn't just a collection of nostalgia-driven essays. He takes popular topics and moments from the decade and uses them to examine the world at large and how some of those events would shape our current world. So, if you're looking for something goofier and more light-hearted, this may not be for you. While I enjoyed the book a lot, it didn't have a lot of laugh-worthy moments. But at least Klosterman's witty commentary was still on point.

I enjoyed this book. That is partially due to my age, but it is still a witty look at what has been called an inconsequential decade. A lot of his points are good and even when they're not they're interesting. I'd recommend this to people who like to collect bits of trivia/information and people who enjoy humorous nonfiction

This was an interesting collection of essays about a decade I have a lot of nostalgia for.

The pop culture discussions were my favorites (and I wish there had been more), specifically the essay on Napster. I really enjoyed the essays about Dolly the cloned sheep and Garth Brooks, too. Learning about how Matthew McConaughey was a possible choice for Jack in Titanic (though I disagree with his comment that anyone would have played Rose — Kate Winslet is the only choice) and that many people bought tickets to Meet Joe Black to see the trailer for Phantom Menace then leave was laughable and baffling.

Highly recommend the audiobook!

Hmm. I have read and enjoyed Klosterman in the past, so when I saw he was writing a book about our beloved decade, the 90s I was thrilled. I don’t know if it is the current climate or just me changing, but this book just feels like the author is creating a series of elongated tweets, inserting as many SAT words as possible, and whenever possible making fun of the pop culture icons and public figures responsible for our entertainment in the 90s. What I was hoping would be a fun journey back was instead like reading a Klosterman rant on social media.