The Nineties

A Book

By: Chuck Klosterman

Narrated by: Chuck Klosterman, Dion Graham

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

5 Stars

The Book Chuck was born to write! Good to hear him narrate it too.

Nostalgic and Eye Opening

Some chapters are more interesting than others but that might be my own personal bias towards my own memories. Nevertheless it captures the 90s well and presents some great facts and analyses.

Chuck is the premiere commentator of our times.

This book is essential if you came of age in the 1990s, or just need a deep dive on all the way points.

what a ride!

what a nostalgia trip this was. gave a lot of interesting perspectives, was generally cohesive. I really enjoyed this

Informative and Fun!

A fun and informative deep dive into the 90s. An interesting look at the news, events and the minds of those living it.

So good.

When you read accounts of the 1890s or the 1970s that draw historical conclusions with the context of retrospect you have history. The 90s are now ancient history and of you don’t believe it, you will soon enough.

God, his voice.

I really enjoy his writing, but why on earth anyone would think it’s a good idea to have Chuck Klosterman narrate his own work is beyond me. His voice gives me anxiety. It’s funny, because the narrator for one of his other books is a pleasant and calming British woman, which is pretty much the polar opposite of what he has going on. Listening to him talk is like when you’ve gotten way too high and some guy is standing way too close to you and won’t stop talking about about lizards or something.

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.