#346 Musings Beyond the Bunker (Monday May 9)
Good morning,
THE NINETIES
Whereas the 60s were a tumultuous decade, the 70s were the “me” decade and emergence of the women’s movement, and the 80s were the Gordon Gecko “greed is good” decade of yuppies in full bloom, under the backdrop of the AIDS crisis, the 90s don’t provide a clear narrative. This definition of a nondescript decade is what Chuck Klosterman argues against in his book about the “Generation X” decade.
Decades don’t divide nicely into set ten-year blocks. The 90s probably should be measured from the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989 (or maybe the fall of the Soviet Union in 1991, the election of Bill Clinton and the Rodney King riots in LA in 1992, or the S&L crisis of 1993), until the attacks on September 11th 2001. The decade seems the story of long-held beliefs and established systems were rocked to their core and things never would be the same again. The decade also witnessed a “passing of the torch” moment. George H.W. Bush was the last of the “Greatest Generation” leaders, while Clinton was the first of the “Baby Boomer” generation. Somewhere in the mix, the “Silent Generation” never did make as clear a mark as these two.
The 90s were a busy time for me, knee deep in raising kids and plying a career. As evidence, my reading of the best books of this decade took a dip from prior decades, only to pick up in the 2000s…
· The Things They Carried, by Tim O’Brian. A.O. Scott, of The New York Times, pithily summarizes, “Over time, America’s wars are written in shorthand: World War II is noble sacrifice; the Civil War, tragic fratricide; Vietnam, black humor and moral ambiguity.”
· The Virgin Suicides, by Jeffrey Eugenides. Sad, evocative, of the moment.
· Infinite Jest, by David Foster Wallace. I’ve never read it (its 1,000 plus pages violate my “no more than 500 pages” rule). But Brad and Jake swear by it.
· Fatherland, by Robert Harris. One of the best of the “what if” alternative histories. Germany wins WWII and there is a murder in 1960s Nazi Germany. The story of the politically-based murders and the effort to hide the final solution from discovery. And yes, a Kennedy—Joseph P. Kennedy, Sr., is president.
· Jurassic Park, by Michael Crichton. Interesting…..the promise and the limits of science and manipulation of nature. But still, it’s no Andromeda Strain, Crichton’s best book by far.
· All the Pretty Horses, by Cormac McCarthy
· The Giver, by Lois Lowry. A utopia that’s really a dystopia. The “receiver of memories” and the burdens associated with that position in a society that knows neither good nor evil, and few emotions.
· A Game of Thrones, by George R.R. Martin. At the end of the day, a simple, yet elaborate, telling of a world created by the author, filled with competing families vying for power and dealing with lifeforms and magic they don’t understand along the way. One book is enough. Reading the series seems even more painful and unfulfilling as the multiple seasons of the TV show…
· Cold Mountain, by Charles Frazier. National Book Award winner, telling the story of a Confederate deserter finding his way home.
· Angels in America, by Tony Kushner. It won the Pulitzer. The book, the play and the TV miniseries won practically every award out there. The AIDs epidemic, angels from heaven, magical realism, all in this crazy story. I saw the play but never read the book.
· Angela’s Ashes, by Frank McCourt. A Pulitzer Prize for a deeply affecting memoir. At the time, it seemed like everyone I know was reading this, which was none-too-flattering to the Irish town it chronicles. Angela, McCourt’s mother apparently yelled at the author at an appearance, “It didn’t happen that way! It’s all a pack of lies!”
· L.A. Confidential, by James Ellroy. I still remember the “F-bomb” strewn acceptance speech Mr. Ellroy gave when awarded the Lifetime Achievement Award at the USC Scripter black-tie dinner… I loved the book and loved the movie, and this from someone who is not a huge fan of police and mystery novels. The verbal pictures of 1950s Los Angeles, the emerging celebrity culture and corruption abounding make this a great read.
· Dreams of My Father, by Barack Obama. It all started here. Regardless of your politics, a success story and heartfelt memoir.
· Tuesdays With Morrie, by Mitch Albom. There is something to be said for recognizing the passing of a generation and capturing their experiences and wisdom. This is a moving tribute to a teacher and friend, as a mentor moves slowly through the final days of ALS (Lou Gehrig’s disease).
· Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone, by J.K. Rowling. More great story-telling than great literature. The first of the series of books chronicling Mr. Potter’s discovery he is a wizard through his life-and-death struggles, all set in the maturing that takes place in the tween and teen years. It, and its sequels, came out as we were raising three kids. Much of this book was read aloud late at night!
· American Pastoral, by Philip Roth. Roth, as always, at his best in telling a story against a societal backdrop—in this case, the ramifications of a protest against the Vietnam War and the consequences that endure. A Pulitzer Prize winner.
In the meantime, I’m reading Birds of America, by Lorrie Moore, and Blindness, by Jose Saramago, and will report back on whether they belong…
Have a great day,
Glenn
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