The Curator: the '90s - as if!

Books from Rebecca Makkai & Chuck Klosterman plus a Roald Dahl controversy on the best decade we will ever know.

May 25, 2023

Confession: I have a big ol’ nostalgia boner for the ‘90s. I thought it was a Xillennial thing, but even Gen Z seems to have wished the Delia’s catalog back into existence judging by the scrunchies and low-rise flare jeans everywhere. I am aware that every generation experiences this - shopping at the mall in 5th grade was like a museum tour of my mother’s youth - but the grip the ‘90s seems to have on not just fashion but the spectrum of cultural experiences signals there is something deeper going on here that I *must* examine vis-a-vis books.

The glaring answer is that the 1990s were the last decade before the digital revolution. The last decade of leaving your house = nobody can contact you. The last decade of moderate anonymity. The last decade of “prosperity and hope” (for *ahem* some people). The last decade of the dumb things you did in your 20s not living on the internet forever.

The decade also makes for good stories, because everything can’t just be solved by the internet or a text message. What fun is it for your MC to solve a mystery by Googling “how to track an iPhone”? Or the beginning of a love story starting with a DM’d “fire” emoji? Or never having to see a person IRL to have a relationship?

IT’S NOT VERY FUN.

I’m not alone in welcoming the ‘90s nostalgia blanket settling over me either. A few interesting articles on the topic, if you desire further study - the titles alone give away the secret - the unknown is scary and since the past stays the same, it will always feel safer.

BOOK REVIEWS📚→

I Have Some Questions for You by Rebecca Makkai

You know how they say you often hate in others what you recognize in yourself? This book is like that, for me, a white millennial lady attempting to acknowledge the past and learn for the future. It’s a look at what it’s like to gain perspective on your teen years and how even as we grow older, the problems of the world stay the same.

Bodie Kane is a successful podcaster who agrees to return briefly to her East Coast prep school alma mater for a podcasting & film course. Bodie *also* agrees to investigate her roommate’s death via a student project so of course we get thrown right back to good ol’ 1995 - payphones, Kurt Cobain, Doc Martens, and all.

It took a minute to get into this one. I hated Bodie instantly because all I could see was myself - an insecure teen who creates self-centered drama narratives about how great everyone else is living except her. There were things to love, like the social commentary (“Oh so where are your kids at?” to Bodie every 15 minutes), and the unique narrative form of the asides to various suspects, but altogether the story was muddled by just doing too much. I hesitantly recommend to anyone feeling provoked and self-conscious by this review.

I give this a Doing Too Much 3.5 Stars

The Nineties: A Book by Chuck Klosterman

Oh, Chuck - I really wanted to take this ride with you but instead of a backseat dance party we got a museum tour of pop culture - and not in the fun Vegas Hard Rock memorabilia way in like the depressing Nixon Library way.

I appreciated Klosterman’s academic-adjacent deep dive into the psychology behind ‘90s culture. The best chapter was on the psycho-social effects of landline telephones. If you wanted to receive a phone call, YOU HAD TO BE AT HOME TO TAKE IT. Also as a child owner of the Reality Bites soundtrack [without ever having seen the movie of course], the lengthy analysis of cultural apathy through the lens of hipster Ethan Hawke and preppy Ben Stiller, while appreciated, was truly more than anyone ever requested.

The downsides. Klosterman’s analysis feels

very clearly on the colonizer’s side via the mainstream-media-as-history angle and who exactly WROTE the mainstream media in the ‘90s, hmmm?? While this is totally fine for Klosterman to write what he knows, I just wish it was acknowledged in the text more. I liked it, but I also wanted more perspectives, ya know??

I give this a Semi-Charmed History 3 Stars

READING 📖→

Even though I sorta hate it, I can’t quit Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros on audio - I just need to know who dies and who f*cks. So I continue…
Fates and Furies by Lauren Groff is my first anti-beach read of the season though I haven’t been to the beach even once since I started reading because it’s overcast as all hell but that’s ok, the book is still real good. [Fittingly, I am currently in the 1990s decade of the MC’s relationship…]

WATCHING 📽️→

Selling Sunset Season 6 on Netflix because JESUS TAKE THE WHEEL I live for this hooker Business Barbie drama! Watching grown women in early-2000s bandage dresses catfight over the spare change of millionaires all while keeping 25 pounds of fake lashes from falling off their faces is like my version of Squid Game. Or just watch for the house porn - either way, it’s a treat!

BOOK NEWS 📰→

In keeping with the ‘90s theme, I broke out the binocs to watch the Roald Dahl controversy swirl. As an insatiable child reader, RD was at the top of my rotating list. Through the grace of Costco book bundles, I owned the entire series from Mathilda to The Twits and loved every weird story and disturbing illustration. As an adult, it’s hard to shake the nostalgia [there it is again!] and see his works for what they are - misogynistic, racist, etc., etc. But I never want to stop growing, so engaging in dialogue is the first step to changing amirite?

Book Riot dissects why Roald Dahl does not deserve a second chance at being less offensive.
The BBC investigates the dark side of Roald Dahl.
Forbes incites a riot by invoking “Woke” Willy Wonka.

While I don’t particularly want to support people who fall into those above categories, I also don’t agree with revisionist history - things made in the past can stay with the past, wrongs and all. Any thoughts on the topic though, I would love to hear them!

LET’S CHAT☺→

Leave a comment with your favorite thing from the ‘90s - books, fashion, music, whatever! Mine might be platform shoes of all kinds…
Or per ush, let me know what you’ve been reading in the comments. I’m always game for a good rec (or warning, grievances, etc. ). If you tell me your favorite TV show or movie lately, I’ll give you a book recommendation.

In Case You Missed It 🖤

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See you around the bookshelf!

Natalie