A Gen X Book List

Not that we care or anything, but Gen X seems to be the ignored middle child of all the generations. There's no way to make an exhaustive list of books that defined a decade, but I made a list of some of the books that I loved from that decade and some that I want to read. On the PDF attachment, there is a short list of some titles that were really popular but I doubt I'll ever read.

I decided to make this list when I was reading The Nineties recently. And here is what I thought about that:

Klosterman, Chuck- The Nineties

This was a nostalgia trip for me. It covered Nirvana and Pearl Jam, Thursday night TV (7-10PM Central), the time before the Internet (no Google), and then the beginning of everyone going online (AOL). There was an explanation of the whole east coast- west coast rapper conflict that I completely ignored at the time, and which I later realized was an important cultural touchstone. I've already forgotten some of it, but I'm considerably less ignorant on the subject now. I loved reading about all the 90s bands and TV shows. It was a pretty enjoyable book up until the end- the 2000 election and then 9/11. I think I have a much better understanding of the 2000 election now. I lived it of course, but I was still jaded enough about politics to think that it didn't matter very much, but still naive enough to think it would get sorted out right in the end. Then it looked to me like that election was stolen, and that was an awakening for me. The only election I've missed voting in since was when I had moved and forgot to fix my registration until it was too late. I'll never do that again!

These are books that were published in the nineties. Many of them are fond memories from My Youth, but others I've read and loved more recently.

Read already:

Anderson, Laurie Halse- Speak

Pullman, Phillip- His Dark Materials trilogy

Tartt, Donna- The Secret History

Rowling, J. K.-Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, Chamber of Secrets, Prizoner of Azkaban

Grisham, John- The Firm, The Pelican Brief, The Client

Fielding, Helen- Bridget Jones’s Diary

Lowry, Lois- The Giver

McCourt, Frank- Angela’s Ashes

Hornby, Nick- High Fidelity

Maguire, Gregory- Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West

Letts, Billie- Where the Heart Is

Bank, Melissa- The Girl's Guide to Hunting and Fishing

Want to read:

Palahniuk, Chuck- Fight Club

Eugenides, Jeffrey- The Virgin Suicides

Anonymous/ Joe Klein- Primary Colors

Sachar, Louis- Holes

Kingsolver, Barbara- The Poisonwood Bible

Guterson, David- Snow Falling on Cedars

Diamond, Jared- Guns, Germs, and Steel

Cunningham, Michael- The Hours

Krakauer, Jon- Into The Wild

Other sources of 90s nostalgia include Instagram account 90sanxiety and watching movies set before 2000. Maybe the CNN show The Nineties? Has anyone seen it?

I've got to put all these Want to Read titles into my Storygraph now.

Here's a PDF version that you can take to the library :)

Some links are affiliate links to bookshop.org. If you haven't shopped there, you should check them out. They support independent bookstores.