Klosterman (Sex, Drugs, and Cocoa Puffs) dissects an iconic era that remains a mystery even to those who grew up during the 1990s. The decade of landlines, glossy magazines, and TV antennas propelled pop culture without social media or streaming services. There's not much missing from this delightful collection of quotes and culture from the era that most find difficult to define. As Klosterman points out, "doing nothing was a valid option" and selling out was the worst sin you could commit. Apathy was appealing, slacking off was a career path, and a polished exterior was gag-inducing. A self-proclaimed demographic cliché himself, Klosterman points out pivotal moments in the era, such as the end of 1980s glam and the rise of 1990s aesthetic when Nirvana's Smells Like Teen Spirit hit MTV, and grunge rock demolished an entire era of saxophones and Brat Pack wannabes. With humor and history (supported by articles, TV news segments, advertisements, and interviews), Klosterman's volume is the perfect guide for millennials who wear vintage t-shirts ironically. VERDICT From politics to Prozac, a fascinating exploration of Generation X from the perspective of those who lived it and witnessed it. Readers will be raiding closets for mom jeans and drawers for scrunchies after reading this nostalgia-inducing book.—Alana Quarles

Pop culture critic and essayist Klosterman (Sex, Drugs, and Cocoa Puffs) turns his flinty eye to the 1990s, "the last period in American history when personal and political engagement was still viewed as optional." Blending cultural analysis with his own caustic hot takes, Klosterman claims that the chief characteristic of the '90s was a pervasive feeling of ambivalence, "defined by an overwhelming assumption that life... was underwhelming" (his writing has a similarly detached tone). He views how this societal apathy coursed through the decade's indie films, such as Larry Clark's 1995 cult hit Kids (its theme: "there was no meaning to anything, ever"), and was embodied by Nirvana's Nevermind, the ideal soundtrack for, as Kurt Cobain put it, "a completely exhausted Rock youth Culture." But at the same time, Klosterman counters, the decade gave rise to art that tackled timely issues including the AIDs epidemic—with Rent debuting on Broadway in 1994—and brought queer stories to TV via such shows as NBC's Will & Grace. "The world, as always, was changing," he writes, citing how the decade saw a shift in everything from politics and awareness around race to the explosive growth of the internet and celebrity culture—a preview, he writes, of what was to come in subsequent decades. This nostalgic look at the waning days of offline culture both piques and entertains. (Feb.)