It kills me how fast books fall out of print. Check out the following link for some background about the shorter lives of books and the quest for the mega bestseller.
I’d like to add Susan Orlean’s book, “The Orchid Thief” which lead to the film, “Adaptation.” I thought the whole universe containing the book, from 1998 to the film in 2008 was fascinating. I had begun my own orchid journey in Florida on the Gulf side as we snow birded to work our concession stands. When we were in the Everglades, I asked people that worked in the National Parks is the book/movie had raised more interest in orchid poaching. In fact, it HAD. They had to be more vigilant than ever patrolling for orchid thief’s. Not to mention—- the various dead bodies and half eaten ones they would have to pull out because people couldn’t navigate through the mangroves well and were often lost. The NP ranger I spoke to called them, “walking gator bait.”
I also really loved the film and the story within a story. I felt it was ground breaking in movie making/script writing.
Marc Andreessen has touted Fight Club three times that I’ve seen recently as one of the key films defining our era. One tweet reads, “I'll confess, when I first saw FIGHT CLUB in 1999, I didn't get it at all. Boy, do I get it now. Look around.”
He names it first in a list of five or six “key films that define our era.”
I at least thought it was interesting coming from him.
I don't know if they'd qualify for defining the 1990s, but two of my favorite books from the '90s are Cormac McCarthy's 'All the Pretty Horses' and Murakami's 'Wind-Up Bird Chronicles.' And 'Fight Club,' of course. ;)
And just for the record, I'm sick of reviewers insulting fans of a book. As if readers who relate to something about a book can all be lumped together in a homogeneous group. They only have one thing in common: an appreciation of literature. Who would I like to get in a fight with? A sanctimonious book reviewer. If for no other reason, I know I would win.
Good to see Generation X and American Psycho on the longer mentions list. Along with Fight Club, they were the focus of my dissertation, looking at trangression as amelioration. The only thing I’m proud of writing from my degree!
Whilst Generation X is probably more notable for that time, I do have far more affinity for Coupland’s Microserfs. I adored that.
Can't say much about what works defined 90s America.
On Fight Club, I couldn't disagree more with Getpocket that it's legacy hasn't been great. Although I could be dead wrong here.. I understood it as a satire on the kind of fascism, that appears at first, to be of good intention but, turns into silencing, cruelty and oppression. The book actually defines the world we're living in right now. Manosphere groups that started as self-help tools in 2013-14, since 2019 I think have turned into right wing cults ( Red Pill, Black Pill; That's what incels like to call themselves, MGTOW). and also how political correctenss turned out to be a silencing weapon. These two, are prime examples. Fight Club can be easily misunderstood in my view. The book was kind of prophetic.
I'd like to say, the movie There Will Be Blood also defines the spirit of my generation ( Born between 93-2004). Since opening our eyes we've been desensitized and fed so much media, more than any generation before. So many of us like Plainview, either willingly or in some automatic way, adopt a Plainview-esque guideline ( Greed, super ambition, insane drive, cunnery and always being watchful ) to maneuver the world. For what end? like Plainview, we want to earn enough money so we could get away from everyone. And lead some secluded monastic life towards our end.
It kills me how fast books fall out of print. Check out the following link for some background about the shorter lives of books and the quest for the mega bestseller.
https://www.sfwa.org/2005/01/05/how-thor-power-hammered-publishing/
Geoff Ryman, "WAS" (1992). I've read this book more often than probably any other, and had to stop loaning it to people as I'd never get it back.
I’d like to add Susan Orlean’s book, “The Orchid Thief” which lead to the film, “Adaptation.” I thought the whole universe containing the book, from 1998 to the film in 2008 was fascinating. I had begun my own orchid journey in Florida on the Gulf side as we snow birded to work our concession stands. When we were in the Everglades, I asked people that worked in the National Parks is the book/movie had raised more interest in orchid poaching. In fact, it HAD. They had to be more vigilant than ever patrolling for orchid thief’s. Not to mention—- the various dead bodies and half eaten ones they would have to pull out because people couldn’t navigate through the mangroves well and were often lost. The NP ranger I spoke to called them, “walking gator bait.”
I also really loved the film and the story within a story. I felt it was ground breaking in movie making/script writing.
Marc Andreessen has touted Fight Club three times that I’ve seen recently as one of the key films defining our era. One tweet reads, “I'll confess, when I first saw FIGHT CLUB in 1999, I didn't get it at all. Boy, do I get it now. Look around.”
He names it first in a list of five or six “key films that define our era.”
I at least thought it was interesting coming from him.
We better include comics! James O’ Barr’s, “The Crow.” I was an absolute hardcore fan— along with all the music. May I please have my 20’s back?!
Jurassic Park would be on that list for me.
I don't know if they'd qualify for defining the 1990s, but two of my favorite books from the '90s are Cormac McCarthy's 'All the Pretty Horses' and Murakami's 'Wind-Up Bird Chronicles.' And 'Fight Club,' of course. ;)
Amazing story about the Bowers film. Does anyone else remember Ishmael?
And just for the record, I'm sick of reviewers insulting fans of a book. As if readers who relate to something about a book can all be lumped together in a homogeneous group. They only have one thing in common: an appreciation of literature. Who would I like to get in a fight with? A sanctimonious book reviewer. If for no other reason, I know I would win.
Good to see Generation X and American Psycho on the longer mentions list. Along with Fight Club, they were the focus of my dissertation, looking at trangression as amelioration. The only thing I’m proud of writing from my degree!
Whilst Generation X is probably more notable for that time, I do have far more affinity for Coupland’s Microserfs. I adored that.
Can't say much about what works defined 90s America.
On Fight Club, I couldn't disagree more with Getpocket that it's legacy hasn't been great. Although I could be dead wrong here.. I understood it as a satire on the kind of fascism, that appears at first, to be of good intention but, turns into silencing, cruelty and oppression. The book actually defines the world we're living in right now. Manosphere groups that started as self-help tools in 2013-14, since 2019 I think have turned into right wing cults ( Red Pill, Black Pill; That's what incels like to call themselves, MGTOW). and also how political correctenss turned out to be a silencing weapon. These two, are prime examples. Fight Club can be easily misunderstood in my view. The book was kind of prophetic.
I'd like to say, the movie There Will Be Blood also defines the spirit of my generation ( Born between 93-2004). Since opening our eyes we've been desensitized and fed so much media, more than any generation before. So many of us like Plainview, either willingly or in some automatic way, adopt a Plainview-esque guideline ( Greed, super ambition, insane drive, cunnery and always being watchful ) to maneuver the world. For what end? like Plainview, we want to earn enough money so we could get away from everyone. And lead some secluded monastic life towards our end.
White Oleander by Janet Fitch should be on that list.