Lately, I've been interested in recent American history and have committed myself to reading a book on each decade starting in the 50s. So far, I've read:
The Fifties, by David Halberstam
A Hard Rain: America in the 1960s, by Frye Gaillard
The Seventies, by Bruce Schulman
The Nineties, by Chuck Klosterman
Despite it being such a popular decade, I can't seem to find a comperable book dedicated to the 1980s. The Eighties, a Reader by Gilbert Sewall isn't quite what I'm looking for, and neither is Back to Our Future by David Sirota.
I'm specifically looking for a general historical and cultural overview of the eighties. Does such a book exist?
by godofimagination
2 Comments
You’re looking for *Bright Lights, Big City* -or- *Bonfire of the Vanities*
A couple you may want to check out despite them not necessarily being spot on answers to your request:
Amusing Ourselves To Death by Neil Postman largely focuses on how television has reshaped society. At the time it was written (‘85), cable tv was taking over and altering the way the public consumed news and entertainment. It’s utterly relevant to read today, the points made about the way we interact with news and media of that era can be mirrored with the rise of social media.
Fargo Rock City by Chuck Klosterman covers his life growing up in very rural 1980s North Dakota and his obsession with 80s heavy metal. Really funny book.