Wolfe's brilliant first book -- a collection of essays that introduced us to the Sixties, to extravagant new styles of life that had nothing to do ...
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Sep 24, 2008
Andy
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Sorry, all you Hunter S. Thompson fans, but Tom Wolfe revolutionized journalism in the Sixties and didn't need biker colors or mescaline to accomplish the task. His first book (a compilation of articles for Esquire and others) is a brilliant assessment of pop culture (i.e. hot rod shows, fashion designers, Phil Spector, etc.) that captures the times beautifully. I also really like his crazy sketches of street life in New York, complete with hair style portraits. Mad props to Mr. Wolfe!
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Nov 28, 2010
Catherine
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I've always admired Tom Wolfe the journalist - it's not just that his observations are astute, as many many literary critics have pointed out - but that he balances humor and sadness in a unique way. What is startling about this collection of essays (written in the early 1960's) is how true it still is today, forty years later. Vegas and the senior citizen population; the nanny mafia in the Upper East Side; the It Girl of the year; 22 year-old millionaires. It is all fresh and true. His observat
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Nov 17, 2009
mark
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It took me awhile to plow through this one. Maybe I've read too much of him now, but this is pretty low-quality Wolfe. His characteristic style is there, but it's raw and unpolished. There were only a couple of chapters that contained any real insight, delivering the kind of aha! moment that I have enjoyed in some of his later work. This happens in "The Last American Hero" when he tries to connect the dominance of Southern drivers in stock car racing to the fast-driving Scot-Irish
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Aug 11, 2010
Mike
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Tom Wolfe offers a very unique look at the different cultural groups of America, from fringe sport enthusiasts and mega-rockers, to status-hungry socialites and other affluent New Yorkers who do little more than complain about everything and jockey for social position. While the first half of the book, dealing with pop culture and fringe society, is vastly more entertaining than the second half, dealing with the debutantes and captain-of-industry dandies; the entire book is permeated with Wolfe'
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Aug 14, 2008
selena
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Kandy-Kolored Tangerine Flake Streamline Baby started as a letter to Wolfe’s editor (of the Esquire, no less) while he had writer’s block. To be fair, letter is inaccurate; what he sent was a collection of his field notes about the Kustom Kulture car movement and his interactions with Ed Roth and George Barris, both gods in their field, respectively. His editor published it verbatim.
The book isn’t just about kustom kars though. The 22 essays contained within this book don’t really re More...
The book isn’t just about kustom kars though. The 22 essays contained within this book don’t really re More...
Jul 27, 2011
A great collection that started the 'New Journalism' phenomenon, which eventually included Joan Didion, Truman Capote, Norman Mailer, Hunter S. Thompson and Lester Bangs. If you liked the Electric Kool Aid Acid Test i'm sure you would like this. Wolfe documents emerging sociological and pop-cultural trends in Sixties America. I wonder which journalists of today will still be read with pleasure in forty or fifty years?
Aug 11, 2011
Mratto37
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One of my all time favorite slices of Americana. I took this with me as my camp book while hiking the California Coastal Trail, and intended to read it a little at a time all the way down the coast. It lasted me maybe 2 nights, and only that long because I was worried about conserving flashlight batteries. It is funny, informative, insightful, and nostalgic without being overly sentimental. I adore this book.
Aug 03, 2011
Michael
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Wolfe reports not just on counterculture, but on parts of America many would prefer to ignore (NASCAR, tabloids, obnoxious radio Djs). This book is consistently entertaining even in a temporally removed state. Interesting to see a side of the sixties often overshadowed by hippies, drugs and burning guitars.
Sep 01, 2010
Marissa
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This books was entertaining, but incredibly dated. It is a collection of Wolfe's essays about topics such as NY socialites, custom cars, Nascar, Las Vegas, shock DJs, and other rich annoying NYC people. It was sort of difficult for me to get through even though the book was relatively short and the chapters (each a different essay) were rarely longer than 10-20 pages. If you are a fan of Wolfe's work then I would say this is something to read, but if not, there are much better books I could r
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Jul 20, 2009
I'm looking to learn Wolfe's techniques in which he incorporates fictional writing methods to journalistic and historical contexts. “One belongs to New York instantly, one belongs to it as much in five minutes as in five years” Thomas Wolfe
Feb 23, 2009
Shavone
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Tom Wolfe Bothers me. He's arrogant and condescending, sexist, racist, and his politics are intolerable. It's a shame that an obvious knack for writing should go to waste on such a person.
Apr 11, 2009
Deirdre
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I loved this book when I read it, oh, so long ago. Makes me remember another title: "Been Down So Long It Seems Like Up to Me." Don't remember much more. After all, it was the '60s.
Jun 17, 2011
Deborah
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Did not enjoy this. I understand that he pioneered a style, but much of this felt repetitive. Also, it just does not hold up -- feels very dated.
Oct 28, 2010
Kevin
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a collection of articles. the first one about las vegas was my favorite. my lack of knowledge of 1960s pop culture may have prevented me from enjoying this as much as a senior citizen might.
Jun 25, 2011
Klara
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Could not get enough of Tom Wolfe, seriously. Every story exceeded my expectation; it was a real pleasure to read.
Oct 31, 2011
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Sep 23, 2008
Rachel
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This collection of essays read all together is almost overwhelming; Wolfe captures the spirit of an age perfectly...or so I think, having not been there the first time around. Amazing to remember that some of the things we take for granted--like in the first essay, the Vegas Strip--were new and exciting just a few decades ago.
Wolfe has a few pet vocabulary words that become quickly overused, but that's my only quibble with this fantastic collection.
Wolfe has a few pet vocabulary words that become quickly overused, but that's my only quibble with this fantastic collection.
Sep 01, 2008
Judi
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Make that 2 1/2 stars. I suppose this books provides a weird sort of insight to the way things were in the late '50s and early 60's. It is kinda creepily dated. The strangest essay to me was the one on Phil Spector, "The Teen Tycoon". There was certaily foreshadowing of the turn of events invovling him in recent times. Can't say that I would reccomend the book, other than for a freak show trip down memory lane. The prose is decent enough.
Dec 17, 2009
Adam
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Insight on American culture from the master. I think the most interesting topic was how in the '50s, the middle classes had enough money to create their own mass market aesthetics, whereas in the past, public aesthetics had been controlled by the aristocracy. The result of this was Las Vegas. The taste-making of French nannies in New York city was highly entertaining as well, and seemingly a prologue to his later Bonfire of the Vanities...
Jul 06, 2008
Jinger
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I pulled this book off of a shelf in my junior year English teacher's classroom and read it as part of a quarterly "American literature" book report that we could do for extra credit. It turned me on to an entire world of daring journalistic writing that has since become my favorite style.
I hated that class, and also that teacher, but man oh man, thank God she had Tom Wolfe on her shelf.
I hated that class, and also that teacher, but man oh man, thank God she had Tom Wolfe on her shelf.
Jun 26, 2008
Michelle
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Practically everything I could ever ask for in a book. The titles of each essay were classically loud and got me excited about how the rest would unfold. An impressive debut for Mr. Wolfe and certainly worth the $3 I spent on Amazon.com to proudly own a first edition, hard cover, used copy packaged impeccably with shredded documents as cusioning in the mailed UPS box.
May 28, 2011
Ashley
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A collection of magazine articles on different pop cultural phenomena from the late 50's, early 60's. Very hipster. Not very me. If you consider yourself a hipster or former hipster, you may enjoy this more than I did. To me, it was somewhat dull and pretentious. I'd rather read about people who do not consider themselves soooo cool.
Mar 11, 2008
David
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This is Wolfe finding his voice and his element and it's a good showcase both of the things I love about Wolfe — his curiosity, power of observation, and wit — and the things I find annoying, such as his need to let you know that he's down with it all and above it all at the same time.
Nov 10, 2007
Josh
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tom wolfe is an enduring favorite of mine. a fine journalist, and an excellent writer. this is a thoroughly enjoyable collection on 1960s american culture. my top pick of the book is "a sunday kind of love." amazing.
Dec 08, 2010
Ann
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Pretty good but it's hard to appreciate some chapters if you don't know a lot about 1960s social scenes. Particularly interesting is the chapter on Phil Spector, especially in light of recent events in his life...
Aug 31, 2008
Andy
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Another set of fascinating insights. Heralded, like The Right Stuff, as one of the great collections of New Journalism this is a really interesting read (if a little dated now).
Nov 11, 2009
Katherine
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My fav part was the chapter about the origins of demolition derbies, further cementing my interest in this unique activity that certain sectors of society enjoy.
