“An excellent book by a genius,” said Kurt Vonnegut, Jr., of this now classic exploration of the 1960s from the founder of new journalism. ”This is a book that will be a sharp pleasure to reread years from now, when it will bring back, like a falcon in the sky of memory, a whole world that is currently jetting and jazzing its way somewhere or other.”–Newsweek Amazon.com Review
The “streamline baby” in Tom Wolfe’s 1965 debut book is a hot rod… More >>
The Kandy-Kolored Tangerine-Flake Streamline Baby
This book is , like, cool. There is a lot of words that really speak to me, man. yeah
Rating: 5 / 5
Wolfe is sharp in documenting the developments in America. Vivisecting society with language that is at once descriptive and critical, Wolfe pops inflated egos and elevates the seemingly shallow mod culture. Its a riot to see class, culture, celebrities, and heroes through his witty and keen observations. God Bless America!!!
Rating: 4 / 5
Tom Wolfe has a special knack for seeing the everday
things and giving them extra meaning. I always thought
this ability was brought to the fore in this book, which
surveys a wide variety of American institutions and
personalities that, for me, epitomize much of the American
experience since the end of WWII.
I recommend it most often to foreigners (who always seem
to be scratching their heads over what to make of this
sweeping and boisterous land). I recommend it to any
American who gets a kick out of America and Americana
Rating: 4 / 5
Curiously, I picked up a copy of this book right before Christmas. My wife gave me a copy of Boom! by Tom Brokaw for Christmas. I decided to read Tom Wolfe first. I call it the pre-sixties in my review title … this is because so many people now think of the sixties in terms of the late sixties counter-culture. This books paints the underlayer of what was going on before all that hippie/stop-the-war/change-the-world/woodstock stuff even started. The revolution was already happening and we didn’t even know it yet. Nostalgic? Not really. This is a glimpse into Wolfe developing that all-seeing Tom Wolfe inner eye to look past what was happening to see and describe what was REALLY happening. This is an amazing book, very vibrant and entertaining and as much a context piece as it is an historical artifact. You want to understand the sixties? Read this book as a primer.
Rating: 5 / 5
If you have an interest about our “car culture” and want to know where it sprouted from, this is your book. Maybr Wolfe’s best book, right up there with the “Kool Aid Acid Test”. Remebering, laughing and learning, all at the same time is pretty cool.
Rating: 5 / 5