Rating: 
Summary: A Touchstone of Contemporary Self-Consciousness
Review: It was with a sense of ironic nostalgia that I picked up a copy of "Generation X" in the used bookstore last month. I enjoyed reading it almost a decade ago as I ran from/toward my post-college life in a city and climate I had never lived in before. The fact that the three principal characters were doing essentially the same thing I was struck a few chords of identification back then. Andrew from Oregon, Dagmar from L.A. and Claire from the country club world make a fun Platonic threesome, "dropping out" of society by working "McJobs" in Palm Springs. Though slightly younger than the narrator's younger brother, Tyler, I recognized much of the existential angst of growing up in a throwaway, mass pop culture. And I am also old enough to remember the constant threat of nuclear holocaust (or nucular, as the undereducated pseudo-cowboy occupying 1600 Pennsylvania would have you believe--see p. 165 for definition of "Obscurism") which permeates the novel.The world has improved in some ways since this book came out in 1991 when college grads were being welcomed by the worst economic environment for entry-level positions since the Great Depression, but don't tell that to the poor kids graduating next May. Over the last decade many GenX'ers found out that yes, they could do better than their parents after all, but then narrator Andrew Palmer would be quick to question the definition of "better." Every generation thinks it's so tough and that the whiny young kids of today have it easier than they did. The intelligent social observer will appreciate that challenges DIFFER from generation to generation--it's the lucky ones, not necessarily the weak ones, that don't have to fight wars to save the world from Hitler, stop the red menace in the jungle, or comb the deserts to keep the oilmen in power and SUV drivers in their high and mighty heated seats. Generation X is a marketing term pretty effective in its day; it's also a demographic that will be running your world in the next ten to fifteen years. "Generation X" is a curious and entertaining novel. It's an insightful commentary about those who want to overcome the vapid and exploitative advertising culture that helped shape their characters whether they liked it or not. It's worth the re-read, and if you haven't, it's worth a first read.
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Summary: Our lives are full of vignettes available for consumption.
Review: This is the one that made Coupland find himself placed upon the altar of infamous writers capturing the angst of the new generation...the doomed generation...the young forced to correct or try to...remove all of the doom that the older generations have enacted on this world. Here though we meet a crew of just such people who would rather leave it as it is and watch it burn, or tell stories about how it should all end...as a whole I could visualize it as a graphic novel in the tone of Ghost World and a film by Greg Araki...this is the end people...you might as well enjoy the view.
Rating: 
Summary: Reboot your life in the desert
Review: 3 use-to-be-hip young people who suddenly grew very tired of the way their life was evolving, gives up everything to go live in the desert outside palm springs. They survive on "Mcjobs", and tell each other stories.
The main character wanted to get away from the "rat-race" to get away from both internal and external "noise", in order to read 'the letter we all carry around inside - and some of us, if we're lucky, get to read.'
An interesting angle, in a world where religion and tradition become more and more individual, and young people have to make their own lives full of meaning and purpose.
I suppose part of the message is that you have to ignore other's expectations, and search yourself to discover what's right for YOU.
Rating: 
Summary: Better than Sedaris and/or Eggers
Review: This book is as bright and illuminating as the Palm Springs sun (esp. for those of us who have worked retail or have had a "McJob"--those of us who still haven't figured out yet what we're going to do when we grow up--or when we get that almost perfect lifestyle). Superb prose. Interesting characters. At least one of them will remind you of yourself or someone you know. Nice thirty-five cent words scattered about. A delightful and immersing read.
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Summary: The Original Gen-X Book
Review: Douglas Coupland started many trends with this postmodern "novel" - from everything to disenchantment and disestablishment ideas recycled in "Fight Club" to the title itself, "Generation X," which has become synonymous with the offspring of the Baby Boomers. Although claims of "yeah, but he did it first" are legitimate, Coupland's work should stand on its own as a great piece of postmodern literature as well as cutting-edge zeitgeist. Coupland's three protagonists, all fed up with their respective lives, give up their unsatisfying careers to live in a desert retirement community while working "McJobs" (jobs with as little responsibility and meaning as possible) and exchanging stories. They tell stories on road trips, they tell stories at home, they think and imagine stories, because they feel their lives lack meaning, and the only way to discover the "why" is to use others (and themselves) as an example. The book is littered with side-panel cartoons and "definitions" of new terms, some of which have entered the lexicon as common words since the book was published in 1992. The idea of the book - that people try to look for meaning in stories, although they won't necessarily find it - and the creative use of postmodern literary devices won't be as memorable as the mood and mindset this book manages to capture. Moreso than "Fight Club," which is as much a morality tale than a book about stories, "Generation X" manages to delve deeper into the "meaning" that Gen-Xers stereotypically cannot find. As such, it's elegant, and certainly worth a read. Final Grade: B
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Summary: X Marks the Plot
Review: Read this book for the cultural definitions contained alongside the prose. The story is not particularly moving, but the side commentary is fun and often insightful.
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Summary: UNEMPLOYMENT READING
Review: After years in the job market I found myself unemployed suddenly. As I sata round the house reading old favorite I stumbled upon a TOUCHSTONE from my past. When I first read this book in the early 90's I was amazed to find people out there that thought as I did and had similar experiences to mine. This book allowed me to connect with my generation in a way that I never had before. Coupland's characters are like all our friends, they are loveble crazy and true. Well at least they used to be before they got married and sold out to the yuppie mindset and values. As I ride down the streets of the affluent southern coastal towns that are now inhabited by aging yuppie and greatest generation farts, I am reminded of the greying oldsters of Claire and Dags world. Don't take this book as a condemnation of our society or even a call to arms. Take it as Coupland giving vox to our generation a good ten years before anyone else.
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Summary: Great Read
Review: Douglas Coupland is a superb writer that seems to always know the right words at the right time. This particular novel Generation X, goes deep into the lives of three young people that are searching for some meaning in their lives, for a simple explanation. Andy, Dag, and Claire work worthless jobs, known as McJob's. A McJob is, "A low-pay, low prestige, low-dignity, low benefit, no-future job in the service sector. Frequently considered a satisfying career choice by people who have never held one." The three are overeducated young people who have fled to the California desert to try to capture some concept of life in their little bungalows. While searching, they manage to create a unique lifestyle that is different and intriguing in its own way. They drink like there is no tomorrow and they love to tell stories. A hot story topic choice is the end of the world, usually with nuclear weapons or the atomic bomb. It gives you enough of each of their lives to be jealous.
Andy, the protagonist, is a very realistic and plausible character. He does nothing that is unfathomable. The novel is based on complete formula fiction, and has an original plot that must be interpreted. It stays away from the Hollywood stereotype theme, the boy meets girl, fall in love, etc... The theme is developed with an apparent meaning. Coupland openly shares and describes his views on what consumerism has become in America. He talks about how our culture today gives us nothing to go on, and how we sometimes feel alienated. Therefore, we are a society based on consumerism because it is the only thing that is given to us to identify ourselves with. Andy, Claire, and Dag create their own lifestyle in the desert because of how they are excluded from the outside world. People can only identify themselves by what they posses, and how much of it. It is an unfortunate problem that has appeared in America's society that is trapping young adults.
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Summary: a beginning
Review: this book is a beginning. for anyone who has hit a point in their life and doesn't know where to turn next, douglas coupland creates characters who can commiserate. i want portions of it read at my funeral.
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Summary: A BOOK THAT NAMED A GENERATION
Review: As an author with my debut novel in its initial release, I hope to have the impact with some literary work in my career that Douglas Coupland had with GENERATION X. All he did was define a generation and transform the language. In itself, the book is a thoroughly entertaining read. The stories told within it captures the essence of certain people of the generation that has come to be known as Generation X. People now work at McJobs, and we now have a Generation Y as well as a Generation Z. Last night, one of my daughter's friends referred to an elderly person as Generation A. That friend is a Z at age ten, but her comment illustrates the impact Coupland's GENERATION X has had. Read it, if you haven't.
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