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The title is somewhat misleading as it covers anyone born in the US between 1946 and 1964 and is mainly about their perceived self-importance when growing up in mid-America. In this part memoir, part essay, O’Rourke looks back on these golden years with caustic insight and sparkling satirical wit. Of course we’re not to take him, his contemporaries or his views too seriously, for his stories and observations are about weird people doing weird things. O’Rourke insists this is a ballad, not a dissertation, a rhapsody, not a report. In other words, it’s “full of crap”. He claims it is a bid to capture the spirit of a generation of God’s favourite spoiled brats. While the writing (by his own admission) may appear all over the place, it simply adds to the hilarity of his observations. This entertaining read sits comfortably with the best of O’Rourke’s prolific output.
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