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Books that defined the 70s
Dec. 30th, 2022 07:59 pmI found a list that came from LitHub, 10 Books That Defined the 70s. I think I've seen a bunch of things like this over time, right? (Apparently LitHub did every decade starting with 1900 a few years ago. I know other places have done similar things, too. Magazines - Time magazine comes to mind - used to love to do stuff like this periodically. I say that in the past tense but I'm sure they still do.)
I turned 10 in 1970, so I was 19 in 1979 - that covers a lot of ground. I think I was in 5th grade in 1970, and I started college at UT in 1977. I was an English major for three of those years (starting in 1978), so I read some things, or at least knew of some things, because of that that I certainly wouldn't have otherwise. I'm going to go through all of the list and some of the other things listed at the bottom that presumably are sort of the runners-up.
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One Hundred Years of Solitude, by Gabriel Garcia Marquez (published in Spanish in 1967 but not published in English until 1970) - I read this a long time ago, and I need to re-read it. (Garcia Marquez won a Nobel Prize in 1982, so I'm wondering if I read it about that time. I remember hearing about it in classes but I don't think it was ever required reading.) I remembered being sort of baffled by the "magical realism" stuff, which is a bit odd since I grew up reading SF/F constantly and it's not like it was really anything new to me. This is why I say I need to re-read it.
Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret, by Judy Blume (1970) - it's weird, but I'm not entirely sure whether I ever read this or not. I kind of think I did but I don't remember it much if I did. (This would be consistent with having read it once & never re-reading it,, I guess.) I know I read some of Judy Blume's books. Note that there's apparently a movie coming out based on this, I think this spring.
The Joy of Sex, by Alex Comfort (1972) - I remember sneaking around with my friends to clandestinely read bits of this as a pre-teen or young teenager - at their houses, because if my parents had it they hid it extremely well. I've definitely never read the whole thing - by the time I was old enough to read it openly, it seemed dated.
Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas (1972) - I read this sometime in the years I lived in Austin, maybe in the early 80s. I think I may still have the paperback, but I haven't re-read it in a long time.
Gravity's Rainbow, by Thomas Pynchon (1973) - this is one of those books I tried and tried to read, and just never got interested in it enough to keep going.
Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance, by Robert Pirsig (1974) - ditto on the above, basically. I remember a (male) English professor going on about this being a neglected classic, back in the day, but I tried and couldn't ever get interested. I think I had my last try at it just a few years ago, and I got far enough to be pretty sure I wasn't going to like it. I suspect it's more of a guy thing.
All the President's Men, by Carl Bernstein and Bob Woodward (1974) - read it long ago, loved it, have re-read it many times. I don't know when I first read it, maybe late 70s.
Helter Skelter, by Vincent Bugiosi with Curt Gentry (1974) - I don't think I read this in high school, because I think my mother would have had a fit. She let me read many "adult" books as a teen (meaning things with violence and some sex, not actual porn or anything - I usually use The Dirty Dozen as an example) but she was very religious which made her very skittery about things involving Satanism etc. I do remember talking about the Manson family in high school (actually at school, I mean - like, I remember talking about The White Album, with reference to Manson & his followers.). The miniseries apparently came out in 1976 (so did Roots, below) so that probably is why we were talking about it in school. I did read this book, multiple times, but I don't think it was until later.
Roots, by Alex Haley (1976) - I saw the miniseries and I read the book, somewhere vaguely around this time, but I'm not really sure when I first read it. It might have been around that time, '76 or '77.
The Shining, by Stephen King (1977) - I've read this, but I think it was much more recently. I've always read some of King's books (see Carrie, below) but I mostly skip the "scary" stuff in favor of The Stand, The Dark Tower, etc. I don't think I saw the movie or read the book until much later. Still, it was such a huge hit that it was impossible not to know at least a little about it.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
So that's the "winning" 10. I do think those do give you a good feel for the 70s, between them. But many of the ones below are the same way, and I have comments about some of them, too:
Solaris, by Stanislaw Lem (1st English translation, 1970) - I've never read this, and I know there's a movie I've never seen, also. I don't know why, because this is totally in my sci-fi-loving wheelhouse.
Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee, by Dee Brown (1970) - I know exactly why I've never read this - it's because I know it would totally depress me. But I should have read it anyway. (If I can get through books about the Civil War, I can get through this.)
Deliverance, by James Dickey (1970) - I know I read this, but probably not til much later. 80s, maybe?
Play It As It Lays, by Joan Didion (1970) - I picked up a Didion habit after The White Album came out, so I probably read this in the 80s.
The Exorcist, by W.P. Blatty (1971) - I know my mom wouldn't let us go see the movie (I think that was about '73?) and I know I read the book, multiple times I believe. I imagine it was at least somewhat later, though.
Jonathan Livingston Seagull, by Richard Bach (1973) - I really can't believe they didn't put this in the top 10, just because this book is so, so 70s. I doubt that I read it in '73, but I bet it was in the mid-70s. It was dumb, but somehow kind of compelling.
Invisible Cities, by Italo Calvino (1st English translation, 1974) - this is one I know I read because I heard about it in class. I don't remember if it was actually required reading, but I know I loved it and read it several more times, at least.
Jaws, by Peter Benchley (1974) - I loved this book. I read it and I saw the movie, I don't remember exactly when. This is something my mother would have let me get by with reading, so I probably first read it in high school, anyway.
Carrie, by Stephen King (1974) - I feel like I read this in the late 70s, but I'm not sure. (Oddly, I don't think I saw the movie until much later.)
Ragtime, by E.L. Doctorow (1974) - Man, I loved this book. I bet it was more like around 1980 when I first read it, though.
Interview with the Vampire, by Anne Rice (1976) - loved this, too. I think I've said this before, but when we got married (which was in '87), Rob and I each had a copy of this - identical paperbacks. Again, I'm not sure when I first read it. I'd guess college.
The World According to Garp (1978) - I read all of John Irving's books for a long time, although I quit at some point. (I think I started thinking they were all kind of alike.) Loved this one, though, read and re-read it.
The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, by Douglas Adams (1979) - I imagine I read this pretty shortly after it came out - it was one of those books that everybody was suddenly reading.
Sophie's Choice, by William Styron (1979) - this was another one of those books. I'm pretty sure I read it fairly soon after it came out. I remember reading reviews of this, and how much they all loved it. And I did too.
I turned 10 in 1970, so I was 19 in 1979 - that covers a lot of ground. I think I was in 5th grade in 1970, and I started college at UT in 1977. I was an English major for three of those years (starting in 1978), so I read some things, or at least knew of some things, because of that that I certainly wouldn't have otherwise. I'm going to go through all of the list and some of the other things listed at the bottom that presumably are sort of the runners-up.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
One Hundred Years of Solitude, by Gabriel Garcia Marquez (published in Spanish in 1967 but not published in English until 1970) - I read this a long time ago, and I need to re-read it. (Garcia Marquez won a Nobel Prize in 1982, so I'm wondering if I read it about that time. I remember hearing about it in classes but I don't think it was ever required reading.) I remembered being sort of baffled by the "magical realism" stuff, which is a bit odd since I grew up reading SF/F constantly and it's not like it was really anything new to me. This is why I say I need to re-read it.
Are You There God? It's Me, Margaret, by Judy Blume (1970) - it's weird, but I'm not entirely sure whether I ever read this or not. I kind of think I did but I don't remember it much if I did. (This would be consistent with having read it once & never re-reading it,, I guess.) I know I read some of Judy Blume's books. Note that there's apparently a movie coming out based on this, I think this spring.
The Joy of Sex, by Alex Comfort (1972) - I remember sneaking around with my friends to clandestinely read bits of this as a pre-teen or young teenager - at their houses, because if my parents had it they hid it extremely well. I've definitely never read the whole thing - by the time I was old enough to read it openly, it seemed dated.
Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas (1972) - I read this sometime in the years I lived in Austin, maybe in the early 80s. I think I may still have the paperback, but I haven't re-read it in a long time.
Gravity's Rainbow, by Thomas Pynchon (1973) - this is one of those books I tried and tried to read, and just never got interested in it enough to keep going.
Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance, by Robert Pirsig (1974) - ditto on the above, basically. I remember a (male) English professor going on about this being a neglected classic, back in the day, but I tried and couldn't ever get interested. I think I had my last try at it just a few years ago, and I got far enough to be pretty sure I wasn't going to like it. I suspect it's more of a guy thing.
All the President's Men, by Carl Bernstein and Bob Woodward (1974) - read it long ago, loved it, have re-read it many times. I don't know when I first read it, maybe late 70s.
Helter Skelter, by Vincent Bugiosi with Curt Gentry (1974) - I don't think I read this in high school, because I think my mother would have had a fit. She let me read many "adult" books as a teen (meaning things with violence and some sex, not actual porn or anything - I usually use The Dirty Dozen as an example) but she was very religious which made her very skittery about things involving Satanism etc. I do remember talking about the Manson family in high school (actually at school, I mean - like, I remember talking about The White Album, with reference to Manson & his followers.). The miniseries apparently came out in 1976 (so did Roots, below) so that probably is why we were talking about it in school. I did read this book, multiple times, but I don't think it was until later.
Roots, by Alex Haley (1976) - I saw the miniseries and I read the book, somewhere vaguely around this time, but I'm not really sure when I first read it. It might have been around that time, '76 or '77.
The Shining, by Stephen King (1977) - I've read this, but I think it was much more recently. I've always read some of King's books (see Carrie, below) but I mostly skip the "scary" stuff in favor of The Stand, The Dark Tower, etc. I don't think I saw the movie or read the book until much later. Still, it was such a huge hit that it was impossible not to know at least a little about it.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
So that's the "winning" 10. I do think those do give you a good feel for the 70s, between them. But many of the ones below are the same way, and I have comments about some of them, too:
Solaris, by Stanislaw Lem (1st English translation, 1970) - I've never read this, and I know there's a movie I've never seen, also. I don't know why, because this is totally in my sci-fi-loving wheelhouse.
Bury My Heart at Wounded Knee, by Dee Brown (1970) - I know exactly why I've never read this - it's because I know it would totally depress me. But I should have read it anyway. (If I can get through books about the Civil War, I can get through this.)
Deliverance, by James Dickey (1970) - I know I read this, but probably not til much later. 80s, maybe?
Play It As It Lays, by Joan Didion (1970) - I picked up a Didion habit after The White Album came out, so I probably read this in the 80s.
The Exorcist, by W.P. Blatty (1971) - I know my mom wouldn't let us go see the movie (I think that was about '73?) and I know I read the book, multiple times I believe. I imagine it was at least somewhat later, though.
Jonathan Livingston Seagull, by Richard Bach (1973) - I really can't believe they didn't put this in the top 10, just because this book is so, so 70s. I doubt that I read it in '73, but I bet it was in the mid-70s. It was dumb, but somehow kind of compelling.
Invisible Cities, by Italo Calvino (1st English translation, 1974) - this is one I know I read because I heard about it in class. I don't remember if it was actually required reading, but I know I loved it and read it several more times, at least.
Jaws, by Peter Benchley (1974) - I loved this book. I read it and I saw the movie, I don't remember exactly when. This is something my mother would have let me get by with reading, so I probably first read it in high school, anyway.
Carrie, by Stephen King (1974) - I feel like I read this in the late 70s, but I'm not sure. (Oddly, I don't think I saw the movie until much later.)
Ragtime, by E.L. Doctorow (1974) - Man, I loved this book. I bet it was more like around 1980 when I first read it, though.
Interview with the Vampire, by Anne Rice (1976) - loved this, too. I think I've said this before, but when we got married (which was in '87), Rob and I each had a copy of this - identical paperbacks. Again, I'm not sure when I first read it. I'd guess college.
The World According to Garp (1978) - I read all of John Irving's books for a long time, although I quit at some point. (I think I started thinking they were all kind of alike.) Loved this one, though, read and re-read it.
The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, by Douglas Adams (1979) - I imagine I read this pretty shortly after it came out - it was one of those books that everybody was suddenly reading.
Sophie's Choice, by William Styron (1979) - this was another one of those books. I'm pretty sure I read it fairly soon after it came out. I remember reading reviews of this, and how much they all loved it. And I did too.
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