Just Jennifer

Twee: The Gentle Revolution in Music, Books, Television, Fashion, and Film by Marc Spitz (IT Books, June 2014)

Each generation leaves its mark on culture and society; each generation gets its own particular brand whether it is Baby Bombers, Generation X.  The name Twee has been coined by author Marc Spitz to describe the current youth movement that he deems a mix of classic cult favorites (Sylvia Plath, J.D. Salinger, Dr. Seuss, James Dean and Breakfast at Tiffany’s) with a modern day sensibility of locally sourced products and handmade food and crafts.  He describes Tweetles as aesthetes and perfectionists, with a certain amount of playfulness.  Chapters are chronological, years grouped together: 1988-1995 makes the unlikely case for Nirvana to be Twee.  The short-lived Cool Britannica covers 1994-1996 while the years 1983-1989 discusses the rise of big business as the Twee eschew the Big Eighties in favor of small business.  Spitz focuses his discussion in Brooklyn and takes the culture from 1945 through the present day.  A full bibliography in the back, along with a playlist, a reading list and suggested viewing for the truly Twee.  Whether you are taking a trip now memory lane through the nostalgia or feel that Spitz has hit how you feel about things right on the nose, whether read cover-to-cover, selected chapters or even just the bibliography and appendices to see what you might have missed (I found a biography of Sylvia Plath Rough Magic that I have overlooked until now) Twee is a fun read.