If you liked Stranger Things and have nostalgia for when you grew up in the eighties, this book is for you. It is comprised of a wide array of essays taking on the series from different angles, each brilliant in its own right. Topics include: Augustine of Hippo's views on the "city of God" versus the "earthly city," speciesism, the fear of extinction and mutilation, reflections on the Demiurge, the nature of melancholic nostalgia (often illusory), memory and identity, the Shadow (Jungian), social identity and identity threats, civil disobedience, the nature of friendship, the tyranny of normalization, and the forms of faith (which need not be religious, but just secular). It also covers the numerous influences from popular culture relics.
As someone who often wistfully and poignantly remembers memories or just images of growing up in the eighties, longing for that life-affirming lack of modern interconnectedness and innocence, it helped me come to terms with it, and assuage my fears of perhaps living today in some kind of dystopian hyper-Orwellian existence even some of my oft-conservative teachers couldn't foresee. Although I never played D&D, I was fascinated by the game and one of my prized possessions for many years was a miniature pewter statue of a magician. I once found an Ankh buried in the backyard of one of my childhood residences, and it also held the allure of magic and mystery in it for the longest time. I had the BMX, and was infatuated with movies like E.T., Ghostbusters, The Goonies, Star Wars, and Aliens. Suburbia in the America of the eighties still feels like a romantic ideal no longer in existence, a supreme sense of home and place--the 1950's ideal on steroids. I played the primitive video games--usually the medieval themed ones, and was devastated by the Challenger disaster. Although I was naïve about Reagan, perestroika seemed like the final solution to the world's problems, and I even ordered a Soviet Life magazine subscription. All these years later, Stranger Things made me romanticize about that time growing up and how it could have been different, and this book unpacks why and how it touches me and so many people on so many levels, containing valuable lessons on the importance of friendship and how to deal with and comprehend evil.
I decided yesterday to start reading this book, and just beforehand a woman on a walk with her dog passed right in front of my house, wearing a Stranger Things t-shirt. Must be a sign, I figured. Maybe she will become a new friend.
Enjoy fast, free delivery, exclusive deals, and award-winning movies & TV shows with Prime
Try Prime
and start saving today with fast, free delivery
Loading your book clubs
There was a problem loading your book clubs. Please try again.
Not in a club? Learn more
Join or create book clubs
Choose books together
Track your books
Bring your club to Amazon Book Clubs, start a new book club and invite your friends to join, or find a club that’s right for you for free.
Download the free Kindle app and start reading Kindle books instantly on your smartphone, tablet, or computer - no Kindle device required.
Read instantly on your browser with Kindle for Web.
Using your mobile phone camera - scan the code below and download the Kindle app.
Discover the latest buzz-worthy books, from mysteries and romance to humor and nonfiction. Explore more
Customers who bought this item also bought
Page 1 of 1 Start overPage 1 of 1
