Grownup Time: Talking to Girls About Duran Duran

If ever there was a book written for our generation…

Talking to Girls About Duran Duran
by Rob Sheffield
Dutton
ISBN: 978 0 525 95156 8
Audience: adults, older teens

I wrote a little while back about Sheffield’s book Love is a Mix Tape, which I really enjoyed. Here, he has less of a cohesive narrative to work with, but he operates in much the same style, sketching out scenes and themes from the 80s, each chapter set to a song – and it works. His writing is very engaging, and he has a lot to say about the times, about family, about girls and his lack of success with them, about music, and about growing up from age 13 to 23 in that decade.

He rambles around his formative years, attaching loose themes about his history with girls (in his family and not) and his growing up to various music and fashion styles. It’s a fun read, and a nice, thick slice of nostalgia for those of us (ahem) who grew up in the 80s. I recommend it as good light summer reading!