Going Back to High School
2004; American studies; Volume: 45; Issue: 2 Linguagem: Inglês
ISSN
2153-6856
Autores Tópico(s)Themes in Literature Analysis
ResumoHigh school marks the intersection of the emotionality of adolescence and the rationality of career choice. Years later classmates return to reunions bearing recollections of teen love and boasting the hallmarks of upward mobilty. Given the heavy freight of the high school years, it is surprising how few alumni have chosen to write about them. Some have, but the most notable—or, at least, the most well-known— literary production, What Really Happened to the Class of'65?,,' is hardly more than local gossip. It may be wondered why it was published. The authors, Michael Medved and David Wallechinsky (both class members, the former now a rightwing talk show host in Seattle, the latter secluded in Paris), remind us that this particular cohort at Palasades High School (Pacific Palasades, CA) was the focus of a Time cover story on today's teenagers. Admittedly, the youngsters were hardly typical, living in one of America's most affluent enclaves, the beneficiaries of well-paid teachers and sophisticated parents. Yet the very circumstance of their isolation from the masses and financial security cast them into a unique position: in the years following graduation through all the upheavals in sex, politics, and life styles . . . [they were] always in the forefront, always on the crest of the wave, or so the authors assure us. This is the extent of the historical context provided. The volume consists of thirty personal sketches, each a pastiche of autobiographical testimony and
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