2033: Future of Misbehavior [Hardcover]

The Editors of Nerve.com (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: June 7, 2007

What is the future of sex? Some of the brightest minds writing today offer their predictions in this tantalizing anthology. Rick Moody considers the repornification of Times Square, Lisa Gabriele predicts 100 percent divorce rate, Ana Marie Cox sees the return of family values via tabloids, Jay McInerney examines female executive dominance, Walter Kirn discusses Madame President and the First Lady, and much more. With short stories, imaginative e-mail exchanges, mock memoranda, and other clever missives from 2033, the future of misbehavior has never looked so good.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

It's hardly surprising that Nerve.com, an award-winning erotic web site for the literary set, would compile a group of short stories and essays about sex, love and marriage 25 years down the road; the surprise is how well it works. Studded with contemporary lit luminaries like Rick Moody, with a proposal to return Times Square to its former salacious glory, and Jay McInerney, who predicts the rise of the matriarchy in executive culture, these speculative pieces often appear light and funny on the surface, but carry sharp satirical bite and an undercurrent of foreboding. Lisa Gabriele's vision of a 100-percent divorce rate, for instance, sounds both absurd and plausible. Taking the glorification of youth, celebrity, self-improvement and personal technology to their extremes, Rachel Shukert imagines a "Paris Hilton International Fellowship" that goes to candidates showing special promise "in the field of clubbing," Margot Berwin envisions government-subsidized plastic surgery and Tom Lombardi sees a future of tooth-sized personal computers and an "iPod Hemorrhoid" you keep in your tush. That the book proves more cautionary than erotic may disappoint some readers, but its look at modern excesses and insecurities proves entertaining, thought-provoking and darkly funny.
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About the Author

Nerve.com has published provocative essays and photography, stimulating reporting, and side-splitting commentary since 1997. Described by Entertainment Weekly as "Playboy's body with the New Yorker's brain," Nerve has won many awards, including "Best of the Web" (Forbes, 2004).

Product Details

• Hardcover: 200 pages
• Publisher: Chronicle Books; First Edition edition (June 7, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0811859401
• ISBN-13: 978-0811859400
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 6 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,158,695 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars The literary branding experiment of 2007, August 14, 2007

By 

Jessica Lux (Rosamond, CA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: 2033: Future of Misbehavior (Hardcover)

2033: The Future of Misbehavior is the love child of edgy culture site Nerve.com and Swedish Vodka brand Svedka. Yes, that's right: in 2003, not only do you get interplanetary dating, Madame President, and socialized plastic surgery, but an entire short story collection can be branded by an alcohol company. As the opening pages state, this project was "made possible by the influence of Svedka, the Number One vodka of 2033." The Malibu Svedka book launch party was a paparazzo's dream, with full coverage in the society pages. The sponsorship campaign around the book is scheduled to last a full year, but Svedka has given full editorial control to Nerve.com and insists that no product placement or content were dictated by the partnership.

It's only natural that the product sponsor of choice for writers is an alcohol company, right? Better that than a pencil company or a dictionary publisher.

According to this cadre of vodka-addled writers, the future is a caricature of our current vapid, celebrity-obsessed culture. Deities are ordained by People Magazine, fellowships based on the lives of Nichole Richie, Paris Hilton, and Lindsay Lohan are awarded, and celebrities endorse the swinging lifestyle. The short story collection has its hits and misses, and plenty of sarcastic wit, but it feels like an overdone parody. This is a book to buy for its slick sponsorship. You'll get to read the latest from modern literary talents, you'll probably laugh out loud a few times, and you'll be able to tell future generations that you participated in a literary branding experiment of 2007.

2 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars A Tasteless Snack, January 12, 2009

By 

Adventure Scott (Beige Flatlands, IL) - See all my reviews

This review is from: 2033: Future of Misbehavior (Hardcover)

This was a most forgettable tome. Unimaginative sound-bite martini bar fiction with little point, a bland finish and no aftertaste. My copy came from the cutout bin and went to Goodwill immediately after consumption.

0 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars different views, February 1, 2011

By 

Trez - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: 2033: Future of Misbehavior (Hardcover)

an alternative way to look at the possibilities of the future. a great book to read if your traveling with not much time to really get into the story.
i personally loved this book.