Customer Reviews

Fast Forward: Growing Up in the Shadow of Hollywood

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Well if you open this book you'll see my friends and classmates . . . Although I wonder why the pictures in this book are considerably older than the copyright date, this book does and excellent job of profiling the kids of LA in the early nineties not 1997. California experienced quite an economic uproar since since those Bar Mitzah days! Also, I wonder why this book is entitled "Growing Up in the Shadow of Hollywood." As one of those "shadowed" youths ( I attended the Harvard-Westlake School whose prom clad students appear in the beginning of the book), I can assure you that Hollywood is neither the mainstay of the Beverly Hills culture nor is it the mainstay of the South Central culture, both which are depicted in this book. Nevertheless, this book creates a realistic picture of life in 90210, 90077, and the all the other 90000's . .

The only thing scarier than some of the pictures in this chronicle of teenage LA, is knowing that it's only the tip of the iceberg. From the rich brats to the gangsters and their wannabe imitations, Greenfield does a great job of capturing the shallow lives of these kids. Almost Jacob Riis-like in its literal illumination of the subject

I bought this book after buying Lauren's other book, Girl Culture. I personally enjoyed Girl Culture more than this one. This book has a lot of photos from various proms and gangster life, and overall, I couldn't relate to a lot of it or really understand their stories as well as I did the ones in Girl Culture. I am a 21 year old woman so maybe that's why I related to that book more than this one. Overall, it is a good book, but I expected more out of it.

The book was brillant. It showed every aspect of living in LA. The articles and reviews that surrounded the book after it's publisihng were off base. Lauren should be Proud of herself.