Author(s): Tom Wolfe

Anthologies, Essays & Journals

'By the year 2000 the term "working class" had fallen into disuse in the United States, and "proletariat" was so obsolete it was known only to a few bitter Marxist academics with wire hair sprouting out of their ears. The average electrician, air-conditioning mechanic or burglar-alarm repairman lived a life that would have made the Sun King blink...' So begins "Hooking Up", the first of the brilliant pieces in Tom Wolfe's classic collection. Wolfe ranges from coast to coast chronicling everything from the sexual mores of teenagers to fundamental changes in the way human beings now regard themselves, thanks to the hot new fields of genetics and neuroscience. "Hooking Up" also includes "Ambush at Fort Bragg", Wolfe's novella about 'sting TV', and "U.R. Here", a story about a New York artist who triumphs precisely because of his total lack of talent. Funny, often savagely so, hard-hitting, wise, Wolfe remains a unique chronicler of America, and its future in a new age.