About us
UPDATE OCTOBER 2026:
The Illiterati GenX Book Club now has a solid group who meets regularly, and we have decided to discontinue our paid Meetup subscription.
Once we end our subscription Meetup will typically invite everyone in the group to assume (paid) control of it. Please know that we will already be remaining active outside of Meetup.
If you are interested in keeping track of our ongoing meeting dates and readings, feel free to follow us at our host FUSION's website
or by subscribing to FUSION's email newsletter.
If you have an active interest in joining our events, we also run an email list. Reach out to genxbookclub@gmail.com to communicate with us directly.
Thank you and keep whatever!
Sean
___
Things are weird. The adults are all gone. We've been left to fend for ourselves by the light of an empty fridge.
Gen X was made for this. We got ourselves to the mall food court, looking for each other without appearing to care. Let's read Gen X literature. Let's discuss it as if it's real. As our ultimate rebellious act in a dying world we'll make it so.
Once we find a couple of interested people we'll crack open Eggers, Wurtzel, Safran Foer. Hewlett & Martin. If all goes well and follows in reasonable order we'll start with early Gen X authors and move to the later. Maybe rinse with something hopeish from outside the timeline, like Allie Brosh.
But when does it all go well and follow in reasonable order?
Sign up now before it's too late.
***
We will be discussing books related to Generation X. FUSION (700-708 1st st. NW 87102) will host our monthly club meetings on Sundays from 11am - 1pm. You're welcome to BYO snacks and drinks, or even some to share.
Look in the photos section for our current reading list. If you have reading suggestions please send them to genxbookclub@gmail.com, and keep in mind:
> Authors should be born between 1960 and 1980. Outliers will want good reasons to be included. Any books over 400 pages may be discussed over multiple months.
> Folks are welcome to attend even if they haven't finished the book, and audio versions are fair game.
> We're looking for discussion above agreement, but if someone is mean they will be sent to a corner. Disagreement is encouraged as long as it remains respectful.
> Feel free to post your own book recommendations in the discussion section! A couple of nonfiction favorites from outside the timeline if you're looking for background reads:
> The Fourth Turning by Strauss and Howe
> When Society Becomes an Addict, by Anne Wilson Schaef
Upcoming events
2
The Ministry for the Future by Kim Stanley Robinson
Fusion ABQ, FUSION ABQ Cox R L Fur & Hide, 708 1st St NW, Albuquerque, NM, USA non-Gen-X Author writing Cli-Fi addressing generational harms
"Robert," the book's top reviewer at Goodreads, writes:
A short guide on how to enjoy reading The Ministry for the Future:1. Be aware that it occupies a peculiar spot between fiction and non-fiction. The book features individuals, it even drives home a powerful point about individual engagement, but it is not focused on personal stories. While some chapters do go on at length about personal trauma, others are literally meeting minutes. Reams of fictional near-future history. Details on geoengineering techniques. The infamous infodump. If it is an aquired taste, it's a taste well worth aquiring.
2. Do not expect a scientifically rigid proposal for solving the climate crisis. KSR is an amazingly informed and engaged author and there are a number of intriguing and well-researched ideas in this book, touching on geoengineering, policy work, economics and more. Some might even work - while others would be picked apart by a domain expert. Personally I err on the hopeful side, plus they're fun to read. However, that doesn't really matter. Whatever its ultimate realism, the book fosters an understanding that solutions (plural) to climate change and global inequity are possible, that they can be imagined, that--look--this could be one way it plays out, however unlikely, that, yes, there are unknowns, but we can't really afford to let that paralyze us.
3. Do not mistake it for a dystopian novel. It starts out sobering, then proceeds with a grim determination that turns into determined hopefulness. Not utopian either; there's no starry eyed insistence on the ensured triumph of rationality and enlightenment (and if such is possible, it will be hard-earned). But despite the cautionary mention that humans usually believe they will be alright all the way to the end, KSR ultimately commits to optimism.
4. Do consider it a rallying cry. One among the many-but-not-yet-enough. I hope it finds its target in spite of considerable cynicism.
***
Special Bonus pairing option: watch The Age of Stupid, 2009 CliFi/Documentary by Franny Alexander.
Remember to BYO snacks and possibly some to share!
***
UPDATE REMINDER LATE 2026:
The Illiterati GenX Book Club now has a solid group who meets regularly, and we have decided to discontinue our paid Meetup subscription.Once we end our subscription Meetup will typically invite everyone in the group to assume (paid) control of it. Please know that we will already be staying active outside of Meetup.
If you are interested in keeping track of our ongoing meeting dates and readings, feel free to follow us at our host FUSION's website
or consider subscribing to FUSION's email newsletter.If you have an active interest in joining our events, we also run an email list. Reach out to genxbookclub@gmail.com to communicate with us directly.
Thank you and keep whatever!
Sean***
3 attendees
Past events
22
