The Big Rewind: A Memoir Brought to You by Pop Culture »

Nathan Rabin was born a bicentennial baby in Kansas City, Missouri. During a childhood that could easily be described as “Dickensian,” he spent his formative years in Chicago and came of age in the Jewish Children's Bureau group home system. While still a sophomore at the University of Wisconsin, Rabin began writing regularly for a plucky local satirical publication called The Onion. Rabin quickly rose up the ranks of The Onion's entertainment section, The A.V. Club, to become its first, and to date, only, Head Writer.

From the head entertainment writer at The Onion A.V. Club, a hilarious and brutally-honest memoir told through the prism of pop culture.

The New York Times - Dwight Garner

…full of caustic wit and bruised feelings. The result is a lo-fi, sometimes crude book that is nonetheless more effective (and affecting) than it has any right to be…The Big Rewind…has something real and scuffed and quite winning at its core.

Introduction: Experience Male Genital Mutilation in a Celebratory Environment 1

"King Without a Crown" / My Summer Among the Hasidim 1

The Genius of Escapism: Sullivan's/ Travels / Nathan's Bogus Journey Through the Awkward Years 10

El Pollo Loco, el es el hombre!: Girl, Interrupted / Cold Chillin' at the Nuthouse 27

The Awful Intensity of the Moment: The Great Gatsby / The Wolfsheims 50

The Burrito Pimp of the Soup Kitchen and Son: The Catcher in the Rye / Crash-Landing at Winchester House 62

The Blood-Splattered Punchline: In Utero / The Prepubescent Trickster God of Rogers Park 79

Lukewarm Crawlspace Vermouth: The Chronic / The Group Home 90

The House Slave and Nat Turner, or It All Comes Out in the End: Apocalypse Now / The Long, Strange Reign of King Herschel 98

Wayne the Video Store Vampire: Reservoir Dogs / Blockbuster 116

She Really Worked Me Over: Good, She Was a Credit to Her Gender "Maggie May" / Emma G 123

You Must Be the Jew: "Brick" / Judy 130

One of Us, One of Us!: Freaks / Le Shithole 144

The Walking Dead Like Me: The Charm of the Highway Strip / The Chapter Where I Go AWOL from My Life 161

A Woefully Premature Happy Ending: 8 Mile / Permanent Temporary Happiness Forever 173

You Know Mom's Crazy, Right?: Grey Gardens / Meeting BM 182

Fresh Kid Turned Rotten: "What's Up, Fatlip?" / Fear and Self-Loathing in Madison Living Like a Gypsy Queen in a Fairy Tale "My Old School" / Twin Trips to the Whorehouse 204

I Enjoy Talking to Famous People: Don't Look Back / Tales Beyond the Transcript 210

Yesterday I Was a Sun God: The Bad and the Beautiful/Head Producer Guy228

Confessions of a Moderately Likeable Gay Everyman: "Homer's Enemy" / Zorianna Kit 275

Let the Omnisexual Fuckfest Begin!: Weekend / The Story of a 301

Please Don't Confront Me with My Failures, I Have Not Forgotten Them: Siskel & Ebert / Siskel & Ebert & Roeper & Ridley & Z & Me 321