Westerly Sun Column | Catching Up With Stranger Things

Picture it: the summer of 2016. ‘Twas the summer of the Rio Olympics. The summer of Brexit. Obama was still president, and Clinton and Trump were just named the presidential nominees of their respective parties. Hamilton continued to take over Broadway, even as Lin-Manuel Miranda and others took their exit, and kids (and adults) everywhere obsessively played Pokémon Go.

Enter: Stranger Things.

The television show premiered on July 15th, 2016, and quickly gathered a massive cult following. Part horror, part sci-fi, and every bit an ode to 1980’s nostalgia, it grabbed the attention of older and younger generations alike. I was one of the many who became enamored with the series when it first came out, but sometime around the pandemic I got sidelined (as did the show – the fourth season was released nearly three full years after the third) and never returned to it. Until now. With the 5th and final season slated to come out this month, it’s high time to catch up!

Over the nearly 10 years since Stranger Things was first released, it’s become far larger than simply a television series; it’s a multimedia franchise! There are a range of books based on the show, such as Gwenda Bond’s YA novel “Stranger Things: Suspicious Minds” (2019), comics like “Stranger Things: Science Camp” by Jody Houser, soundtracks, and even a cookbook by Evan Scott! All of these are available through the library and our consortium, as well as the first four seasons of the show. If you’re looking for even more, you’ll find a stage play, podcasts, games, and merchandise galore, but you’ll have to venture outside the library for those.

I realize I’m waxing poetic over Stranger Things, but I initially intended this column to be more of an ode to nostalgia – and, in particular, 1980s pop culture – which the show evokes so well. Even if you’re not into the show, what’s to stop you from rocking out to The Clash, TOTO, and Kate Bush (all prominently featured in the show)? Alternately, binge some other 80s hits like ET, or the full John Hughes film collection with our John Hughes Binge Box. You could even pick up a book like “Back to Our Future: How the 1980s Explain the World We Live in Now” (2011) by David Sirota or “Sex, Drugs, and Cocoa Puffs: A Low Culture Manifesto” (2004) by Chuck Klosterman. These may not be the timeliest pop-culture books, but they certainly capture a period in time, in the same way that Stranger Things did.

At least one thing is clear: despite the series coming to an end, this is certainly not the last you will be hear or see of the Stranger Things Franchise. And if you begin to miss it, there are plenty of ways you can get your fill – just swing by the library!

By Cassie Skobrak, Adult Services Librarian