ALT.CULTURE: An A-to-Z Guide to the ‘90s--Underground,...

ALT.CULTURE: An A-to-Z Guide to the ‘90s--Underground, Online, and Over-the-Counter by Steven Daly & Nathaniel Wice (HarperPerennial: $17; 297 pp., illustrated, paperback original). This agreeably irreverent guide to contemporary pop culture includes tongue-in-cheek entries on “The Simpsons,” “clear products,” piercing, huffing, Ricki Lake, PC debates and the Christian Coalition. The authors note that the book is intended to be a guide, not the guide, and sensibly include updated information on their Web site. Parents may find “Alt.culture” a useful bridge across a yawning generation gap.