(Originally Published 2012, Paperback Edition 263 pages)
Despite the deceptive subtitle of the book, Ms. Koslow clearly states in her introduction that her work is not a how-to-book but more of a snapshot of today's twenty-to-thirty-year-old adults. The stories are anecdotal in an effort to highlight what the author has seen while interviewing people as well as her research into current social trends. The book is part memoir and part field study. One of her sons invented the word 'adultescent' to describe his generations mindset. I prefer the British's snappier designation 'kidults.' Ms. Koslow also shows that delayed maturity is a worldwide phenomenon.
Speaking as a 53-year-old male who has been happily married for thirty years and has two teenage sons, I view the younger generation as mimicking us Baby Boomers in resisting many aspects of adulthood. It shouldn't be surprising that Baby Boomers' resistance and insecurities to the natural aspects of aging are also delaying younger generations from maturing. It can't be all laid on our generations doorstep, but we own some of this younger generations' social phenomenon. They are simply continuing the post-World-War-II paradigm of not being willing to distinguish the difference between want and need. The author also shows that such events as a terrible job market, 9/11 and the ever-rising, astronomical costs of post-secondary education are some of the major contributing factors.
What Ms. Koslow does well is to lay out her case in an appealing, none-preachy but slightly-sarcastic manner. The book had me laughing, musing, and sometimes scared out of my friggin' gourd. It is a story about middle and upper-middle class families. The poor are ignored. All generations view other generations with an element of hubris and disdain. Ms. Koslow shows there are no magic formulas and even the best of intentions can go awry.
Speaking as a 53-year-old male who has been happily married for thirty years and has two teenage sons, I view the younger generation as mimicking us Baby Boomers in resisting many aspects of adulthood. It shouldn't be surprising that Baby Boomers' resistance and insecurities to the natural aspects of aging are also delaying younger generations from maturing. It can't be all laid on our generations doorstep, but we own some of this younger generations' social phenomenon. They are simply continuing the post-World-War-II paradigm of not being willing to distinguish the difference between want and need. The author also shows that such events as a terrible job market, 9/11 and the ever-rising, astronomical costs of post-secondary education are some of the major contributing factors.
What Ms. Koslow does well is to lay out her case in an appealing, none-preachy but slightly-sarcastic manner. The book had me laughing, musing, and sometimes scared out of my friggin' gourd. It is a story about middle and upper-middle class families. The poor are ignored. All generations view other generations with an element of hubris and disdain. Ms. Koslow shows there are no magic formulas and even the best of intentions can go awry.
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