Twentysomething: Why do Young Adults Seem Stuck?
by Robin Marantz Henig and Samantha Henig
The concept behind this book is really cool. Robin Marantz Henig belongs to the baby boomer generation, and her daughter Samantha is a millennial, aka a Twentysomething. Together, they’ve written an interesting, nonjudgmental discussion about “kids these days”.
I am a twentysomething, and my mom is a baby boomer, and we both really enjoyed reading this book. We happen to have a very open stream of communication anyway, but I can imagine those who aren’t as close to their parent or child would get an extra benefit from this book. People who aren’t used to discussing both sides of the argument for or against twentysomethings will be inspired and provoked; I can’t even imagine how many parent/child discussions this book sparked when previously both parties involved believed they had nothing to talk about.
This really is a fantastic book, for millennials and those who have parented millennials. For people in their thirties and forties, probably not so much, unless they happen to be dating someone younger and want to understand that generation better. For parents, Robin takes a gentle tone. She knows firsthand the journey, expectations, and disappointments of raising a twentysomething, and she doesn’t blame the parent for the child’s outcome. For children, Samantha tells it like it is. She explains how social media and technology has shaped us beyond belief, and why we look at sex, love, and marriage differently than the previous generation.
Although it’s not a very long book, it’ll probably take you a while to get through it, since you’ll close the book after every chapter and engage in a lengthy discussion with everyone you can find about what you just read. I highly recommend it, for although it doesn’t actually fix anything, it can unite parents and children in a new way.
I am a twentysomething, and my mom is a baby boomer, and we both really enjoyed reading this book. We happen to have a very open stream of communication anyway, but I can imagine those who aren’t as close to their parent or child would get an extra benefit from this book. People who aren’t used to discussing both sides of the argument for or against twentysomethings will be inspired and provoked; I can’t even imagine how many parent/child discussions this book sparked when previously both parties involved believed they had nothing to talk about.
This really is a fantastic book, for millennials and those who have parented millennials. For people in their thirties and forties, probably not so much, unless they happen to be dating someone younger and want to understand that generation better. For parents, Robin takes a gentle tone. She knows firsthand the journey, expectations, and disappointments of raising a twentysomething, and she doesn’t blame the parent for the child’s outcome. For children, Samantha tells it like it is. She explains how social media and technology has shaped us beyond belief, and why we look at sex, love, and marriage differently than the previous generation.
Although it’s not a very long book, it’ll probably take you a while to get through it, since you’ll close the book after every chapter and engage in a lengthy discussion with everyone you can find about what you just read. I highly recommend it, for although it doesn’t actually fix anything, it can unite parents and children in a new way.