Jean M. Twenge, author of the nonfiction novel Generation Me: Why Today's Young Americans Are More Confident, Assertive, Entitled ' and More Miserable Than Ever Before, eloquently presents her fourteen years of research in examining the social differences between that of today's generation and those of the baby boomers' day. Twenge's primary argument examines how younger people, dubbed GenMe, are much more self-confident compared to their parents. However, with this self-assurance, younger people have never been as depressed as they are today.
Twenge communicates her ideas simply by utilizing examples to demonstrate her conclusions. For instance, she alludes to various Hollywood blockbusters such as Bend It Like Beckham and Meet The Fockers. She also refers to real-world situations to assist in showing the differences between then and now, such as a photograph of a holiday card from the fifties compared to a holiday card in Y2K. At times, I felt her reasoning was repetitive, just presented in dissimilar ways. Nonetheless, she effectively builds her argument with extremely valid points, backed by years of statistics.
I was easily able to make real-world connections from the book to my life. As a child, I was told I can aspire to be whatever and whoever I want to be. With this ideology, I believed I could conquer anything and succeed everywhere. As a matter of fact, I still do. However, Generation Me warned me that I can expect disappointment and misery once I enter the real world, when it will ultimately reject my lifelong goals. With Twenge's conclusion, I sense it fuels GenMe even further to prove this theory erroneous and make the best of themselves. I recommend this enlightening book with no reservation for an easy read.