I felt like this book was a little generalizing. People are more alike than different, and I don’t think generations can really sum up a personality any more than horoscopes.

I was going to write a review for Newsweek Japan if it was something new and informative, but I was not convinced. Therefore, unfortunately, I didn't write a review. Some parts are interesting, but it didn't add something new and remarkable.

Readers will enjoy learning about the differences among the generations (Silents through Gen Z) and what major events shaped their way of thinking and living. I particularly enjoyed how each generation chapter has lists of famous people and other generation-defining categories. I found myself flipping between each generation just to see who was from what generation or what significant event(s) occurred when. There is a lot of data and graphs that help explain how each generation connects and competes with each other. This book is fascinating, and just plain fun to read. I feel like it helped me understand my grandparents and parents more.

Since we live and work among people of all generations, this book is essential reading and can help us understand one another better.

Thank you to Atria Books for providing a copy via NetGalley.

This book was exactly what I hoped it would be. The deep dive into the current generations living in America was absolutely fascinating as I found my views on each of them both validated and challenged.

It's interesting to apply the general characteristics given to each generation to the people I'm surrounded by in my life. I feel like I now have a better understanding of how to communicate and work with each one of them now that I can see where their motivations and views come from.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a digital copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

Stuffed with data -- almost too many graphs and charts -- this book gave me good insights on my (mostly Gen Z) students. Not a light read -- Dr Twenge is an academic, and writes like one. Her conclusions are supported by ample evidence, and while I found some of the statistical analysis hard to understand, I gained from reading her bottom-line observations. Buying this for my (academic) library, because I'm sure the rest of the faculty could benefit from it.

While this isn’t the strongest or most engaging book I’ve read on generations in America, it is perhaps the most thorough one I’ve had the opportunity to read in quite a while. I really appreciate Twenge’s dives into topics such as trends in women’s education over the generations, and her points made about which generations were actually driving social and political change in the U.S. Generational studies and analyzation are fascinating to me, and I still found the book laborious to read, unfortunately. Not unworthwhile, just not as well-written as it could be, and as others have done. Rounded to 3 stars from 2.5.

My thanks to NetGalley and Atria Books for the opportunity to read this title in exchange of my honest opinion.

Thank you to NetGalley and Atria publishing for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

"Generations" intrigued me from the get go as a Millennial born to Baby Boomer parents. I was looking for reasoning behind our differences in opinions, and this book delivered. Twenge provided research and data to support her claims, and I'll be recommending this book to my parents to read, as well.

This book was SUPER interesting. It broke down the six living generations and how they all differ. Technology plays a big role in shaping each generation’s views and way of life. It was really neat to see the evolution of each generation and the nuances of each. However, I feel like millennials (me) got a really bad rap in this book. They are not cast in the best light. Otherwise, really eye opening read!

Many thanks to NetGalley and Atria publishing for offering me an advanced copy in exchange for a review! ✨

Based on actual research and data from more than 70 years, this book actually looks at the truth of the "generations" and not just the stereotypes (though she does dig into those too, and either supports or refutes them with data). Twenge's theories on why the generations have the traits that they do, and how that will impact the future, are fascinating.

GENERATIONS by Jean M. Twenge (iGen) was recently reviewed in the Wall Street Journal which reminded me that I, too, have been meaning to share some thoughts about Twenge's latest work which looks at six generations of people: the Silents, Baby Boomers, Gen X, Millennials, Gen Z, and those born after 2012 (whom she calls Polars). A professor of Psychology at San Diego State University, Twenge is often referenced (as she was in a recent Economist article) and provides critical insight on demographic and behavioral trends. In GENERATIONS she looks at the differences between the six groups and how that may be impacting America. Her argument that technology (in all its forms) is an essential shaper of successive generations, gradually pushing towards more individualism and a "slower life trajectory" would likely mesh with Suzy Welch's opinion piece on "fun employment," a concept new to me, but apparently not to Gen Z. Each of Twenge's chapter is devoted to a cohort and she relays details of their experience (e.g., Boomers attending multiple elementary school as new ones were built to handle the population bulge or only going to high school in the morning or afternoon, again due to limited space OR Millennials playing Oregon Trail online as the first generation to grow up with the internet and one which "originated the word parenting as a verb – and created a sense of judgment and competition around child raising"). Twenge’s work (also reviewed by NPR) is a fascinating read for anyone interested in demographics, mental health, and cultural shifts.

Relevant Links for those who are interested:
https://www.wsj.com/articles/generations-review-growing-up-is-hard-to-do-f9afb98
https://www.economist.com/graphic-detail/2023/05/03/suicide-rates-for-girls-are-rising-are-smartphones-to-blame
https://www.wsj.com/articles/for-gen-z-unemployment-can-be-a-blast-employment-career-labor-generation-corporate-college-university-e24810ce
https://www.npr.org/sections/health-shots/2023/04/25/1171773181/social-media-teens-mental-health

I was interested in Generations because there are many times I interact with people of a different generation than myself and wonder “what are they thinking!?”

This book outlines facts and perspectives of multiple generations in great detail, including lots of data, charts, and graphs to back up the author’s claims. I initially found this interesting, however there was an element of repetition from chapter to chapter.

One takeaway from this book is that whether or not one feels a part of a generation or not, we are each born into one, defined by substantive events, and are under the influence of our generation.

I recommend this book to anyone looking to take a deep dive into generational research, or perhaps to understand those around you a bit better.

This is a deeply informative book about the six different generations living in America now. The book uses facts and statistics to bring the reader to a sense of understanding and empathy for each of the generations. I found my eyes opened to a reality that I couldn't really because I was currently living it. It’s amazing how there are so many stereotypes about each generation that are factually the opposite of the actual generation statistics. While technology is the main driver of differences in generations it is not the sole contributing factor. It’s amazing that the language of individualism, of a particular generation, changes everything that comes after. The self-awareness/acceptance movement became the self-esteem movement which led to the metal health awareness/acceptance movement we have today. The interior landscape of people is evolving with technology and slowing down entire generations’ life trajectories. I have always been acutely aware of generational differences when it comes to pop culture references, but I never thought to go into such detail about how each new piece of technology affects each generation. I see now how smart phones didn't just hurt gen z, but it sent smaller shockwaves through all the generations, with the smaller waves affecting the generations that grew up fast and the larger waves hurting the generations that grew up slowly. I wish there was a way to get everyone to read this book or at the very least the last chapter that deals with the future. The gap that is developing between American's is only going to get worse if we can't find a way to come together collectively. Once again this is an amazing book and while some of the statistics are hard to get through it is worth the read.

Generations by Jean M. Twenge is dedicated to understanding generations, so much so that each chapter is dedicated to a different generation: Silents (born 1925– 1945), Boomers (1946– 1964), Generation X (1965–1979), Millennials (1980– 1994), Generation Z (aka iGen or Zoomers) (1995 –2012), and an as-yet-unnamed generation born after 2013. This book explores the similarities and differences between each generation and pinpoints why some people in each generation act the way they do. Fascinating read for those who are interested in sociology and how external factors can influence a generation's outlook on life.

Jean M. Twenge, a psychology profession at San Diego State University, has added another work to her ouevre on American generations. This book profiles six of them: the Silents 1925-45, Baby Boomers 1946-64, Gen X 1965-79, Millennials 1980-94, Gen Z 1995-2012, and the current unnamed generation 2013-29 that she calls Polars. The work dedicates a robust chapter to each generation, punctuating them with major events. She also makes a respectable and moderate case for generational analysis. The criticism of this perspective is that the groupings are arbitrary, and Twenge's response is that we use these types of somewhat arbitrary grouping regularly in social analyses (e.g. any binning of different aged people together).

The major thrust of the book is exploring the differential psychological impact of technological change across the generations and the trend of increased individualism over time. These two themes also contain the shift toward a "slow life strategy," where youth is prolonged. This is just an academic way to refer to the phenomenon of successive generations taking longer to complete education, enter the workforce, get married, have children, etc. Twenge is a collaborator of Jon Haidt's. For those unfamiliar with Haidt, this means that Twenge is a critic of social media and smartphone and its impact on our psychology. The shared hypothesis between Twenge and Haidt is that the increased opportunity for social comparison, other related performance pressures, and the psychological incentives create by the structure of social media applications generally exacerbate anxiety and depression in teens and some young adults. I like that Twenge takes measured and cautious positions on these trends. She's a reasonably balanced and quantitatively oriented analyst, which this topic requires.

I recommend this book. It was an engaging and compelling read. I think a lot of readers will find interesting and useful knowledge in this book.

One of the better breakdowns of generations and how the collective values came to be...

The United States is currently populated by six generations: Silents (born 1925– 1945), Boomers (1946– 1964), Generation X (1965–1979), Millennials (1980– 1994), Generation Z (aka iGen or Zoomers) (1995 –2012), and an as-yet-unnamed generation born after 2013 (I call them Polars; some marketers have called them Alphas).

Generations is a fascinating read. If you are not into demographics and studies, you can skim those charts and keep on reading about the differences and similarities between the generations still living in 2023. If you've ever wondered why a certain group of people act they way they do, this is a must read. The explanations are relevant and easy to see, not based on the author's opinion but based on the data generated by the groups themselves. I highly recommend this book to anyone who works with people.

I love this book’s layout and how it was organized. I have learned so much about my generation and other generations. This book has helped grow my understanding of my family members based on their life experiences due to their generation.

Loved this book. Super fascinating and I learned so much about myself, my generation, and how the world works.

As someone who's long been interested in generational shifts and trends in American culture, I expected to find this fascinating—but I was constantly aggravated by the author's hard-line demarcation between the six generations of people described in this book.

Generations: The Real Difference Between Gen Z, Millennials, Gen X, Boomers and the Silents - and What They Mean for America's Future will be released on April 25, 2023. Atria Books provided an early galley for review.

When I saw the listing for this title, I knew it was something I needed to check out. I am clearly a Gen X member, though cusping on the Baby Boomers' end. I was curious to see what Twenge reveals about this. But I also want to know a lot more about the more recent generations too. I have a Gen Z kid, for example, but he definitely does not identify to his group much (often mocking and rejecting their "ways"). I am curious about that too.

After setting the stage with an overview chapter, Twenge dives right into the meaty details. A chapter is devoted to each of the six groups, presenting tons of interesting facts backed by supportive gathered data. Everything from birth rates to political views to substance usage to mental health are noted. Each section also includes popular birth names and famous folks belonging to that group.

As a Gen X who got his start in the technology field, I really appreciated how the author devoted time to talk about the various changes in technology which, in turn, had major effects on each of the groups. I also found interesting the evolution of self-focus that occurred across the generations and how that created dynamics and behaviors.

If you're someone who likes to swim around in the social studies pool, this book is for you. It is definitely one I'll be going back to for reference.