Can't Even

July 13, 2020
BuzzFeed writer Peterson (Too Fat, Too Slutty, Too Loud) explores how low-paying jobs, overstimulation, and unattainable expectations have contributed to millennial malaise in this trenchant and well-researched account. Young people who once received participation trophies now seek “cool” jobs, Petersen writes, only to fall into the “trap” of long hours and inadequate pay. Though older generations mischaracterize America’s largest demographic group as lazy and selfish, millennials are actually working multiple jobs to pay bills in the modern gig economy as they watch the American dream slip away, Petersen contends. She weaves together personal reflections, profiles of other millennials, and a plethora of demographic information to addresses issues such as parenting, social media, college debt, and health care. Though she recommends finding “solace” in hobbies and notes that one family reduced their stress by moving from the East Coast to Idaho, Petersen is more focused on bluntly describing her generation’s many obstacles than offering solutions to burnout. By turns exasperated, indignant, and empathetic, she supports her claims with strong evidence and calls on millennials to be a force for widespread social change. The result is an incisive portrait of a generation primed for revolt.

Starred review from September 1, 2020
In a cultural moment rife with inter-generational sparring ("OK, Boomer"), and with millennials garnering criticism for their transient-appearing lifestyles (never buying houses or napkins), Buzzfeed culture writer Petersen cracks open why millennials behave the way they do and how the lifestyles that have been forced upon them are a detriment to society as a whole. Attempting to decenter the white, middle-class experience of young adulthood, this book explores how millennials of all backgrounds and income brackets suffer because of the gig economy they inherited. Millennials face serious burnout because workers are now rewarded and promoted for eschewing work-life balance, which hurts everyone. Petersen examines how communities could benefit from less time spent working or focused on aspirational consumption, AKA hobbies and media meant to sound impressive at parties. With more free time, millennials could create the society they deserve through philanthropy, democratic engagement, and quality time spent with family, friends, and neighbors. But none of this can happen without radical reform of labor legislation and expectations. Petersen is generous in divulging personal experiences and hopeful even at her most enraged. This galvanizing read reminds readers that what seems impossible is absolutely not, especially for a generation with so little to lose.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2020, American Library Association.)

September 1, 2020

Petersen (Too Fat, Too Slutty, Too Loud) speaks directly to the zeitgeist and those powerful but subtle cultural and economic forces that have squeezed the leisure out of life. The millennial generation, those born between 1981 and 1996, may not achieve the American dream; their endless efforts to study, work, and generally optimize themselves have not yielded the middle-class stability that was promised to them by previous generations and society at large. Petersen's book centers on this massive letdown. What has become, and what will become, of this grand share of the U.S. population who have hustled endlessly but secured no real gains? The burnout suffered by millennials is richly evoked by interviews, research, and snippets from Petersen's own day-to-day experiences. The predicament makes for an eye-catching centerpiece in a larger argument. Our systems of education and employment are seriously broken; they do not function on behalf of those humans inside them. By the end of the work, we understand what millennials are dealing with. But the force of Petersen's arguments keeps pushing. Readers will wonder: How does burnout affect those on the margins of society? VERDICT An impassioned call for action that, like the viral BuzzFeed article it was based on, raises more questions than answers.--Sierra Dickey, Brattleboro, VT

Copyright 2020 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Starred review from October 1, 2020
Why millennials are struggling to catch up to the prosperity enjoyed by previous generations. Stress, student debt, increasing income inequality, the need to achieve and fill every moment of time with an activity or endeavor that will look good on a CV--these are just some of the reasons why the millennial generation is having a difficult time maintaining the same level of success as the boomers. In articulate and persuasive prose, former Buzzfeed senior culture writer Petersen delivers a cogent explanation of the millennial landscape, incorporating in-depth research, interviews, and her own experiences to define the problems that millennials face as they attempt to live up to high, occasionally near-impossible expectations. "We were raised to believe that if we worked hard enough, we could win the system--of American capitalism and meritocracy--or at least live comfortably within it," writes the author. "But something happened in the late 2010s. We looked up from our work and realized, there's no winning the system when the system itself is broken. We're the first generation since the Great Depression where many of us will find ourselves worse off than our parents. The overarching trend of upward mobility has finally reversed itself, smack dab into the prime earning years of our lives." Petersen provides an appropriate amount of historical context--especially regarding demographics, economics, and labor issues--from the Great Depression to the present, which allows readers to clearly see the shift people have undergone in their thinking about what constitutes success or happiness. This chronicle of changes is well worth reading, as the author explains so much about life in the age of Trump. Throw in the candid discussions by millennials--most of whom are burned out and can't find satisfaction in their lives, even as they work diligently--and the book becomes an even more useful and insightful series of lessons. A well-researched and -rendered analysis of why so many millennials feel overwhelmed despite their best efforts.

COPYRIGHT(2020) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.