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A review by blazekcurrie
Can't Even: How Millennials Became the Burnout Generation by Anne Helen Petersen
4.0
I did not think I would like this book. I wanted to disagree with much of it - and I do with some of the author’s points. But much of it felt like I was reading a book about me. I think Petersen came pretty close to nailing it.
A point made early in the book which the reader should keep in mind before every chapter: “Of the 73 million millennials living in the US in 2018, 21 percent, over a fifth of the population, identify as Hispanic. Twenty-five percent speak a language other than English at home. Only 39 percent have a college degree.”
I suspect that most millennials that will read this book, or would even consider reading it, represent a minority demographic of actual American millennials but do represent those who likely set the “norms” for what is expected of an American millennial.
I underlined and circled too much in this book to share here, but one afternoon, I realized the book was true to me in a way I couldn’t deny. I was reading a chapter about how millennials have lost “leisure” and instead fill weekends, and even holidays, with “work” of some form or another.
While reading that chapter (during a holiday) I was interrupted by two phone calls. One friend was complaining about how their boss emailed them with a request needing to be completed during this particular holiday. On the other call, a person made the following statement: “Yes, I’m working this holiday - I mean I feel like we don’t even really have holidays anymore.”
Neither of these individuals knew I was in the middle of reading a chapter written to prove this very point. If this resonates with you, there are a number of other topics in this book that will do the same.
In short- millennials answer most challenges or problems with, “we will just work harder.” And we are realizing that attitude has left too much unresolved and millennials too burned out.
A point made early in the book which the reader should keep in mind before every chapter: “Of the 73 million millennials living in the US in 2018, 21 percent, over a fifth of the population, identify as Hispanic. Twenty-five percent speak a language other than English at home. Only 39 percent have a college degree.”
I suspect that most millennials that will read this book, or would even consider reading it, represent a minority demographic of actual American millennials but do represent those who likely set the “norms” for what is expected of an American millennial.
I underlined and circled too much in this book to share here, but one afternoon, I realized the book was true to me in a way I couldn’t deny. I was reading a chapter about how millennials have lost “leisure” and instead fill weekends, and even holidays, with “work” of some form or another.
While reading that chapter (during a holiday) I was interrupted by two phone calls. One friend was complaining about how their boss emailed them with a request needing to be completed during this particular holiday. On the other call, a person made the following statement: “Yes, I’m working this holiday - I mean I feel like we don’t even really have holidays anymore.”
Neither of these individuals knew I was in the middle of reading a chapter written to prove this very point. If this resonates with you, there are a number of other topics in this book that will do the same.
In short- millennials answer most challenges or problems with, “we will just work harder.” And we are realizing that attitude has left too much unresolved and millennials too burned out.