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Ok Boomer, Let's Talk: A Millennial Defense of Our Generation
Baby Boomers are the most prosperous generation in American history, but their kids are screwed. In this eye-opening book, journalist Jill Filipovic breaks down the massive problems facing Millennials including climate, money, housing, and healthcare.
In Ok Boomer, Let’s Talk, journalist (and Millennial) Jill Filipovic tells the definitive story of her generation—and it’s no joke. Talking to gig workers, economists, policy makers, and dozens of struggling Millennials drowning in debt on a planet quite literally in flames, Filipovic paints a shocking and nuanced portrait of a generation being left behind:
-Millennials are the most educated generation in American history—and also the most broke.
-Millennials hold just 3 percent of American wealth. When they were the same age, Boomers held 21 percent.
-The average older Millennial has $15,000 in student loan debt. The average Boomer at the same age? Just $2,300 in today’s dollars.
-Millennials are paying almost 40 percent more for their first homes than Boomers did.
-American families spend twice as much on healthcare now than they did when Boomers were young parents.
Filipovic shows that Millennials are not the avocado-toast-eating snowflakes of Boomer outrage fantasies. But they are the first American generation that will do worse than their parents. “OK, Boomer” isn’t just a sarcastic dismissal—it’s a recognition that Millennials are in crisis, and that Boomer voters, bankers, and policy makers are responsible. Filipovic goes beyond the meme, upending dated assumptions with revelatory data and revealing portraits of young people delaying adulthood to pay down debt, obsessed with “wellness” because they can’t afford real healthcare, and struggling to #hustle in the precarious gig economy.
Ok Boomer, Let’s Talk is at once an explainer and an extended olive branch that will finally allow these two generations to truly understand each other.
In Ok Boomer, Let’s Talk, journalist (and Millennial) Jill Filipovic tells the definitive story of her generation—and it’s no joke. Talking to gig workers, economists, policy makers, and dozens of struggling Millennials drowning in debt on a planet quite literally in flames, Filipovic paints a shocking and nuanced portrait of a generation being left behind:
-Millennials are the most educated generation in American history—and also the most broke.
-Millennials hold just 3 percent of American wealth. When they were the same age, Boomers held 21 percent.
-The average older Millennial has $15,000 in student loan debt. The average Boomer at the same age? Just $2,300 in today’s dollars.
-Millennials are paying almost 40 percent more for their first homes than Boomers did.
-American families spend twice as much on healthcare now than they did when Boomers were young parents.
Filipovic shows that Millennials are not the avocado-toast-eating snowflakes of Boomer outrage fantasies. But they are the first American generation that will do worse than their parents. “OK, Boomer” isn’t just a sarcastic dismissal—it’s a recognition that Millennials are in crisis, and that Boomer voters, bankers, and policy makers are responsible. Filipovic goes beyond the meme, upending dated assumptions with revelatory data and revealing portraits of young people delaying adulthood to pay down debt, obsessed with “wellness” because they can’t afford real healthcare, and struggling to #hustle in the precarious gig economy.
Ok Boomer, Let’s Talk is at once an explainer and an extended olive branch that will finally allow these two generations to truly understand each other.
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First published August 11, 2020
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September 2, 2020
While the author makes some valid points, costs of college, recession, etc I found it to be one big whine. Again, we have an author who claims nothing is Millennials’ faults, the decks are stacked against them at every turn, it’s the way they were brought up, yada, yada, yada. I get it that Millennials face challenges but so does every generation. Are they dealing with the Holocaust, WWII, Vietnam, etc? I work with a lot of Millennials and maybe they work differently or need a different kind of validation but so what? Not everything is such a big deal as this author contends. I don’t see a lot of generational conflict and everyone seems to respect each other styles and needs. To lump an entire generation like this and not take into account individuals personalities and differences is just more of the same whine. And the “okay Boomer” is childish and is so overdone, it’s ludicrous. So this Boomer read and listened and was not impressed.
March 16, 2021
I really wanted to like this, and I agree with much of what Filipovic states about certain topics—such as housing and money—but the writing is unfocused and sloppy, and the organization and flow of the book is poor.
The back of the edition I read claims that Filipovic draws on “data, history, and deep reporting,” but besides presenting some data—often accompanied by arbitrary little graphics that take up 1/3 of the page and add nothing to the text—she skimmed over any tidbits of history she mentioned, and the surface level, sometimes juvenile-like writing hardly presented evidence of deep reporting.
It should also be noted that Filipovic offers no real references, sources, or citations to back any of her claims, outside of the occasional name-dropping of a publication or a research center. This essentially makes the entire book more of an overlong opinion piece rather than a work of serious non-fiction.
I also must also confess that I was quite disgusted that she brushed off young people’s destructive porn habits and porn addiction as simply a result of more “diversity” in pornography and that “much of the research on porn is highly idealogical” (pg. 244), which is simply not true. Take Fight the New Drug for example, a secular non-profit organization that seeks to educate people on the harm of pornography. In fact, nearly everything Filipovic states in this book about pornography and its effects is blatantly false and reeks of disdainful bias.
Overall, this book makes a lot of broad claims and offers little to no solutions and leaves an aftertaste of hopelessness.
The back of the edition I read claims that Filipovic draws on “data, history, and deep reporting,” but besides presenting some data—often accompanied by arbitrary little graphics that take up 1/3 of the page and add nothing to the text—she skimmed over any tidbits of history she mentioned, and the surface level, sometimes juvenile-like writing hardly presented evidence of deep reporting.
It should also be noted that Filipovic offers no real references, sources, or citations to back any of her claims, outside of the occasional name-dropping of a publication or a research center. This essentially makes the entire book more of an overlong opinion piece rather than a work of serious non-fiction.
I also must also confess that I was quite disgusted that she brushed off young people’s destructive porn habits and porn addiction as simply a result of more “diversity” in pornography and that “much of the research on porn is highly idealogical” (pg. 244), which is simply not true. Take Fight the New Drug for example, a secular non-profit organization that seeks to educate people on the harm of pornography. In fact, nearly everything Filipovic states in this book about pornography and its effects is blatantly false and reeks of disdainful bias.
Overall, this book makes a lot of broad claims and offers little to no solutions and leaves an aftertaste of hopelessness.
December 29, 2020
**I don't know what the heck, the book I'm actually reading is 325 pages long, but the longest version on Goodreads is 208 pages, so my measured progress is way off, and page guide marks are useless in this review.**
I read the first 150 pages of this book and skimmed the second ~150 pages, because after 150 pages I still could not figure out the author's purpose. It was a perfect read for Festivus, because it's a 300-page Airing of Grievances. And it's perfect for illustrating logical fallacies, like post hoc ergo propter hoc and the non-sequitur argument.
I can't even figure out what her central argument is, if she has one. Some of the time it's a generational screed, sometimes it's a partisan screed, and there is a lot of blaming the Boomers for Ronald Reagan. However. Reagan was elected in 1980, when the Boomers were between age 16 and 34. I can't find age-based demographic turnout for the 1980 election (though even by attempting to do so I've put more effort into research than this author did), but I daresay Boomers were *not* responsible for the election of Reagan, nor were they responsible for many (if any) policy decisions that came out of the Reagan administration, because they were younger than the author currently is. Should she be blamed for Trump? Should Millennials be blamed for 9-11 because 3 of the 19 hijackers fit in the Millennial cohort? (Yes, neither of those assertions makes sense, but they fit well in the logical wasteland that is this book. Climate change should also be the fault of globe-trotting, carbon-spewing, selfie-taking and natural-wonder-destroying Millennials, though the author blames climate change apathy on You-Know-Who.)
Social media, while invented largely by Xennials and Millennial entrepreneurs, has made it hard for Millennials to connect and form deep relationships with others. We're getting married later, having less sex (probably on account of living with the 'rents until age 30) and with fewer partners, and consuming a lot of pornography. Marriage is becoming a class-based institution, with wealthy/educated Millennials marrying at higher rates than poorer/less-educated ones. Millennial women have fewer children than they want but (at least among wealthy people), both parents are more involved in children's lives than in earlier generations. Does not explore this particular issue through a racial lens. Boomers lived during the Civil Rights era but weren't responsible for it; they were too young, and were probably sitting in front of the Boob Tube. Same with second-wave feminism.
Citations are lacking. There are no end notes, and the in-text citations vary from "A study by [some university] said..." to "according to [highly-partisan think tank]..." to conjecture that is pulled out of thin air and masquerading as fact, as near as I can tell. There also seems to be an over-reliance on anecdotal evidence, from some friend whose [Boomer] parents overextended themselves and then lost their house and her college fund in the 2008 downturn, to a woman who moved to Montana to farm yaks and couldn't believe that the weather varied from year to year. (Perhaps she'd never read Steinbeck or Laura Ingalls Wilder?)
There are charts in this book, but they're either flatly wrong or visually confusing. There's one that compares the average number of sexual partners for Boomers (11) vs Millennials (8), but the chart shows 11 condom wrappers for the Boomer and 6 for the Millennial. Others are rendered similarly to this ridiculous Average Women's Heights chart. Honestly, it seems like most if not all of this book was written in the first few months after Covid-19 hit, and it shows. (See progress notes for issues I haven't bothered to retype for this review.)
Author's conclusion is that Boomers should give Millennials a seat at the table, and maybe Millennials and Gen Z should stop saying "OK Boomer," though that's our only recourse since the old folk hold so much power.
I read the first 150 pages of this book and skimmed the second ~150 pages, because after 150 pages I still could not figure out the author's purpose. It was a perfect read for Festivus, because it's a 300-page Airing of Grievances. And it's perfect for illustrating logical fallacies, like post hoc ergo propter hoc and the non-sequitur argument.
I can't even figure out what her central argument is, if she has one. Some of the time it's a generational screed, sometimes it's a partisan screed, and there is a lot of blaming the Boomers for Ronald Reagan. However. Reagan was elected in 1980, when the Boomers were between age 16 and 34. I can't find age-based demographic turnout for the 1980 election (though even by attempting to do so I've put more effort into research than this author did), but I daresay Boomers were *not* responsible for the election of Reagan, nor were they responsible for many (if any) policy decisions that came out of the Reagan administration, because they were younger than the author currently is. Should she be blamed for Trump? Should Millennials be blamed for 9-11 because 3 of the 19 hijackers fit in the Millennial cohort? (Yes, neither of those assertions makes sense, but they fit well in the logical wasteland that is this book. Climate change should also be the fault of globe-trotting, carbon-spewing, selfie-taking and natural-wonder-destroying Millennials, though the author blames climate change apathy on You-Know-Who.)
Social media, while invented largely by Xennials and Millennial entrepreneurs, has made it hard for Millennials to connect and form deep relationships with others. We're getting married later, having less sex (probably on account of living with the 'rents until age 30) and with fewer partners, and consuming a lot of pornography. Marriage is becoming a class-based institution, with wealthy/educated Millennials marrying at higher rates than poorer/less-educated ones. Millennial women have fewer children than they want but (at least among wealthy people), both parents are more involved in children's lives than in earlier generations. Does not explore this particular issue through a racial lens. Boomers lived during the Civil Rights era but weren't responsible for it; they were too young, and were probably sitting in front of the Boob Tube. Same with second-wave feminism.
Citations are lacking. There are no end notes, and the in-text citations vary from "A study by [some university] said..." to "according to [highly-partisan think tank]..." to conjecture that is pulled out of thin air and masquerading as fact, as near as I can tell. There also seems to be an over-reliance on anecdotal evidence, from some friend whose [Boomer] parents overextended themselves and then lost their house and her college fund in the 2008 downturn, to a woman who moved to Montana to farm yaks and couldn't believe that the weather varied from year to year. (Perhaps she'd never read Steinbeck or Laura Ingalls Wilder?)
There are charts in this book, but they're either flatly wrong or visually confusing. There's one that compares the average number of sexual partners for Boomers (11) vs Millennials (8), but the chart shows 11 condom wrappers for the Boomer and 6 for the Millennial. Others are rendered similarly to this ridiculous Average Women's Heights chart. Honestly, it seems like most if not all of this book was written in the first few months after Covid-19 hit, and it shows. (See progress notes for issues I haven't bothered to retype for this review.)
Author's conclusion is that Boomers should give Millennials a seat at the table, and maybe Millennials and Gen Z should stop saying "OK Boomer," though that's our only recourse since the old folk hold so much power.
August 22, 2020
After years of being berated by older generations for "destroying the [insert generic mass-consumer brand here] industry," and more recently, being attacked by the younger generation for being unable to "adult" or commit to societal change on a large scale, I was excited to finally read about Millennials where we weren't cast as the villain.
Filipovic does a great job using academic and anecdotal research, as well as personal interviews and media excerpts to summarize a lot of the issues about Millennials that most of us probably already knew. The fact that we as a generation are less wealthy, living through two once-in-a-lifetime economic downturns in our short adult lives, in a world where everything from housing to education to healthcare is exponentially more expensive than it was 40 years ago will probably come as a surprise to no one. Comparing many of these facts against the backdrop of the prime Baby Boomer coming-of-age period of the 80s paints a pretty bleak picture for young adults and adults of the 2020s.
No popular social issue remains untouched, from the dramatic racial injustice forced upon young Black and Hispanic Americans through a systemic political campaign dating back to the founding of our country, to private prisons, women's reproductive rights, environmentalism and climate change, and universal healthcare. The entire book could be a progressive's hot-topic reference guide.
Filipovic then find s a way to systematically implicate the Baby Boomer generation as being partially or completely at fault for just about every additional hurdle, inequity or inevitably apocalyptic hurdle that the Millennial generation is facing and will face moving forward. It can be tremendously heavy, hopeless and negative at times.
The question that kept bubbling to the top of my mind was: Who is this book for?
Filipovic frequently calls out Boomers throughout the book as if they are the intended audience. However, she doesn't present much in the way of new information or an tangible call to action that would convince a member of that generation to lift a finger, much less even finish the book. The identity politics at play are so firmly entrenched that, I doubt many Boomers would read past the opening salvo(even Filipovic acknowledges 'If any boomers made it this far' in the final section of her work), only to walk straight into a barrage of rapid-fire indictments up until the short plea for unity at the end.
Perhaps, this book is meant more for Millennials. We can read it through the eyes of the unflinching older generations, and see what we're up against. It is meant more to unite us as a generation and to activate our ambitions towards unseating an immensely rich and powerful, and well connected machine that has already demonstrated that future interests and generations are secondary to the comforts of today.
But in the end, we all know that change on the societal scale never comes easy, and it never comes fast. But progress is inevitable because as much as we fear and resist change, the only thing more distasteful to us as humans beings is standing still.
Filipovic does a great job using academic and anecdotal research, as well as personal interviews and media excerpts to summarize a lot of the issues about Millennials that most of us probably already knew. The fact that we as a generation are less wealthy, living through two once-in-a-lifetime economic downturns in our short adult lives, in a world where everything from housing to education to healthcare is exponentially more expensive than it was 40 years ago will probably come as a surprise to no one. Comparing many of these facts against the backdrop of the prime Baby Boomer coming-of-age period of the 80s paints a pretty bleak picture for young adults and adults of the 2020s.
No popular social issue remains untouched, from the dramatic racial injustice forced upon young Black and Hispanic Americans through a systemic political campaign dating back to the founding of our country, to private prisons, women's reproductive rights, environmentalism and climate change, and universal healthcare. The entire book could be a progressive's hot-topic reference guide.
Filipovic then find s a way to systematically implicate the Baby Boomer generation as being partially or completely at fault for just about every additional hurdle, inequity or inevitably apocalyptic hurdle that the Millennial generation is facing and will face moving forward. It can be tremendously heavy, hopeless and negative at times.
The question that kept bubbling to the top of my mind was: Who is this book for?
Filipovic frequently calls out Boomers throughout the book as if they are the intended audience. However, she doesn't present much in the way of new information or an tangible call to action that would convince a member of that generation to lift a finger, much less even finish the book. The identity politics at play are so firmly entrenched that, I doubt many Boomers would read past the opening salvo(even Filipovic acknowledges 'If any boomers made it this far' in the final section of her work), only to walk straight into a barrage of rapid-fire indictments up until the short plea for unity at the end.
Perhaps, this book is meant more for Millennials. We can read it through the eyes of the unflinching older generations, and see what we're up against. It is meant more to unite us as a generation and to activate our ambitions towards unseating an immensely rich and powerful, and well connected machine that has already demonstrated that future interests and generations are secondary to the comforts of today.
But in the end, we all know that change on the societal scale never comes easy, and it never comes fast. But progress is inevitable because as much as we fear and resist change, the only thing more distasteful to us as humans beings is standing still.
August 21, 2020
An examination of inequality in the 21st century United States with a focus on generational change between the experiences of Baby Boomers and Millennial. The material in the book is very current focusing not just on the impact of the 2008 recession but the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic as well. The early chapters on jobs, money and housing are as much about race, gender and economic background as they are about generational change. The later chapters on climate change, technology, family and culture focus more closely on how priorities and attitudes have changed rapidly in a generation. There are some fascinating insights about how everything from socializing to work has been transformed in a short period of time (and this change may be accelerated by the current pandemic). An thoughtful and interesting read!
September 20, 2020
Author constantly repeats that millennials don't buy avocado bagels but then admits they in fact do but it's not their fault (and it's actually a good thing). Nothing is their fault. Everything is stacked against them whereas everyone else had a free ride before them and didn't have to work for anything. And it's unfair.
At least millennials are not as racist as boomers. Really? Have you seen the Internet? When I was growing up (and I'm a millennial too) neo-nazi groups were some morbid joke at worst, now they're an electoral force.
There is no substance to the book, it's mostly pointless whining, random irrelevant statistics and groundless assertions all in an effort to shift blame. You can only do that for so long. All those boomers you hate are dying out. Who are you going to blame then? Even if you conclusively prove that nothing is your fault, is that going to help your situation in some way?
At least millennials are not as racist as boomers. Really? Have you seen the Internet? When I was growing up (and I'm a millennial too) neo-nazi groups were some morbid joke at worst, now they're an electoral force.
There is no substance to the book, it's mostly pointless whining, random irrelevant statistics and groundless assertions all in an effort to shift blame. You can only do that for so long. All those boomers you hate are dying out. Who are you going to blame then? Even if you conclusively prove that nothing is your fault, is that going to help your situation in some way?
March 27, 2021
A needed look at the generational differences between Boomers and Millenials. The author brings attention to some very important points, and highlights the many ways in which today's 25-40-year-olds have had to struggle where their parents have not. That being said.... as a Gen Xer, I still find myself rolling my eyes at both of these groups. Everyone has a reason why it's someone else's fault they don't have what they think they should have. I'll just go back to my cynical detachment.
August 11, 2020
A great look into the differences between baby boomers and Millennials. It gives great insight into what Millennials are dealing with today and why Boomers may be to blame for some of what is happening to them.
September 25, 2020
First off, thank you to Atria Books for my gifted copy of this book. Given the content of the book, I figured it would be interesting to share both the millennial and the boomer perspective. So I have a special guest reviewer providing the second review…my Dad 😺.
HANNAH REVIEW: As a millennial, this book made me feel seen and understood. I thought the author did a wonderful job of characterizing millennials and capturing the issues that matter most to us as a generation. At times, reading her descriptions of millennials made me feel like I was reading the results of a personality test. Throughout the book she touches on a number of different topics - including money, health, housing, jobs, climate and more - and explains how these various institutions have essentially set millennials (and GenZ) up for failure.
While we all love our boomer parents (not my boomer!), their generation is largely to blame for the broken systems we now find ourselves navigating. Climate change is scorching the earth - making many millennials (myself included) skeptical about having children given the uncertain future of our planet. The rising cost of higher education and housing has led to the widening of the wealth gap and made homeownership increasingly difficult for young people (side note… did you know that if you declare bankruptcy your student loans do NOT go away??). Furthermore, the exorbitant cost of healthcare has forced many millennials to adopt a “just don’t get sick” mentality. For all the challenges millennials face, these challenges are even more pronounced for millennials of color.
I loved the fact that the book included a combination of facts/statistics, study results and anecdotal experiences from fellow millennials. I also liked the author’s short and succinct explanations of complex issues, like how systemic racism plays into essentially every aspect of American life.
GERRY REVIEW: I didn't like the book. Then again, I am a Boomer and who wants to be reminded of what a lousy job we have done on solving issues we inherited (systemic racism, urban housing crisis, gender and race income inequality) or those that gathered momentum under our watch (climate change, high cost of education and health care,) that we did too little to improve.
Most of us Boomers are affected by high health and living costs, climate change, and, for Black Boomers, systemic racism just as Millennials are. Much of what the author decries as the failings of Boomers I ascribed to politics (from the Reagan administration through the travesty of the Trump administration) not generational characteristics.
I also have three Millennial daughters who are smart, independent, hard working, socially aware young people who I just don't associate with the disparagement of Millennials (by boomers) that the author claims (not my Millennials!!).
The author shares a great many interesting statistics, which, if you haven't heard them before, are useful to know. But so much of what is covered (systemic racism, gender, race and age wage inequality, high health and housing cost, climate change) is well chronicled these days by other journalists and writers independent of the Millennials’ dilemma.
But, I did take away two positives from the book. I am now having generation discussions with my daughters (and any Millennial that is willing to talk about it), which is a positive step in deepening our relationship as adults. The second major positive I came away with is that Millennials and Gen Z now comprise the largest voting age cohort in the US. With Gen X they make up over 60% of the voting age population. So, they can decide who runs our government, who leads our major corporations and who makes the decisions on how this country is managed. All you have to do is vote. Run for office, support fellow Millennials, Gen X and Gen Z candidates who run for office and vote. Please. I beg you. The future of our planet depends on it.
HANNAH REVIEW: As a millennial, this book made me feel seen and understood. I thought the author did a wonderful job of characterizing millennials and capturing the issues that matter most to us as a generation. At times, reading her descriptions of millennials made me feel like I was reading the results of a personality test. Throughout the book she touches on a number of different topics - including money, health, housing, jobs, climate and more - and explains how these various institutions have essentially set millennials (and GenZ) up for failure.
While we all love our boomer parents (not my boomer!), their generation is largely to blame for the broken systems we now find ourselves navigating. Climate change is scorching the earth - making many millennials (myself included) skeptical about having children given the uncertain future of our planet. The rising cost of higher education and housing has led to the widening of the wealth gap and made homeownership increasingly difficult for young people (side note… did you know that if you declare bankruptcy your student loans do NOT go away??). Furthermore, the exorbitant cost of healthcare has forced many millennials to adopt a “just don’t get sick” mentality. For all the challenges millennials face, these challenges are even more pronounced for millennials of color.
I loved the fact that the book included a combination of facts/statistics, study results and anecdotal experiences from fellow millennials. I also liked the author’s short and succinct explanations of complex issues, like how systemic racism plays into essentially every aspect of American life.
GERRY REVIEW: I didn't like the book. Then again, I am a Boomer and who wants to be reminded of what a lousy job we have done on solving issues we inherited (systemic racism, urban housing crisis, gender and race income inequality) or those that gathered momentum under our watch (climate change, high cost of education and health care,) that we did too little to improve.
Most of us Boomers are affected by high health and living costs, climate change, and, for Black Boomers, systemic racism just as Millennials are. Much of what the author decries as the failings of Boomers I ascribed to politics (from the Reagan administration through the travesty of the Trump administration) not generational characteristics.
I also have three Millennial daughters who are smart, independent, hard working, socially aware young people who I just don't associate with the disparagement of Millennials (by boomers) that the author claims (not my Millennials!!).
The author shares a great many interesting statistics, which, if you haven't heard them before, are useful to know. But so much of what is covered (systemic racism, gender, race and age wage inequality, high health and housing cost, climate change) is well chronicled these days by other journalists and writers independent of the Millennials’ dilemma.
But, I did take away two positives from the book. I am now having generation discussions with my daughters (and any Millennial that is willing to talk about it), which is a positive step in deepening our relationship as adults. The second major positive I came away with is that Millennials and Gen Z now comprise the largest voting age cohort in the US. With Gen X they make up over 60% of the voting age population. So, they can decide who runs our government, who leads our major corporations and who makes the decisions on how this country is managed. All you have to do is vote. Run for office, support fellow Millennials, Gen X and Gen Z candidates who run for office and vote. Please. I beg you. The future of our planet depends on it.
September 2, 2020
Thank you Jill Filipovic, Atria Books, One Signal Publishers, and Simon and Shuster for the free finished copy in exchange for an honest review.
Millennials have been unfairly cast as the generation that “killed [insert industry here]” or can’t afford to buy houses because we spend our Sundays eating avocado toast. In fact, Millennials are at a disadvantage:
•Millennials are the most educated generation in American history—and also the most broke.
•Millennials hold just 3 percent of American wealth. When they were the same age, Boomers held 21 percent.
•The average older Millennial has $15,000 in student loan debt. The average Boomer at the same age? Just $2,300 in today’s dollars.
•Millennials are paying almost 40 percent more for their first homes than Boomers did.
•American families spend twice as much on healthcare now than they did when Boomers were young parents.
Journalist (and Millennial) Jill Filipovic examines the generational disparity between Baby Boomers and Millennials. Jill Filipovic counts the ways Boomers benefitted from generous economic and social policies that they then voted to dismantle before their children could take advantage of them. Touching upon education, housing, wealth, family, and culture, Filipovic provides a comprehensive history and analysis of the challenges that Millennials are facing and makes a compelling case that Millennials have fallen behind.
This book is a timely release during a time which the COVID-19 pandemic and racial tensions have brought to light the disparities and challenges facing Millennials, but specifically BIPOC Millennials. Jill Filipovic does a great job using academic and anecdotal research, as well as personal interviews and media excerpts, to summarize a lot of the issues that Millennials are currently facing in the United States. It goes without saying that there is a generational disparity between Boomers and Millennials. However, I was completely unaware how that disparity impacts nearly every aspect of our social and economic welfare. Throughout the whole book, I couldn’t help but wonder who Filipovic intended the audience. I can’t imagine a Boomer picking up this book and being able to sympathize with the disparities that Millennials, like myself, face. Beware, this is a very data driven book, so if statistics are not your thing, you may want to sit this out out.
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ /5
Millennials have been unfairly cast as the generation that “killed [insert industry here]” or can’t afford to buy houses because we spend our Sundays eating avocado toast. In fact, Millennials are at a disadvantage:
•Millennials are the most educated generation in American history—and also the most broke.
•Millennials hold just 3 percent of American wealth. When they were the same age, Boomers held 21 percent.
•The average older Millennial has $15,000 in student loan debt. The average Boomer at the same age? Just $2,300 in today’s dollars.
•Millennials are paying almost 40 percent more for their first homes than Boomers did.
•American families spend twice as much on healthcare now than they did when Boomers were young parents.
Journalist (and Millennial) Jill Filipovic examines the generational disparity between Baby Boomers and Millennials. Jill Filipovic counts the ways Boomers benefitted from generous economic and social policies that they then voted to dismantle before their children could take advantage of them. Touching upon education, housing, wealth, family, and culture, Filipovic provides a comprehensive history and analysis of the challenges that Millennials are facing and makes a compelling case that Millennials have fallen behind.
This book is a timely release during a time which the COVID-19 pandemic and racial tensions have brought to light the disparities and challenges facing Millennials, but specifically BIPOC Millennials. Jill Filipovic does a great job using academic and anecdotal research, as well as personal interviews and media excerpts, to summarize a lot of the issues that Millennials are currently facing in the United States. It goes without saying that there is a generational disparity between Boomers and Millennials. However, I was completely unaware how that disparity impacts nearly every aspect of our social and economic welfare. Throughout the whole book, I couldn’t help but wonder who Filipovic intended the audience. I can’t imagine a Boomer picking up this book and being able to sympathize with the disparities that Millennials, like myself, face. Beware, this is a very data driven book, so if statistics are not your thing, you may want to sit this out out.
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ /5
September 19, 2021
I wish I had been taking notes as I read this book. It was quite insightful and more kind and fair than Boomers probably deserve, as they congratulate themselves for the Civil Rights movement (that they were likely infants during and not leading the charge) only to grow up “with the best music ever” to perpetuate White flight, blame everyone but the 1% for stagnant wages, chip away at social safety nets and women’s rights, and continue to destroy the environment hoping the next generation, which they deride as “snowflakes,” will magically solve all the issues they are pushing off on their children and grandchildren before we reach cataclysmic irreversible climate change.
Millennials are the first generation who can expect a crappier life than what their parents had. The “Me”/Boomer generation had it all, and when they finally turn the reins over, what will they leave? It’s like a kid who won’t share a toy with anyone else until they’ve broken it.
All the cool things that we normally credit Boomers for (Woodstock, Civil Rights, etc.) were actually the generation before them. Reading this book makes it so much easier to understand why who we assumed were the “free love” hippies raised their children with “Just Say No,” virginity pledges, and Ronald Reagan.
Millennials are the first generation who can expect a crappier life than what their parents had. The “Me”/Boomer generation had it all, and when they finally turn the reins over, what will they leave? It’s like a kid who won’t share a toy with anyone else until they’ve broken it.
All the cool things that we normally credit Boomers for (Woodstock, Civil Rights, etc.) were actually the generation before them. Reading this book makes it so much easier to understand why who we assumed were the “free love” hippies raised their children with “Just Say No,” virginity pledges, and Ronald Reagan.
December 11, 2020
I learned a lot while reading this book which was key to it's success. Filipovic uses her humorous perspective to fuse together research and statistics with diverse individuals stories to make compelling points. It's a book I wish Boomers would read, but really is written for Millennials.
June 25, 2020
This was an eye opener into the generational differences in the people alive today, and it was a wild ride. I enjoyed it and would recommend to Boomer and Millennial alike.
February 16, 2021
A lot of good points. But misses the mark on some issues.
May 8, 2023
*NOTE TO LIBRARIANS, The page count in here is off by at least 100 pages.
2.5 Stars!
“Boomers look at what they might lose if things change. Millennials look at what we will lose if things don’t.”
It’s funny how so often that when we say the term Boomer what we really mean is Neo-Liberalism, as Boomers were beginning to come of age around the same time as it began to kick in, and of course they are largely responsible for voting in Reagan twice.
As far as I can see this book appears to largely if not exclusively focus on the US version of Boomers. I found the layout of this book a bit annoying, it seemed like it was trying to be too many things and then failed at most of them. There was a grating smugness which crept into the tone just a little too often, and overall this was crying out for a better editor, we kept getting the same basic information and facts repeated time and time again. If I read about toast and avocado one more time I feared I would weep!
She does do a fairly thorough job of dispelling the myths of Boomer achievement, particularly in relation to all the intense activism throughout America in various civil rights movements in the 60s. Yes many of them played a part, but it is nowhere near the level in which the media mythology would have you think, the vast majority of the real work and protests had been done by previous generations.
To be young and to be living in the US outside of the elite must be close to unbearable for most. The Baby Boomers took full advantage of all the cheap credit, low mortgages and good jobs polluted the world and then handed the bill down to the next generations. They pulled up the ladder and then blamed and ridiculed all those who couldn’t get up it. And not only that, but we’re almost certainly relying on the younger generations to bail out the rest of us with the current impending climate catastrophe that they inherited.
It’s interesting that when we are talking about Boomers, Generation Zs and Millennials etc, we are being herded away from the real issues which led to these names and divisions in the first place. Instead of working together to alter the broken mechanics of a poisoned and divisive system we get bogged down in petty and poisonous attacks on each other, which ultimately do nothing to address the core issues, whilst the toxic system that created the problems continues to flourish.
2.5 Stars!
“Boomers look at what they might lose if things change. Millennials look at what we will lose if things don’t.”
It’s funny how so often that when we say the term Boomer what we really mean is Neo-Liberalism, as Boomers were beginning to come of age around the same time as it began to kick in, and of course they are largely responsible for voting in Reagan twice.
As far as I can see this book appears to largely if not exclusively focus on the US version of Boomers. I found the layout of this book a bit annoying, it seemed like it was trying to be too many things and then failed at most of them. There was a grating smugness which crept into the tone just a little too often, and overall this was crying out for a better editor, we kept getting the same basic information and facts repeated time and time again. If I read about toast and avocado one more time I feared I would weep!
She does do a fairly thorough job of dispelling the myths of Boomer achievement, particularly in relation to all the intense activism throughout America in various civil rights movements in the 60s. Yes many of them played a part, but it is nowhere near the level in which the media mythology would have you think, the vast majority of the real work and protests had been done by previous generations.
To be young and to be living in the US outside of the elite must be close to unbearable for most. The Baby Boomers took full advantage of all the cheap credit, low mortgages and good jobs polluted the world and then handed the bill down to the next generations. They pulled up the ladder and then blamed and ridiculed all those who couldn’t get up it. And not only that, but we’re almost certainly relying on the younger generations to bail out the rest of us with the current impending climate catastrophe that they inherited.
It’s interesting that when we are talking about Boomers, Generation Zs and Millennials etc, we are being herded away from the real issues which led to these names and divisions in the first place. Instead of working together to alter the broken mechanics of a poisoned and divisive system we get bogged down in petty and poisonous attacks on each other, which ultimately do nothing to address the core issues, whilst the toxic system that created the problems continues to flourish.
February 28, 2023
I think anyone could benefit by reading this book, if for no other reason than to gain a better understanding of Millennials and their uniquely difficult situation. The cost of housing, education, and healthcare are ridiculously high with no signs the costs will decrease. Economically it’s a tough world out there.
I’ll admit I never felt it was the fault of Millennials for the predicament they find themselves. And, as a Boomer I’m appalled by statements such as “stop eating avocado toast and get a job”.
The author, for me, lost some of her credibility by stating that her and her husband were living in an apartment that was costing them half their income but then went on to say they own a condo in another city. How in tune is she with the people who have been hit the hardest by the economic collapse in 2008 and then the pandemic? Also, she gives no suggestions on how to fix the situation.
Here are some of the things that I feel could help change our economy:
Repeal Citizens United
Take away the “entity” status of corporations (they currently have all the rights of an individual AND the tax breaks of a corporation)
Eliminate the cap on how much a person pays into social security (currently there are many people who only pay into the system for a month or less and they’ve already hit the cap). This is one way to save the people currently on social security while ensuring younger citizens will have it too)).
Term limits for all politicians
Vote, vote, vote and consider running for office.
If there was one thing the Boomers could have done differently, it would have been to be more involved in our political system. Voter apathy was a huge mistake and is still prevalent today.
I hope the younger generations continue to get more involved by running for office and voting.
I’ll admit I never felt it was the fault of Millennials for the predicament they find themselves. And, as a Boomer I’m appalled by statements such as “stop eating avocado toast and get a job”.
The author, for me, lost some of her credibility by stating that her and her husband were living in an apartment that was costing them half their income but then went on to say they own a condo in another city. How in tune is she with the people who have been hit the hardest by the economic collapse in 2008 and then the pandemic? Also, she gives no suggestions on how to fix the situation.
Here are some of the things that I feel could help change our economy:
Repeal Citizens United
Take away the “entity” status of corporations (they currently have all the rights of an individual AND the tax breaks of a corporation)
Eliminate the cap on how much a person pays into social security (currently there are many people who only pay into the system for a month or less and they’ve already hit the cap). This is one way to save the people currently on social security while ensuring younger citizens will have it too)).
Term limits for all politicians
Vote, vote, vote and consider running for office.
If there was one thing the Boomers could have done differently, it would have been to be more involved in our political system. Voter apathy was a huge mistake and is still prevalent today.
I hope the younger generations continue to get more involved by running for office and voting.
March 20, 2021
3.5 stars rounded down. I thought this was a good introduction to some of the equity issues we face today as concerned with climate, race, and gender, and could serve as a jumping off point for those who are new to these topics.
February 3, 2023
I have to say I liked this book for its insight into the struggles and strengths Millennials bring to American society in all areas.
The book is a bit disjointed in its flow, but I get the points Jill Filpovic made in comparing the two largest generations. It is worth reading.
The book is a bit disjointed in its flow, but I get the points Jill Filpovic made in comparing the two largest generations. It is worth reading.
December 30, 2020
I picked up this book after hearing the author interviewed on the Her Money podcast. It’s solidly researched, written in an approachable style, and even includes some sections referencing the upheaval of the early stages of COVID-19 pandemic, and its impact upon the Millenial generation. The author did a great job pointing out similarities and differences between the Millenial and Boomer generations and how they have both been vilified by turns. Ultimately, the goal is to encourage the generation that literally birthed the Millenials (Boomers) to take a long, hard look at the state of the country and world, and truly consider what the policies being enacted on it mean for the future left to their children and grandchildren.
December 5, 2020
Read for book club. I probably wouldn’t have picked up this book on my own. I don’t usually like popular culture commentary. Decent “reporting” on the issues. The chapter categories seemed a little random. The chapter on climate had a section on not having children due to the environment? I feel like more in depth narrative and storytelling could have made this more captivating than random quotes and stats. Also it seemed like the book was overly ambitious in the scope. The financial section especially was very broad.
August 19, 2020
This was a very good consolidation of the generational challenges Millenials face as well as some context for the ways we got here. It debunks a few myths while also providing context for some of the things which are largely true of our generation. I’ve heard some version of most of the arguments presented within but never collected in one place. I think this is an excellent presentation of those arguments that also takes care to consider the concerns and context of Boomers. It serves as a fantastic template for how to have these discussions without the flippancy or dismissiveness often seen on social media.
September 22, 2020
A well researched breakdown of the main topics causing the generational divides and the misunderstandings surrounding them. Many millennials (and Gen X-ers) will likely be aware of at least the general bones of these topics, but will gain deeper understandings through the hard data shared to back them up. Sadly, it is a must read for Baby Boomers, but I don't foresee this generation buying it en-masse for a book club. A vindication for the younger generation, but perhaps preaching to the choir.
September 24, 2020
According to this, Baby Boomers deviated from the norm, and Millennials are a return to more typical culture and values. I buy that, and I also liked the point that Boomers grew up during a time of great fear (about nuclear war and Communism). And that explains why cable news amps up fear of just about everything. This was very well researched, with a slew of statistics, but none of them are footnoted. And some of the dollar figures are adjusted for inflation and some aren't, which is confusing.
September 18, 2020
A super interesting read about the differences between our generation (Millennials) & our parents’ generation (Boomers). Though a lot of this book isn’t new information, the way she lays it all out is quite eye-opening. I will say, this book is not a cheery one - it often left me feeling sad and depressed about the future of our generation. But still, I think it’s one that people from both generations should read.
September 27, 2020
This is an eye opening, well researched read. Read it!
March 25, 2023
This well researched book made the statistics about life as a millennial accessible. The author backed up a lot of personal thoughts and theories that reaffirmed my feelings that my experience with burnout, debt, hustling, dating, climate change, no marriage plans and health are not just things I’m feeling — my whole generation feels it. Time and time again throughout this book, I felt a connection to the personal antidotes of other millennials and felt we’re all living the story as a generation our parents raised into serfdom and servitude.
I did feel like the chapters on climate change and tech clashed, however. In one chapter the author makes a strong argument for how we need to address climate change. But in the next chapter, she props up big tech ,which runs on sketch mining practices and creates astronomical waste. I also felt she missed an opportunity to address the move away from car culture as a way to end the flood of money to big oil and work towards sustainable and communal transportation that works for everyone. It made the chapter on climate change feel insincere which is why I gave this book 4 stars.
However, I did share a LOT of the stats from this book and I feel a lot more educated about the facts that have shaped my generation’s experience than I did at the beginning of this book.
I did feel like the chapters on climate change and tech clashed, however. In one chapter the author makes a strong argument for how we need to address climate change. But in the next chapter, she props up big tech ,which runs on sketch mining practices and creates astronomical waste. I also felt she missed an opportunity to address the move away from car culture as a way to end the flood of money to big oil and work towards sustainable and communal transportation that works for everyone. It made the chapter on climate change feel insincere which is why I gave this book 4 stars.
However, I did share a LOT of the stats from this book and I feel a lot more educated about the facts that have shaped my generation’s experience than I did at the beginning of this book.
January 3, 2021
REALLY wanted to give this book 4-5 stars after reading the first few chapters. Those were SPOT ON and comical. The eighth chapter had some interesting tid-bits too. On the whole, however, the arguments, data, and profiles of millennials in the middle chapters should have been more thoroughly developed and balanced to account for significant regional, cultural, age, and political differences.
I’m all for saving the environment, but the author started losing my respect when she began touting AOC as the prime example of a millennial over and over again in the fifth chapter. I nearly stopped reading, and that is really saying something, considering how progressive I am! (While AOC has great ideas, she has far to go in the realm of implementation and fiscal responsibility.)
Eventually the book just reached a point where it was too heavy on opinions rather over thoughtful analysis. The author’s conclusions weren’t necessarily wrong (in the limited scope presented), but the book needed broader analysis in order to accurately describe such a large generation and relate to a larger audience.
Regardless, the first few chapters were SPOT ON, and I would recommend reading those, then just skipping to the 8th chapter if you get sick of her opinions.
I’m all for saving the environment, but the author started losing my respect when she began touting AOC as the prime example of a millennial over and over again in the fifth chapter. I nearly stopped reading, and that is really saying something, considering how progressive I am! (While AOC has great ideas, she has far to go in the realm of implementation and fiscal responsibility.)
Eventually the book just reached a point where it was too heavy on opinions rather over thoughtful analysis. The author’s conclusions weren’t necessarily wrong (in the limited scope presented), but the book needed broader analysis in order to accurately describe such a large generation and relate to a larger audience.
Regardless, the first few chapters were SPOT ON, and I would recommend reading those, then just skipping to the 8th chapter if you get sick of her opinions.
April 23, 2021
There has been a lot of negative messaging about Millennial's and a complete disregard for the fact that the older Millennials are no longer young adults and are nearly middle aged. Jill Filipovic does a good job laying out the facts leading to the debt that strangle Millennials, the breakdown of worker protections and salary, and the very true fact that as a generation, many will not do better than their parents.
A glaring hole in her argument is her own mistreatment of the "Xennial" generation. Those of us born between 1977 and 1983. She barely mentions this group and completely disregards the impact the 9/11 terrorist attacks, resulting recession, unending war, and downfall of the manufacturing industry has had on us. She makes the recession sound like a minor blip, but this was the start of needing a bachelors degree for a job that previously only needed a high school diploma. At the end of the book she talks about the "latch key kids of the 70's". I know for a fact "latch key kids" persisted throughout the 80's and into the 90's at which point we were too old for our parents to suddenly switch gears and become helicopter parents.
This was a good and compelling read, but doesn't tell the full story.
A glaring hole in her argument is her own mistreatment of the "Xennial" generation. Those of us born between 1977 and 1983. She barely mentions this group and completely disregards the impact the 9/11 terrorist attacks, resulting recession, unending war, and downfall of the manufacturing industry has had on us. She makes the recession sound like a minor blip, but this was the start of needing a bachelors degree for a job that previously only needed a high school diploma. At the end of the book she talks about the "latch key kids of the 70's". I know for a fact "latch key kids" persisted throughout the 80's and into the 90's at which point we were too old for our parents to suddenly switch gears and become helicopter parents.
This was a good and compelling read, but doesn't tell the full story.
January 10, 2021
"Many...Boomers rode into the middle class on the backs of the same programs they later defunded; government investment is often invisible, and its benefits are easily confused with bootstraps. Millennials, by contrast, grew up with the twin forces of technological innovation and deep trauma shaping our lives. The most pressing existential threat to our existence isn't a cunning evil empire but rather climate change, a monster of our own making. Our parents were promised that hard work would pay off, and for a lot of them it did. But Millennials were promised that, too, and yet here we are, constantly hustling while our circumstances don't seem to materially improve. Thanks to the internet, we can look across borders and see that young people in other prosperous nations may suffer from their own generational malaise and may also get hit by economic forces beyond their control. But they aren't going bankrupt paying for health care; they aren't wishing they could declare bankruptcy to wipe out their crushing student loan debt; they aren't deciding between having a job they love or having children."
June 15, 2021
Challenge: Reading Women 2021 - Social Justice (23). This 325-page book (listed with same ISBN on Goodreads as 208 pages) would be a stimulating group or book club read especially if the participants are composed fairly equally of people from several generations who can agree to listen to one another and engage in civil discussion. Strong arguments are made by Filipovic for how millennials are being left behind in the economic sense, which affects all other areas of their lives. The author draws parallels between millennials and baby boomers while critically addressing the conditions boomers created that have marred futures of millennials and beyond. Living with the world they have inherited, millennials are dealing with life as best they can, yet may be making some mistakes in their own single narrative which fails to take into account negative impacts from both sides of each issue through time. However, this book needs careful reading by post WWII generations, giving it deep thought and introspection, and then sharing non-condemnatory viewpoints and life experiences. There is a lot here to think about.
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