Book Review — Can’t Even by Anne Helen Petersen
Cultural journalist Anne Helen Petersen takes me on an emotional journey exploring the trauma and regrets of our shared generation
When I first heard about this book dedicated to the historical chronology and sociological travails of my own generation (“Generation Y”), I jumped at the chance to read it. While slightly flawed in places, Anne Helen Petersen’s extensive research provides a path forward for those of us Millennials who want to savor generational pride while avoiding the trap of gratuitously putting down other age groups.
Can’t Even: How Millennials Became The Burnout Generation offers up 254 pages of cerebral socioeconomic analysis interspersed with powerful personal narratives (including several from the author herself).
WHY YOU SHOULD READ THIS BOOK
To gain insight on why Millennials are so misunderstood and scapegoated, this compendium of all things Gen Y helps the layperson make sense of those complex dynamics.
First, let me get a few minor nitpicks out of the way. The author does employ some grammatical and linguistic deficiencies that I find to be rather distracting. For example, she consistently keeps “millennials” and “boomers” in all…
