Generations: The History of America's Future, 1584 to 2069 by William Strauss

Mar 19, 2012 Ben Newton rated it 4 of 5 stars

I've been wanting to read this book for years because I had started wondering on my own if generations were substantively different from each other and moved in cycles, although I had only gotten as far as positing 2 generational archetypes and not the four this book suggests. I hadn't read the book before now because I was concerned I was a little bit TOO ready to embrace the ideas in this book and wouldn't be reading it with a critical enough eye. I think I was right, because it is the nature...more I've been wanting to read this book for years because I had started wondering on my own if generations were substantively different from each other and moved in cycles, although I had only gotten as far as positing 2 generational archetypes and not the four this book suggests. I hadn't read the book before now because I was concerned I was a little bit TOO ready to embrace the ideas in this book and wouldn't be reading it with a critical enough eye. I think I was right, because it is the nature of a book like this, making pronouncements about every American ever, that you must accept its ideas or not based on your own personal experience and inductive reasoning. The authors support their theory with examples, but even if they had tripled the size of the book and filled the entirety of that extra space with supporting evidence, they could easily have cherry-picked their data.

That being said, I do think this book got a lot right, or at least made enough interesting points to be worthy of consideration. I wish that other authors had gotten interested in the idea and written some articles debating the details of the book's theory; I think that would have been a very interesting conversation. But, twenty years after this book was published, it doesn't look like anyone is going to be taking the bait. As far as I know, only the authors themselves have written any follow-on works to this one.

There are three parts to this book. The first part lays out their idea of a four-part generation cycle and explains each generation's role in the cycle. The second part is brief, couple-page biographies of each of the eighteen generations (as defined by the authors) there have been in America since Europe began sending over colonists. The final part tries to extrapolate from the second and makes predictions about the general arc American history will take in the coming decades. My advice would be to skim the first part of the book and only really dig in once you get to the biographies. The first part is very dry and lays out a lot of vocabulary exactly one time and then the rest of the book assumes you are an expert in the vocabulary. You won't be able to (or at least I couldn't!) 100% follow the thread until you've gotten a little ways into the meat of the book and seen the authors' ideas in action.

Reviewing this twenty years after publication, I can already comment on the accuracy of some of the predictions made in the book. The authors predict that if a secular crisis doesn't strike America by the year 2020 (terrorist attack or financial crisis were two possibilities they mentioned), the Baby Boom generation will manufacture one out of whatever minor issues they can lay to hand. Up until the crisis, Boomers will ratchet up a culture war, trying to purify all Americans to a set of morals (although they won't be able to agree amongst themselves which morals until the crisis hits), just as other idealist generations did before the Revolutionary War, Civil War, and WWII. Once the crisis hits, the Boom will finally unify around one set of ideals, and once they do the other generations will unify around them too. Generation X, hardbitten and pragmatic by dint of their relatively neglected youth, will become excellent managers of the crisis. And strictly-raised Millennial youth will cheerfully do what they're told and work together to achieve almost any goal that's put in front of them. So far, according to this theory, we should be in the middle of a passionate culture war... I think they're doing well. All this has also had the side effect of getting me pretty frustrated with the Boom, which is ironic considering the book was written by two boomers, and they seem to think highly of their generation!(less)

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Jul 13, 2011 Scott rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: business-leadership, feminism-and-gender-studies, historical, politics, psychology, social-sciences, spirituality

Organizes the last 500 years using a framework that is easily comprehensible, and shows you how to use it to predict the next 100 years.

I recommend reading their subsequent book first (The Fourth Turning)--the concepts are a bit more refined in that volume, but this one goes much more in-depth on the history.

If you're like most survivors of the public school system, you have glaring holes in your understanding of history. What happened between the Pilgrims and the Revolutionary War? Most couldn...more

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Dec 10, 2010 Bruce Kuznicki rated it 3 of 5 stars

I liked this book and found its basic idea intriguing. However, as the book progressed, in particular as it addressed elements of history I am knowledgeable about, I saw that the authors' scholarship was sometimes shoddy; they misused elements of history they knew superficially or not at all in ways that made me doubt them generally. Essentially, I encountered this often enough to begin suspecting they were simply assuming their overall theory was correct and had not done the rigorous work of tr...more

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Jul 08, 2008 Johnny rated it 4 of 5 stars

Everything in cycles.....poorly supported and generalistic examples pad a pretty fundamentally interesting read. Unfortunate that they cherry picked examples to fit their model rather take a truly objective look at generations. This book could've been GREAT, but as it stands it's merely GOOD.

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Jul 17, 2007 Bobby J. Hill Jr. rated it 5 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Anyone interested in how generations work.

This book offers great insight into the generations of America and how they were shaped. Why they did the things they did. It also puts forth a radical theory of a cyclical pattern that American generations generally follow. Overall a very good, informative read.

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Sep 05, 2010 David C. Mueller rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: history

This book presents the concept that generations of Americans have distinct personalities in a similar way that individuals do. A repeating cycle of generation types is described that goes far to explain how American culture has changed over the years. This history of generations of Americans starts with European settlers, proceeds to our modern era, and continues into a suggested future based on past cycles. This book really opened my eyes to how the era in American history one is born in profou...more

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Apr 07, 2010 Simone Smith rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: coolhunting

There are only so many books in the world capable of revolutionizing the way one views people and trends. Generations is one of these rare treasures. This 538-page tome co-authored by William Strauss and Neil Howe, lays the foundation of a fascinating theory about generational, social, and political patterns and trends in the United States.

Howe and Strauss argue that since its inception, the United States has seen four repeating generational cohorts which are labeled as Idealists, Reactives, Civ...more

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Aug 14, 2012 Lynn rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2012-non-fiction

This is one of the most interesting books I have read in years. I've run into the four-generation-cycle theory before in a different context, but this book adds to that an observation that not only do generational personalities tend to recur but particular kinds of events tend to recur as well, when the relevant generation is in place.

I liked it that the authors do not use this theory to put people in boxes: They are careful to point out that 'generational personality' is not meant to describe...more

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Apr 21, 2013 Eddy Allen rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: arts-and-historical

Hailed by national leaders as politically diverse as former Vice President Al Gore and former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, Generations has been heralded by reviewers as a brilliant, if somewhat unsettling, reassessment of where America is heading.

William Strauss and Neil Howe posit the history of America as a succession of generational biographies, beginning in 1584 and encompassing every-one through the children of today. Their bold theory is that each generation belongs to one of four types, a...more

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Jul 11, 2007 John Beeler rated it 1 of 5 stars

This book is a joke. Ha!

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Aug 23, 2012 Andrew rated it 4 of 5 stars

Generations is an excellent book that theorizes where American society is heading into the 21st century. Neil Howe and William Strauss dedicated an immense amount of time and resources into developing their theory, resulting in social theory from a perspective not often viewed by classic and contemporary scholars.

The book is divided into three main parts. The first part explains their theory and its attributes, specifically the generational types and patterns and events that each generation will...more Generations is an excellent book that theorizes where American society is heading into the 21st century. Neil Howe and William Strauss dedicated an immense amount of time and resources into developing their theory, resulting in social theory from a perspective not often viewed by classic and contemporary scholars.

The book is divided into three main parts. The first part explains their theory and its attributes, specifically the generational types and patterns and events that each generation will go through. The second third looks at each American generation at each stage of its life until the publication of the book. The final third combines the theory of the the first part of the book and the summaries from the second to predict the United States' future.

Having been written over twenty years ago, the book is feeling a little dated. As the Boomer and 13er generations move into the leading roles in our society and as Millenials are coming of age, much of the book is vague where it could be more concrete and the events of the last ten years alone have rippling effects in the authors theory. Still, there are points where Howe and Strauss predict then-future events which have unwrapped exactly in the manner they had suggested. I would advice the authors revise their research and release an updated version. Then again, that kind of work may have been conducted in their later works which I have not yet read.

Generations is a heavy read and at times, requires the reader to push himself or herself through parts of the book and avoiding wandering thoughts. This was most prevalent for me in the earlier parts of the book in describing the crisis and awakening events and trying to figure out when these events were scheduled to occur. The authors could have done more to explain their future expectations earlier in the book to keep the reader focused, especially 20 years after the book's initial run.

Either way, Generations is an excellent book that will have readers re-evaluate the world around them and better plan for the future. It is most definitely worth the read because at the very least, readers will learn more about themselves and their cohorts than ever expected.(less)

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Nov 30, 2008 Elizabeth rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: non-fiction, history

There are several aspects of this book to review. Writing style: a bit dry. This is forgivable: the authors are laying out a hypothesis that covers almost 500 years of American history, and they want to make sure you've got all their evidence. I figure the book could've been tightened up, but I guess it's better they erred on the side of too much explanation rather than not enough.

The generational theory: plausible and fascinating. The authors summarize the history of 14 generations of Americans...more

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Aug 29, 2008 Lori rated it 5 of 5 stars

Recommended to Lori by: history buffs; people interested in generational cycles

Shelves: nonfiction, history

This is one of the most fascinating theories I have ever read and considered. Can the cycles of history be predicted (in broad brush strokes, of course) by the general character traits displayed by the elderly, the middle aged, the young adults and the children of each generational cycle. The authors suggest that, yes, somewhat accurate predictions can be made.

The rest is a very intriguing look at American history and the people who have played a role in this history at various points in their l...more This is one of the most fascinating theories I have ever read and considered. Can the cycles of history be predicted (in broad brush strokes, of course) by the general character traits displayed by the elderly, the middle aged, the young adults and the children of each generational cycle. The authors suggest that, yes, somewhat accurate predictions can be made.

The rest is a very intriguing look at American history and the people who have played a role in this history at various points in their lives...the crusading Wobblies and Vietnam War protestors, the GIs during WWII, the Jazz Babies and Doughboys that came before them...and even the disaffected "Clerks" of today all employ different methods for dealing with the events of their life spans and develop various generational emotional responses and styles.

Critics will always point to the people they know (or themselves) as atypical of the stereotypes of their cohort group. Certainly all people are individuals and it is unsettling to think one can be locked into a set of circumstances merely by the accident of when you were born. However, there are some arguments put forth in Generations that compel the reader to at least consider the circle of cause and effect outlined within the pages.

As a hypothetical illustration, I'll go with the image of the "clerk" figure...Imagine 4 young men or women working a low status and low pay clerk job in a shop.

The youth of the Depression/WWII years would merely look at it as a job...lucky to have anything during hard times. The money would probably go toward helping their family with essentials like food and heat. They would make the most of it, be unconcerned with status or career path and probably still find ways to save a portion of their paltry income.

The youth of the immediate post-war years would take the job out of a sense of responsibility. They would take solace in the fact that they would probably not be clerking in 5 years as other and better opportunities arose. They might use some of their income toward college tuition and be the first in their families to take this leap. They would even look back fondly on their first jobs as a last period of relative freedom before assuming the mantle of adult worries.

The boomer youth may not really "have to" work. However, their GI (and older) parents want them to learn the value of earning their own money. The boomers might spend a larger chunk of their income on themselves for entertainment. The boomers would not see this period of low status work as permanent. They might use periods like this to consider what they really want to do with their lives and plan ahead. They might also drop back in to lower status work from time to time if they get disillusioned with school or some other occupational training.

The Gen X youth may have grown up with the sense that they would not "have to" work at this kind of job at all. However, their rising adulthood presents a period of shifting back down the economic scale. They may initially take the low pay/low status job as a temporary fix and be surprised and disappointed to find themselves staying in the job longer than expected, with fewer outside opportunities than expected. They may not be conditioned to save as much money as they should and go into debt as they fail to come to terms with the fact that they will have less leisure time and discretionary income than the generations immediately before them. However, they will also have the wherewithall to piece together part time jobs if needed.

It is amusing to think about this book after the fact and plug in your own life experiences and observations. It is also unnerving, as these dismal times we are living now were predicted in the early 90s within the pages of Generations.

(less)

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Apr 03, 2008 Aimeslee rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: read-history-politics

Ok, about this book, I'm cultish. Inside its pages are all the truths one needs to understand history, time and how it changes. Seriously. I am an ardent believer in this generational history theory. I see it every single day.

Take the current presidential race. Obama's camp figured out at the beginning how to fuel change: grab the Millenials' loyalty by branding Obama as cool and *one of them*. (Millenials generation is 1982-2000 approximately). GenX (1961-1981) soon followed suit, as they do te...more

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Nov 28, 2007 Michael rated it 5 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Everyone

The book explicitly states a desire to risk "predicting" future trends, so that readers of the future could easily judge his theories for their pragmatic worth. Fifteen years after publication, confirmation of this book's concepts can be found in both the macro environment of world events and the microcosm of the thoughtful reader's own web of social interactions: with parents, coworkers, peers and children.

The book's thesis is that American history follows a near-century long cycle of four ge...more The book explicitly states a desire to risk "predicting" future trends, so that readers of the future could easily judge his theories for their pragmatic worth. Fifteen years after publication, confirmation of this book's concepts can be found in both the macro environment of world events and the microcosm of the thoughtful reader's own web of social interactions: with parents, coworkers, peers and children.

The book's thesis is that American history follows a near-century long cycle of four generational archetypes: secular builders, spiritual seekers, pragmatic rebels and refined curators. The living examples of these types are the G.I. generation who fought in WWII, the Boomers, Generation "X", and the "silent generation"-- born too late to fight with the GIs and too early to uh... frolic... with the Boomers.

The book takes us on an tour of American history, highlighting the interplay between the historical forces shaping each generation in their youth, and how each generation makes their stamp on history as adults. It's a compelling argument, in that he illustrates how that generation's impact sets the stage for the generations following, perpetuating the cycle. The story is well-told and insightful; I am no scholar of history, but there is an intensely believable intellectual honesty. A significant deviation in the pattern appears at the time of the Civil War, but rather than shoehorn the facts to fit their pattern, the authors concede the disruption, analyze the situation, and present an explanation that rings true; indeed, that echoes into the present day.

Here are just two simple predictions from the book (written in 1990-91, published in '92):

American presidential leadership "skipping over" the Silent generation, from the "greatest generation" GIs to the Boomer generation (Bush I to Clinton).

A "secular crisis" in the first decade of the millennium -- and the potentially disastrous results if that happened too early in the decade, when crusading Boomers were in charge, but pragmatic (yes, I said pragmatic) Xers were not yet influential enough to effect the implementation of policy.

Written before the Internet, before the Clinton presidency, before "Generation X" was even named (Douglas Coupland's book came out contemporaneously, so the authors call Xers "13ers", acknowledging that their culturally accepted name will likely be different) "Generations: A History of America's Future, 1584-2069" should be read by anyone looking for an insightful, well researched sociological study with a futurist slant. Deep without resorting to cryptic conspiracy theory, Strauss & Howe's work is a page-turning read which could improve both our political decisions and our family relations.(less)

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Oct 04, 2012 Jim rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: sociology, nonfiction

This is a good academic book looking at the sociology of generations and how they affect each other over history. It's discussion of the Lost, GI, Silent, Boom, Xer, Millennial, and Homestead generations gives a good overview of how the generations behave and interact.

This book has been a bit overshadowed by the better written Millennial Rising which the offers put out a few years later.

This is the better book for people who want to see how generations affect the entire 300 year history of the...more

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Feb 07, 2009 J.ed. Marston rated it 5 of 5 stars

Fascinating theory of how the cycle of four broad generational types has operated over the course of America's history with projections about how the authors thought it would impact the future. Written in the early 1990s, Generations provides the underlying ideas for dozens subsequent books and endless seminars about how generations interrelate.

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Sep 06, 2011 John rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: the-core-books

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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Jul 24, 2011 Ann Barber rated it 4 of 5 stars

The first part of this book lays theoretical groundwork for the entire book. Be patient. The research work and conclusions of the author and his team are fascinating.

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Sep 18, 2010 Perilun rated it 4 of 5 stars

As a System Engineer and a lover of history I found this book to be a very effective explanation to why and how generations push again each other to create repeating human cycles. Great ideas and rationales.

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Aug 08, 2011 Ron rated it 4 of 5 stars

The best of their books, but I can not give it a rave review because the world they live in is still far too hypothetical.

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Jun 05, 2009 Valerie rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: history

This book explained so many things I couldn't understand before.

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Sep 17, 2010 Rargen rated it 4 of 5 stars

Long Ordeal, lots of detail but worth it.

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Jun 15, 2012 Steve rated it 5 of 5 stars

Excellent prequel to The Fourth Turning

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Jan 08, 2011 Gerald rated it 4 of 5 stars

very interesting ideas and research

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Mar 05, 2009 Teresa rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Interesting and serious.

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Nov 30, 2010 anguinea rated it 5 of 5 stars

I really was intrigued by this book and find myself referring back to it a lot.

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Jul 19, 2008 Anthony rated it 5 of 5 stars Recommends it for: Americans

I think this is a great take on American history, and I enjoyed this immensely! I had this book on my bookshelf for forever, and finally read it. The authors look at American history from a generational perspective, one in which four basic generations cycle themselves through American history and shape life, values, actions, perspectives, etc. It's an intriguing argument, and it's interesting to see how the generations are at work today in our own lifetime.

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Mar 22, 2009 Alicia rated it 5 of 5 stars

Shelves: 2009, grad-school, student-affairs

Amazingly pretty accurate 18 years later.

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May 22, 2013 Aloysius rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

a very interesting premise: that the generations that have lived throughout American history can be categorized according to cycle that includes moral awakenings and crises. From the Puritans to the Founders, and from the Civil War to World War II, this theory of generations seems to hold up quite well. As a member of the Millennials, I can certainly see potential crises on the horizon in this decade.

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