Coming of Age in 2020: Teenagers on the Year that Changed Everything

by Katherine Schulten

A time capsule of art and artifacts, created by Gen Z. Everyone knows what coming of age in America is supposed to look like. Then came 2020. Instead of proms and championship games and all-night hangouts with friends, there was school on Zoom from bed. In this book, teenagers from across the country show how they coped with a world on fire, as a pandemic raged, political divides hardened, and the Black Lives Matter movement galvanized millions. Via diary entries, comics, photos, poems, paintings, charts, lists, Lego sculptures, songs, recipes, and rants, they tell the story of the year that will define their generation. The pieces in this collection, chosen from more than 5,500 submitted to a contest on the New York Times Learning Network, provide an arresting documentation of how ordinary teenagers experienced extraordinary events. But for every creative expression of terror, frustration, loneliness, and anxiety, there is another of meaning, joy, resilience, and hope. Full-color illustrations

Genres: Nonfiction

192 pages, Paperback

Published October 11, 2022

Reviews

[Renata · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a cool document! It would be cool to have in a classroom or waiting room--it's very browsable. And it's an interesting representation of how quickly time passes--looking through this like, "oh yeah, Clorox wipes! Oh yeah, staying 6 feet apart outside! weird" Also the teen activists in here are really inspiring.

[Lynn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great YA Book on Pandemic

A scrapbook style book of writing and art created by American teens during the pandemic. It’s very interesting and goes to the hearts and minds of the kids.

[Brian · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was a sad book about how teens coped with the pandemic and the stuff they lost or missed. This book was told through a series of different mediums including poems, essays and stories. Some of the stories were definitely more poignant than others, but overall, this is a book that will make you think back on a sad time.

[Holly · Rating 5 out of 5]

I would give this more stars if I could.

[Sandy Brehl · Rating 5 out of 5]

This compilation of reflections, art, photography, questions, journals, artifacts, and other insights to life as a young person during the Covid year(s), 2020- (and beyond) is a brilliant way to account for the range of emotional, physical, academic, and developmental experiences that indelibly affected humans coming of age in a pandemic. Ranging from the initial shock through disastrous losses and painful disruptions of routines, on to Black Lives Matter and graduation ceremonies on ZOOM, this constitutes an excellent documentation for current and future generations. Representation is widely diverse in identities, voices, and in images. Highly recommend.

[Mary · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was impressed by the insight of the teenagers whose work was used in this book. I'm the parent of two 2020 grads, one high school, and the other college, so the book reflected a lot of what I lived through with them. I'm not sure if every reader would be ready to revisit the early days of the pandemic, but I felt it did provide some closure to read about the experience as history.

[Roberta]

This is a beautiful collection of essays, poems, paintings and other personal works by teenagers about the pandemic. Some of it, especially a few of the paintings, are stunning. All of it is heartfelt and a good reminder to adults that teens were deeply affected and the aftereffects aren’t going to magically disappear.

[Beth · Rating 3 out of 5]

Eh, it was OK. It didn't seem to build to anything.

[Jessa Franco · Rating 4 out of 5]

Emotional and impactful

[Michael DeCaprio · Rating 3 out of 5]

This will be good to pull out every so often as a reminder of our students’ experiences. Maybe to use at DLT.

[Olivia Ambrose · Rating 4 out of 5]

Emotional and way too relevant.

[Kate Nack · Rating 3 out of 5]

As a mom of teenagers, I really wanted to read this book. It did really paint a picture of what young people throughout the country and in all different circumstances we’re dealing with throughout the pandemic. Some of it was heartbreaking but there was hope too. I’m glad I read it. It’s vignette style, as it’s different pieces from teens throughout the country. I will hold onto this book and probably flip through it again.

[sarina · Rating 5 out of 5]

featured in this book, so i'm biased :)