Generations: The Real Differences Between Gen Z, Millennials, Gen X, Boomers, and Silents—and What They Mean for America's Future

by Jean M. Twenge

Early 1990s portrayals of the generation focused on Gen X’s pessimistic streak and their young adult uncertainty, but it would have been just as accurate to focus on their brightly colored, Reagan-era, Material Girl, self-confident 1980s upbringing.