Anne Helen Peterson's 2019 article helped add the language of "burnout" to the discussions about work, debt, and stress that have been developing sincAnne Helen Peterson's 2019 article helped add the language of "burnout" to the discussions about work, debt, and stress that have been developing since millennials entered the workforce.
This book fleshes out the original article with research and interviews, but I'm not sure it adds much to the existing body of study on this topic. In fact, I'm struggling to discern a purpose for this book beyond cashing in on the viral Buzzfeed article.
Can’t Even isn't about mental health. Peterson only frames burnout as a social problem and doesn't distinguish between work-induced exhaustion and clinical depression.
It’s not precisely about just millennials--Peterson often finds herself forced to admit that the economic and social trends she's talking about aren't always specific to millennials.
The book is certainly not about most millennials. Generational study tends to typify a given generation after the experience of its white and well-off members. Peterson claims early on that the book will grapple with this common shortcoming and "decenter" the white middle-class experience, but never does so. This book is based on her personal experience with burnout, adding anecdotal and research-based explanations. The book is literally centered on Peterson herself. Nearly the whole book is focused on the burnout experienced by people like Peterson (white, middle-/upper-middle-class, able-bodied, post-graduate degreed, city-dwelling, socially moderately liberal, in a web-based knowledge/creative field...). The book is about the very specific struggles produced by Peterson's career. Which is fine... but let's not pretend this book is about "millennials" broadly. There are a handful of quotes from people of color or other millennials outside Peterson's mythical norm. Often, after relating a problem, Peterson will tack on "of course, this is much worse for non-white people." That's about it. Peterson seems to barely remember the existence of millennials who aren't like her, or else finds them irrelevant to her thesis.
It's not about possible ways forward. Peterson is careful to say this is not a self-help or solution-focused book, for good reasons. For the burnt-out, self-care is just another thing to fail at. Personal changes aren’t going to affect systemic issues. This insight leaves things feeling rather hopeless, and does make me wonder about the point of this book. Peterson doesn’t seem to think that, armed with this knowledge, millennials might begin to make different choices in the majority of their life that remains, or that there’s any way she could address the causes of her own burnout. So then... what was all this for?
Full review can be found on my blog. I received an advance review copy of this title from the publisher in expectation of an honest review. No money changed hands for this review and all opinions are my own....more
This is quite young for YA-- the writing feels much more like upper-MG to me. Very accessible for young readers, but probably wouldn't suit most high This is quite young for YA-- the writing feels much more like upper-MG to me. Very accessible for young readers, but probably wouldn't suit most high schoolers. ...more
I had a hard time understand what exactly this book was trying to do. The cover calls it a "definitive hiTIP: I'd suggest reading the epilogue first.
I had a hard time understand what exactly this book was trying to do. The cover calls it a "definitive history," but I don't think it's trying to be either of those things. In the last chapter, Kendi lays out his arguments the way I would have expected him to do in the introduction. Knowing the points he's trying to make helps me understand the rest of the book in a completely different way. ...more
I know the saying, but I still love it when a cover tells me what's in a book. The beautiful art gracing
"I deserve to know and be known."
I know the saying, but I still love it when a cover tells me what's in a book. The beautiful art gracing Clap When You Land (especially the US hardcover) lays out the premise: Two teenage girls, mirrors in some ways and foils in others, are brought into contact from different worlds, stitched together by a plane.
The girls are fictional, but the plane is not. The story begins with the very real crash of American Airlines flight 587, which came on the heels of 9/11. Despite being one of the worst aviation disasters in US history, the event was largely forgotten by American media-- but not the Dominican-American community, which suffered an enormous loss.
Unlike another 2020 plane crash novel, Dear Edward, Clap When You Land doesn't spend time on the nuts and bolts of the human and mechanical errors that led to the crash. It keeps a laser-tight focus on the dual protagonists as they are struck with sudden grief and revelations that shake their worldview.
If the watch-word of Young Adult fiction is "discovery," especially self-discovery, then Clap When You Land succeeds as a work for teens. Each story beat brought me back to the girls' struggle to understand their rapid discoveries about their father, each other, and themselves.
Like Acevedo's two previous YA works, Clap When You Land is written in her signature free-flowing, impactful verse. I'd strongly recommend reading this one via audiobook, which is partially read by the author. Acevedo comes to verse by way of slam poetry, and I'd consider her performance of the words almost essential for experiencing the book.
Acevedo's verse style works very well for drawing readers into the emotional environment. I will say, though, that it doesn't serve the story well in distinguishing characters. Looking at a page of text, it would be difficult to tell Yahaira's voice from Camino's, or even from the main characters of Acevedo's previous books. ...more
Glorious. Might have to come back with a full review for this one.
(view spoiler)[(Didn't quite stick the landing for me though-- I think trying to puGlorious. Might have to come back with a full review for this one.
(view spoiler)[(Didn't quite stick the landing for me though-- I think trying to pull off a genuine HEA was too much for this book, which was already covering so much ground.) (hide spoiler)]...more
I have mixed feelings about the Kerrigan Bryne I've read, but I absolutely adored How to Love a Duke in 10 Days, which broke my heart and put it back I have mixed feelings about the Kerrigan Bryne I've read, but I absolutely adored How to Love a Duke in 10 Days, which broke my heart and put it back together in the sexiest way possible. I was very excited for the next in the series, but All Scot and Bothered didn't quite hit the mark for me.
There's a lot to love in the actual relationship. Once Bryne had Cecelia and Ramsay holed up together talking about feelings, things start to flow.
To get there, though, you have to wade through quite a mess. The dangers and mysteries that surround Ceceila are convoluted and distracting. There's just too much going on, and the characters feel crammed into circumstances that don't fit them. Bryne has to work so hard to force Cecelia into her perilous double identity that the poor woman doesn't have any agency in the first half of the book. I'm still unclear about some basic aspects of Cecelia's life. I don't really understand what she was up to before this book or how everything was set in motion.
Also-- I wish Bryne could figure out another way to write romance with a fat girl than to pair her with the stereotypically brawny, lusty, primitive, near-monstrous Scot. Bryne certainly isn't alone in this, and there's only so many times I can read this same pairing before I wonder why the curvy girl can't land someone that couldn't toss her over his shoulder.
And, of course, the fastest way to guarantee I won't be purchasing my own copy of this book is to have a slim model on the cover when the character is curvy or plus-size on the page. It's 2020-- so hugely disappointing. ...more
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