Can't Even by Anne Helen Petersen

Anne Helen Petersen expands her viral essay on millennial burnout into a book. She rejects the stereotype that millennials are lazy and entitled: After suffering through two major recessions, millennials will be the first generation in modern American history who will be less well off than their parents. In exploring how these circumstances came to be, Petersen traces how boomers benefitted from and simultaneously dismantled social and economic programs, leaving their children to grow up to work twice as long for far less pay. Toward the end, Petersen makes a compelling argument that we ought to burn the system down and start anew. The book serves as an essential balm for millennials blaming themselves for economic circumstances beyond their control.

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