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ninetalevixen 's review for:
Can't Even: How Millennials Became the Burnout Generation
by Anne Helen Petersen
I received an advance review copy from Houghton Mifflin Harcourt through Netgalley; all opinions are my own and honest.
Disclaimer: I'm technically not even a millenial but a Gen Zer, though I'm on the cusp and in some ways relate more to millenials (especially at present: contemplating post-college adulthood).
It can be discouraging to address systemic issues rather than the symptoms produced, especially since the former can't be addressed with lists of ~self care~ tasks. (Which, as Petersen notes, often feel like additional chores in and of themselves, increasing rather than alleviating stress and burnout.) But productive discussions have to begin with accurately defining the problem; this also delivers on the book's premise without resorting to pop science or inflammatory opinion.
I applaud the efforts to take an intersectional view, rather than further perpetuating it's so hard to be white, cis, straight, upper middle class (I'm not saying privilege negates your struggles, but it certainly changes the equation). That said, apart from examples and anecdotes, it seems to boil down to it's so hard to be poor and/or PoC — not untrue, but not particularly insightful or helpful. And it also felt clunky, borderline performative, to have each respondent introduced with their race and socioeconomic class (and occasionally as "queer" or "neurodivergent" or "single working mom"), especially in some cases where it wasn't relevant to a widely-applicable quote or experience.
Stylistically there's a kind of monotony to the book, with all the chapters structured the same and seemingly little variation in tone. It's not necessarily an inherent failing, but it certainly made for a dry read, and consequently I found the book interesting but not particularly engaging.
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CONVERSION: 7.75 / 15 = 3 stars
Prose: 5 / 10
Intellectual Engagement: 5 / 10
Credibility: 7 / 10
Organization / Structure: 6 / 10
Emotional Impact / Interest: 3 / 5
Rereadability: N/A
Memorability: 1 / 5
Disclaimer: I'm technically not even a millenial but a Gen Zer, though I'm on the cusp and in some ways relate more to millenials (especially at present: contemplating post-college adulthood).
It can be discouraging to address systemic issues rather than the symptoms produced, especially since the former can't be addressed with lists of ~self care~ tasks. (Which, as Petersen notes, often feel like additional chores in and of themselves, increasing rather than alleviating stress and burnout.) But productive discussions have to begin with accurately defining the problem; this also delivers on the book's premise without resorting to pop science or inflammatory opinion.
I applaud the efforts to take an intersectional view, rather than further perpetuating it's so hard to be white, cis, straight, upper middle class (I'm not saying privilege negates your struggles, but it certainly changes the equation). That said, apart from examples and anecdotes, it seems to boil down to it's so hard to be poor and/or PoC — not untrue, but not particularly insightful or helpful. And it also felt clunky, borderline performative, to have each respondent introduced with their race and socioeconomic class (and occasionally as "queer" or "neurodivergent" or "single working mom"), especially in some cases where it wasn't relevant to a widely-applicable quote or experience.
Stylistically there's a kind of monotony to the book, with all the chapters structured the same and seemingly little variation in tone. It's not necessarily an inherent failing, but it certainly made for a dry read, and consequently I found the book interesting but not particularly engaging.
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CONVERSION: 7.75 / 15 = 3 stars
Prose: 5 / 10
Intellectual Engagement: 5 / 10
Credibility: 7 / 10
Organization / Structure: 6 / 10
Emotional Impact / Interest: 3 / 5
Rereadability: N/A
Memorability: 1 / 5