Generation Me: Why Today's Young American Are More Confident, Assertive, Entitled ' and More Miserable Than Ever Before describes how the current generation has passed up the Baby Boomers and is sticking it even more to the man. Generation Me evaluates all aspects of generation growth and backs it up with large amounts of surveys and research. Not only does Twenge provide great research but is also a member of Generation Me also, which allows a firsthand perspective.


Twenge starts off with the task of trying to sum up the whole Baby Boomer generation's characteristics and show their individuality. Twenge then tries to start piecing together the parts of Generation Me that has evolved from the Baby Boomer generation. It is shown early on how Generation Me is the enhanced Baby Boomer generation. Things such as individuality have been elevated to higher levels, making them all try to be their own person. Although there is a large diversity in the Generation Me crowd, they are all united by that one single attribute, being focus on the individual. She then goes on to elucidate how a Generation so riled up in being an individual has fallen so far. Twenge also enlightens us on how the Generation Me crowd has loosened its moral values in areas like swearing and formal attire.


A big part of Generation Me is the desire to follow their dreams. Having this attitude makes many strive for the gold, while some can't get past the fact they can't obtain it. Although having this unrelenting want to make the dream real, there are also problems that arise. Problems like Generation Me people in their 20s just going all over the place to find their true self, and many continue this journey. The problem there is that marriage has also declined, and a big display of that is the new unconventional marriages people have. Twenge talks about how marriages can range from the formal dress to a wedding on the beach where the bride and groom wear flip flops. Twenge describes Generation Me as redefining the standards of many aspects of life that seem to have been old time traditions.


Overall the book is very interesting and does a good job on analyzing Generation Me from a wide perspective. Twenge does use some harsh terms to describe Generation Me though, words like miserable and depressed which cast a somber light on the Generation Me group. These could possibly tie to the harsh realities life brings, such as debt, work stress, depression, and disappointment. Problem is that Generation Me has developed a soft shell which Twenge does touch on a bit in the book. Even with these harsh words, the book is still a good read and should be an easy pick up. Book isn't too strenuous and can be read fairly easily in a couple of days.