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Twentysomething: Why Do Young Adults Seem Stuck?

What does it mean to be young today?

In the summer of 2010, I wrote a provocative article for The New York Times Magazine called “What Is It About 20-Somethings?” It generated enormous reader response and started a conversation that included both Millennials and Baby Boomers. Now, working with my Millennial daughter Samantha, I expand the project to paint a full portrait of what it means to be in your twenties today.

Looking through many lenses, Sam and I ask whether "emerging adulthood" has truly become a new rite of passage. We examine the latest neuroscience and psychological research, the financial pressures young people face now, changing cultural expectations, the after-effects of helicopter parenting, and the changes that have arisen from social media and all things Internet. Most important, we have surveyed more than 120 Millennials and Baby Boomers to give voice to both viewpoints of a conversation that is too often one-sided.

Named one of the best books of the month for November on Amazon, and one of 16 must-read books for November on Oprah.com.

''With humor and insight, the authors deftly volley commentary and observation across the generation gap.'' --Publishers Weekly

''An examination that escapes the dangers of overgeneralization to provide provocative information presented compellingly.'' --Kirkus Reviews