The Vanishing American Adult
By Ben Sasse
- Release Date: 2017-05-16
- Genre: Politics & Current Events
Description
THE INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER
In an era of safe spaces, trigger warnings, and an unprecedented election, the country's youth are in crisis. Senator Ben Sasse warns the nation about the existential threat to America's future.
Raised by well-meaning but overprotective parents and coddled by well-meaning but misbegotten government programs, America's youth are ill-equipped to survive in our highly-competitive global economy.
Many of the coming-of-age rituals that have defined the American experience since the Founding: learning the value of working with your hands, leaving home to start a family, becoming economically self-reliant—are being delayed or skipped altogether. The statistics are daunting: 30% of college students drop out after the first year, and only 4 in 10 graduate. One in three 18-to-34 year-olds live with their parents.
From these disparate phenomena: Nebraska Senator Ben Sasse who as president of a Midwestern college observed the trials of this generation up close, sees an existential threat to the American way of life.
In The Vanishing American Adult, Sasse diagnoses the causes of a generation that can't grow up and offers a path for raising children to become active and engaged citizens. He identifies core formative experiences that all young people should pursue: hard work to appreciate the benefits of labor, travel to understand deprivation and want, the power of reading, the importance of nurturing your body—and explains how parents can encourage them.
Our democracy depends on responsible, contributing adults to function properly—without them America falls prey to populist demagogues. A call to arms, The Vanishing American Adult will ignite a much-needed debate about the link between the way we're raising our children and the future of our country.
Reviews
Great book
5By EvttvcxdVery relevantThe vanishing American adult
1By bigthangsRepublicans act like the economy is all sweetness and light. I know people who have masters degrees who are unemployed, and have moved back home. They did what teachers told them to do which was get a good education, apply yourself and put forth some effort. So why are these people not living the American dream? Something is fundamentally wrong in our society when you have such an education but struggle to find work. Bill Clinton left a surplus, and what did the republicans do. They went and got us into wars ran up the deficit, and now they can't even create jobs to fix Americas decaying infrastructure. So yes this book is condescending, and just because you are successful doesn't mean you should get complacent and lack humility. I have seen first hand responsible people lose their jobs, get their cars and houses repossessed because of the volatile times we are living in. You can give your kids chores, and do your best to rear end them but it doesn't always guarantee success, especially in the chaotic times we are living in!Responsibility becoming a taboo word
5By a vanishing self-reliant oneI have not yet read the book (so I cannot rate but the subject and synopsis) but am unsurprised that the first comment depicts the exact point of the book: where has the sense of responsibility gone? The term itself is literally barred from the public discourse. Far easier to call hard-working folks -even those working on solutions to this- condescending, and victimize everyone ese, way to go!!
