In this essay, Chamberlain looks at the contributions of Gen-Xers to modern society. From the workplace and family, to politics and economics, she looks at the place that this generation carved for itself despite chattered expectations, glum economic prospects and unexpected world events, from the fall of the Berlin Wall to 9-11. The analysis is superficial at best: Chamberlain takes a cursory look at these issues, couches them in pop culture and validates them with one-off examples that all seem to have an arts background (all friends of Ms Chamberlain?). Nonetheless, I liked her optimism and her look at a generation's adaptability in a society that went from a static model to a very dynamic one. I also think that her conclusions are acute, even if they are more impressions than hard facts.
A quick read but one that gives a good glimpse at a generation that is rethinking family (from single-sex couples with children to single parents), work (mobility, work-life balance), politics (grass-roots involvement) and economic models (local influence and the free-economy). ( )