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Generations  By  cover art

Generations

By: William Strauss, Neil Howe
Narrated by: Mike Chamberlain
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Publisher's summary

Hailed by national leaders as politically diverse as former vice president Al Gore and former House speaker Newt Gingrich, Generations has been heralded by reviewers as a brilliant, if somewhat unsettling, reassessment of where America is heading.

William Strauss and Neil Howe posit the history of America as a succession of generational biographies, beginning in 1584 and encompassing every one through the children of today. Their bold theory is that each generation belongs to one of four types and that these types repeat sequentially in a fixed pattern. The vision of Generations allows us to plot a recurring cycle in American history - a cycle of spiritual awakenings and secular crises - from the founding colonists through the present day and well into this millennium.

Generations is at once a refreshing historical narrative and a thrilling intuitive leap that reorders not only our history books, but also our expectations for the 21st century.

©1991 William Strauss and Neil Howe (P)2021 Tantor
  • Unabridged Audiobook
  • Categories: History

What listeners say about Generations

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Probably better w book in hand

I love this book and the amount of research that was put into it, however, listening to this audible without the book in hand made it sometimes confusing to follow. I think it would be good to listen to the book while also having the book in hand for reference and to pause moments.

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    4 out of 5 stars

Need illustrations from hard copy book

The book seems fascinating. Unfortunately the authors make frequent references to names and events (from history) that leave me cold. Tried to use their support material (illustrations etc) to help my understanding, but they are not available for the audio book.

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    4 out of 5 stars

A great theory and excellent history

I liked it... didn't love the audio. It would probably be better as a paperback due to the overwhelming facts presented.

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Roger L Conner

Great read as a history aficionado this gives a great perspective of how America's four seasons known as Turnings are literally more relatable than some of the stale history books have to offer. As a recommendations with how historical events HAVE changed despite what the book displayed with a much needed update with everything has transpired, how micro generations within a generation play bigger impacts on history as well as how Millennials might be an Anti-Hero Generation.

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Fascinating

Fascinating information. I am so intrigued by this topic and concept and have never heard of this idea before

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Good

I think important for anyone interested in this stuff. Definitely worth the read if you like it.

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Eye Opening

Remarkable, need the charts to get the full impact! Sharing with everyone I know. Awesome.

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Incredible book BUT Audible didn’t include PDF files

Research looking back at history and bringing it forward in time. Why does society respond to the same situation differently at different times? It’s all here.
Some have said “Their predictions weren’t accurate” What? First, they state they are not predicting the future. Second, written in 1990, their scenarios are hypothetical. The government reaction and policies (BOTH political parties) since 2000 are frighteningly accurate, only political bias keeps one from acknowledging this.
My only complaint is that the charts in the book are absolutely necessary and not included as pdf files. I ended up buying a used copy to review the charts in the first few chapters, this allowed easier listening going forward.

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3 people found this helpful

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    5 out of 5 stars

Fascinating and interesting look at our generations through history

A poignant and well researched look into the generational forces at play in our society. Very impressed by the research and knowledge expressed. You will definitely see yourself, your family, and other members of society in the descriptions you hear.

It would be great for the book to get an update, but I do understand if the authors have reservations about doing such a massive undertaking.

The publishers did do a disservice by not providing an accompanying PDF showing all the tables and graphs referenced in the audiobook. It made it very confusing at times.

Overall, I absolutely loved listening to this book and recommend it to anyone interested in history, the people who make it, and the forces at play in our current lives today.

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If you love the Fourth Turning… you need this.

The framework provided helps explain the setup for the finality of a seculum: The fourth turning. It’s not easy reading for those not historically inclined… but well worth it into the final chapters!

Will read again… and again… love it!

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