Review by Booklist Review
Holtz dismisses the appellations previously given to the generation born in the 1960s and 1970s (such as Generation X or the Doofus Generation) in favor of the term Free Generation. He nicknames them the "Frees" for the purpose of this book, which is simultaneously defensive and descriptive. Through newspaper clippings, real life experiences, statistics, and anecdotes of all types, Holtz points out the struggles these young people face in maturing, schooling, finding work, housing, forging families, and creating an impact in the face of the vociferous body that preceded them known, appropriately, as the baby boomers. Heady sociopolitical fare written by one of the "Frees." --Denise Perry Donavin
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
An in-depth examination of the social, cultural and economic circumstances that shaped the generation commonly referred to as Generation X, Welcome to the Jungle is no baby-boomer booster. Holtz, a twentysomething law student, builds an impressive case indicting boomers for crimes against the Xers (whom he calls the Free Generation). Armed with a stack of references and a mountain of resentment, Holtz asserts that, when boomers postponed both marriage and children in the '70s, American culture adapted to this swinging, child-free lifestyle. But while boomers benefited from these changes, Holtz claims, the children of the '70s paid the price. From ``latchkey kids'' totoday's flat job market to a depleted Social Security fund in 2020, Welcome to the Jungle describes, in grim detail, how the Free Generation always seems to be cleaning up after the boomer pride parade. Though the majority of Holtz's arguments are convincingly presented and dutifully referenced, Holtz's periodic, overzealous boomer-bashing and poorly drawn conclusions detract from an otherwise powerful thesis. The unwavering emphasis on boomers' sins also implies that the Free are indeed both powerless and inferior, just as the boomers have suspected all along. Nevertheless, Welcome to the Jungle's articulate emphasis on public policy commendably elevates the level of twentysomething debate beyond The Brady Bunch and Disco Duck. (June) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Review by Kirkus Book Review
``We're not slackers--we've just had a lifetime of bad luck, so cut us some slack'' is the message of this dry and ultimately unconvincing attempt to account for the passions, problems, and peculiarities of the 75 million Americans born between 1960 and 1980. Generation X, twentysomethings, 13th Gen...whatever they're called, they now have a full-length defense of their supposed failings, thanks to 29-year-old law student Holtz. In his litany of complaints, he indicts everything from Ritalin used to tranquilize them as children in the 1970s to the temp jobs that numb them in the 1990s. What emerges is a vague and scattered portrait of a stepped-on, unwanted generation. The main culprits in all this are Baby Boomers, Holtz says, from the ``me-decade,'' during which self-exploration was paramount, divorce rates rose, children were increasingly viewed as a societal burden, and education underwent a period of wild experimentation, to the ``greed is good'' decade, in which Boomers became yuppies, and the young struggled through weak but expensive college programs only to fight for jobs meant for high-school graduates. However, he still maintains hope that today's young adults somehow came through it all with a sense of pragmatism, self-reliance, and a can-do attitude that will help them prevail. Though exhausively researched, there is little original material here, save Holtz's attempt to coin yet another term for his age group: ``The Free Generation.'' The Free have grown up in a world that offers more choices than ever before, though many are less than desirable; they are free of any defining event or experience; they are apt to be uninhibited or reckless; and they have at many points in their lives been considered ``extra'' or ``superfluous.'' But this label is likely to cause more confusion than controversy. Lacking the clear political purpose or humorous tone of other recent books about this generation, like Revolution X or 13th Gen, Welcome to the Jungle falls flat.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Review by Booklist Review
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
Review by Kirkus Book Review
