by Ada Calhoun
First published 2020
Generation X women enter their forties and fifties facing unprecedented challenges. Ada Calhoun experienced her own midlife crisis despite having a marriage, children, and career success. She wondered why she felt miserable and noticed similar struggles among her peers. Calhoun researched housing prices, employment patterns, debt statistics, and divorce rates to understand the broader picture. Her investigation revealed that women born between 1965 and 1980 face unique pressures as they navigate middle age. Squeezed between Baby Boomers and Millennials, they encounter financial stress, career setbacks, and overwhelming responsibilities. These women grew up expecting to achieve everything but now find themselves exhausted and financially insecure. Society offers inadequate solutions like productivity tips and self care advice. Calhoun interviewed women nationwide to document their experiences. She examines the cultural and political forces that created this crisis and proposes practical strategies for recovery. The book validates the struggles of middle aged women while offering hope for future generations.
Genres: american-fiction, gender-studies, feminism, non-fiction, biography-memoir, 21st-century, womens-studies
Vibes: emotional, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: personal-narrative, social-commentary
Period: 1965-1980
267 pages · Hardcover · Grove Press