This is a well-researched piece of non-fiction. A deep look at how millennials are affected by burnout. It’s not the easiest read but again… it is research. Much of what millennials experience is common to all of us these days. The book was interesting but may have been helped by some case studies of how they emerged differently from burnout. I am not a millennial so it’s hard to see if the pressures on them are any greater than those that any other group have ever experienced. I’m not sold on that yet. Every generation seems to have unique challenges. The author proposes to address this, “Can’t Even offers a galvanizing, intimate, and ultimately redemptive look at the lives of this much-maligned generation” and I am not sure she succeeds. I don’t see ita s the much-maligned generation and I don’t see the redemptive view of it. All that said its worth reading.

#CantEven #NetGalley

This was an interesting look at the author's perspective on the challenges of being born in the millennial generation. The youngest member will be twenty-four in 2020, and the oldest, thirty-nine. A broad base of experiences shaped this cohort, from your age during 9/11, to the financial crisis of 2008, and certainly Covid-19 will have an impact. What they have in common are crushing student loan debt and disillusionment with the American dream. I was born a couple of years before this group, but am close enough to have experienced the burnout that comes when your reality doesn't come close to your expectations.
I thought that this book might be something worth sharing with those millennial parents who just don't get some of these issues.

Disclaimer: I'm technically not even a millenial but a Gen Zer, though I'm on the cusp and in some ways relate more to millenials (especially at present: contemplating post-college adulthood).

It can be discouraging to address systemic issues rather than the symptoms produced, especially since the former can't be addressed with lists of ~self care~ tasks. (Which, as Petersen notes, often feel like additional chores in and of themselves, increasing rather than alleviating stress and burnout.) But productive discussions have to begin with accurately defining the problem; this also delivers on the book's premise without resorting to pop science or inflammatory opinion.

I applaud the efforts to take an intersectional view, rather than further perpetuating <i>it's so hard to be white, cis, straight, upper middle class</i> (I'm not saying privilege negates your struggles, but it certainly changes the equation). That said, apart from examples and anecdotes, it seems to boil down to <i>it's so hard to be poor and/or PoC</i> — not untrue, but not particularly insightful or helpful. And it also felt clunky, borderline performative, to have each respondent introduced with their race and socioeconomic class (and occasionally as "queer" or "neurodivergent" or "single working mom"), especially in some cases where it wasn't relevant to a widely-applicable quote or experience.

Stylistically there's a kind of monotony to the book, with all the chapters structured the same and seemingly little variation in tone. It's not necessarily an inherent failing, but it certainly made for a dry read, and consequently I found the book interesting but not particularly engaging.

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7.75 / 15 = 3 stars

Prose: 5 / 10
Intellectual Engagement: 5 / 10
Credibility: 7 / 10
Organization / Structure: 6 / 10

Emotional Impact / Interest: 3 / 5
Rereadability: N/A
Memorability: 1 / 5

As a millennial, and a huge fan of Anne Helen Petersen's writing, I was really excited to get this book as an advanced copy from Houghton Mifflin. The feeling of being burned out is not unique to millennials, but I appreciated the way Petersen framed this problem due to our currently life status of slow career building, paying student loans and other crippling debt, social media and technology taking over our lives, and the seemingly impossible task of affording to have children right now. It's a lot to take in, and Petersen covers it all in a way that will both give you anxiety and want to make all the millennials you know also read this book. She does not offer many solutions but instead, explains how we can see how we got here as a society and what needs to be done to ease the burden off of our generation, and those to come.

The worst thing about reading this book is that, as the author states in the intro, it was written before the pandemic and admits that many of these circumstances are now much worse for people because of how ill-equipped we were (and are) to handle this social tragedy and economic collapse. It almost feels like reading a past history at this point, which she acknowledges, but she did not want to re-write the book because it is clear that the ramifications of this year will affect millennials in a myriad of different ways that we may even fathom right now. So, all in all, a solid non-fiction book about why millennials have a tough time with having the "normal" life we were promised just by working hard, and what it means to be burned out (and why we shouldn't blame ourselves.) An important discussion but one that now, I'm afraid, will have to be re-written.

File under: books I can’t stop talking about. I’m just a touch old to fall under Petersen’s definition of the millennial generation, yet I found myself nodding along to every chapter as Petersen explained how my and my peers’ personal life experience slot neatly into cultural and economic trends. Her biggest topics are our childhoods, our college experience and the implicit (and explicit) promises it had for our future, and why work is so awful for so many these days—all set against the backdrop of the economic realities of the last 40 years in the United States. I closed this book feeling understood, and like I better understand the world I’m living in. Petersen notes that she completed her final edits on this book while COVID-19 was just beginning her spread, and I appreciated her thoughts on how the pandemic subtly shifts the lens through which readers will engage with the ideas presented here.

A good look at what stress and expectations for this age group. Contains information and people's stories of what society, parents, and themselves put onto them.

It's been a while since I read a nonfiction book in which I saw myself, which says a lot. I've resisted labelling myself as the "traditional" millenial for a long time, but as I underlined more and more of this book I came to terms with it - I'm a millenial, hear me roar! Also, I do think adulting is hard. There, I said it!

The stories and quotes from different people were the best part for me because it made the book more personal. On that note, I wish the author had offered more of her ideas, experiences, and opinions on the topic. Only towards the end did she turn the lenses on herself briefly.
I don't think the book captured the generation of millenials in its entirety, and it certainly doesn't fully apply to people outside the English speaking countries. However, there are elements universally true and I recognised them in myself and in the people in my generation where I live.

The book started with a theoretical aspect, a bit of history about the boomers, their relationship with millenials and the expectations they set upon their children. Reading those parts made me aware that every generation thinks of itself as "better", more "mature", and more "serious" that the one coming after them, and we usually idealize and are in awe of the previous generations because "they had it worse". Few of us take a moment to realise that our life experiences, ideas, and what we internalized has an impact on the next generation. The following chapters focus on different aspects of life, such as technology, college and education, leisure time, family life and parenting. The tone was casual, it was easy to understand, and it's a relatively quick read, but I prefered to take my time with it. I think that made it the ideas in the book sink in even better.

There are a lot of resources mentioned and it's clear she's done her homework. However, I couldn't help but see that she isn't impartial and she comes to the topic with the beliefs and convictions of a liberal person. That doesn't nullify the facts and the objective ideas in the book, though. I especially appreciated that there are no "tips&tricks" on how to combat burnout. She states in the conclusion that there's no such thing, merely ideas on how to manage certain aspects of life better. My inner belief that to-do lists add to the daily anxiety and pressure felt validated!

Although there is more to say about this topic, and there will be for years to come because the millenials have many years of life ahead of them, Can't Even is a good starting point for those interested in the subject.

I discovered this book after reading the author's essay on millennial burnout in Buzzfeed, which I thoroughly enjoyed. As a millennial-Gen Z cusper (I was born in 1998), I identify with some aspects of millennial culture and others of Gen-Z, so it was interesting to read this book (which is a largely expanded version of the author's essay) and learn more about myself and the ways that generations are defined and delineated from one another. Ultimately, I'd say that readers of the author's article will enjoy this book, which expands on the points made in her essay (burnout, cultural difference, economics, etc.). A sobering, but well-written, look at modernity.

This might have been my most anticipated title of 2020 and it was so worth the wait. I loved the original Buzzfeed Millennial Burnout essay and found myself nodding along to this book about why everything seems to be (and is) so hard. It challenges a lot of the dominant narrative about Millennials and I really enjoyed the depth of research and care taken with this book and how it covered every facet of life-- homeownership, work, parenting-- and how we got to this place. It also offered hope that it does not have to be this way forever. I will definitely be recommending it widely.

Also, I think I need periodic reminders about how my smartphone and “convenient” apps are taking away from my life for it to really internalize.

Having just finished up the book, I liked it. Being in my mid-30s and squarely being a part of the millennial generation, I jumped at the opportunity to read this and hear my experiences fill the pages. I had read the author's piece on Buzzfeed about millennial burnout and it resonated with me big time.

There's a lot that I think the author captured really well - the precariousness of work, the stresses and pressures of social media and more broadly, the implications of technology for burnout in millennials.

However, I felt that this book really captured, above all, the experience of a certain type of millennial. Middle class/upper middle class growing up, employed (or trying to be employed) in certain passion industries like tech or journalism, living in a major US city, etc...

Is that a failing of this book? Not really? Maybe? I'm not sure? It would be impossible to capture the breadth of experiences for everyone in the age bracket. However, I just had a hard time relating to a lot of what was being discussed, growing up and living as a Canadian millennial. I've never used Slack in the workplace; I've never aimed to have a cool, fulfilling career with cachet like the ones described in the book; I don't have a side hustle.

Overall, I enjoyed it but I struggled to relate.

I'm a fan of Anne's work and her book did not disappoint. She unpacks how Millenials have hardly any social safety net, has had to deal with a tough economy, and higher barriers to entry to good jobs, along with a culture where being busy has become a badge of honor, not to mention having to be always on thanks to the internet and social media. All of this has led to an incredible burn out for our generation. She really shows how the stereotype of the lazy Millenial stems from these increasingly difficult and stressful circumstances, rather than generational entitlement.

Anne Helen Petersen's CAN'T EVEN is informative and comforting to millennials feeling the rage of burnout. She digs into the history of the American economy and what the work force of side hustles looked like before the internet. It's just a relief to know I'm not the only one who grew up feeling like a commodity, always working harder to move further upward in my career/life.

This book was a total eye-opener. As a millennial myself, I was comforted to know I wasnt the only one exhausted every day fighting against a system that does nothing to help us. The book was well researched and full of facts, yet easy to digest. It had me questioning lots of things I'd never thought about before and has definitely become a discussion point for me. Would recommend!

I follow Anne Helen Petersen avidly on twitter and her book is just as interesting as her journalism. A must-read if you're a millennial (or otherwise! Boomers, stop blaming everything on our generation!).

I love Anne Helen Petersen’s work, and this is my new favorite. She deftly articulates the whys behind millennial burnout in a way that will resonate with readers but also help them understand the systemic causes behind their feelings-without being preachy or self-help-y.

A terrific author a book millennials will relate to and need to read.A generation overworked burnt out needing to sit back and take a breath rethink their life goals.#netgalley#hmh

I loved this book! I read the whole thing in two days and couldn't put it down. I think there are so many things that our generation has collectively experienced in the US, that even if you can't identify 100% with some of the burnout effects, you know someone who has - it could be your partner, sibling, best friend, etc. It's an important conversation starter for what Millennials should know about in terms of societal impacts that happened before we were born and the 'trickle-down' effects combined with the digital age we live in today.

The writer is wonderful, I love her Buzzfeed work. This book is a needed piece of work on today’s young people, overburdened without relief in sight. A worthwhile read.

This was an interesting read; I have for some time thought that a lot of people are suffering burn out or even keeping up with the Joneses. I believe I’m classed as a millennial, however having taken some time out and travelling aboard, I think this changed the way I thought and behaved. It’s an interesting take on what is considered the norm. Lots of great examples of how people are living their lives.

Thank you NetGalley for my complimentary copy in return for my honest review.

Full disclosure - I am a huge fan of Anne Helen Petersen. I’ve been a member of her Facebook group for years, I receive her newsletter and I read almost everything she writes. I actually had this book preordered and was thrilled when I was given an opportunity to review it for Netgalley.

Like many other millennials (I’ve just turned 30) I was shocked when Petersen’s burnout article was posted in 2019 because I’d never before seen someone so accurately articulate the experiences of our generation. (It’s useful to note here that I am white, female, cisgendered and relatively middle class - similar in these ways to Petersen herself, a major exception being that I am British). While not a uniquely white, middle class problem (and Petersen is both aware of the privilege of her position and makes many references to other social groups who experience the phenomenon) it does feel specific to this group.

I was really excited to read a longer version of her essay, and I think she does a fantastic job of going into more detail and elaborating on all the elements that have resulted in millennial burnout, from economic factors to technology to the gig economy, to the monetisation of hobbies to societal expectations and the visibility that social media provides. This book is incredibly well-researched, but never feels dry. I really enjoyed the fact that Petersen doesn’t only rely on her own experiences and instead interviews dozens of contributors to add real-world examples to her theories. It also feels personal and relatable without seeming self-indulgent.

Of course, the book was written in a pre-COVID-19 world, and the preface of the book references this. There are many sections of the book that unfortunately feel almost outdated in our current climate (particular the sections on leisure which feel almost cruel as we sit inside with more leisure time than we’ve ever had in our lives). Petersen has written a few pieces about life during COVID-19 and I’d be interested to hear more about how this “new world” relates to her book.

Despite the book being very America-centric, I found myself relating to almost all of it, which is the case with most of Petersen’s work for me personally. I could completely relate to the feeling of being “behind” on culture due to less time to consume the latest must-watch TV show, the feeling of social anxiety and exhaustion at the idea of seeing friends (even when you know it will make you feel better), the constant need to be productive and efficient and the fear of parenthood.

Overall I found this book incredibly relatable and well-researched and I would definitely recommend it to my friends who are experiencing similar burn out.