From Publishers Weekly
This addition to the crowded self-help genre claims to document a previously overlooked phase of life: the period between college graduation and one's 30th birthday, when young adults struggle to find their place in the world. While the assertion that this period can be wracked by "crisis" rings true, this attempt by recent college grads Robbins and Wilners to document it falters. Their overall effort, though uplifting, lacks the substantive advice that many people need as they enter adulthood. According to the authors, the difficulty arises when 20-somethings are ejected from the structured academic environment and forced to choose a career, find a home, carve out social niches and manage money (or the lack thereof). This period can indeed be rocky, especially when a young person is told that the world is her oyster and then can't find a satisfying job. In a somewhat self-conscious vernacular, Robbins and Wilner discuss, among other things, spirituality, job-hopping and living with parents. Most of the book's advice lies in lengthy quotes from other 20-somethings an anecdotal overabundance that makes for more of a pastiche than a guidebook. But while the book may not have all the answers for members of generation-Y, it at least provides proof that they're not alone in feeling pressured, depressed or disappointed. Agent, Paula Balzer, Carlisle Agency. (May 21)Forecast: Robbins presented the catchy idea of a pre-midlife crisis in a Mademoiselle article last month, which may help spark sales among this year's crop of college grads.Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.


From Booklist
Although their elders may roll their eyes, twentysomethings will likely find this book useful because it shows that other people their age are struggling with similar issues, such as trying to balance work, pleasure, family, friends, and romance. Robbins and Wilner talked to dozens of twentysomethings, and, for the most part, the authors merely relate their stories rather than trying to offer advice or an easy solution. The individuals they talked to describe the pressure of coming from a relatively stable environment, such as college, and then being flung into a world where they have to worry about finding out exactly what they want to do, land the right job, pay the bills, and still manage to have time for friends and family. But these twentysomethings also tell how getting into the wrong field and even failure helped them find careers in which they could be happy. Although Quarterlife Crisis doesn't contain all the answers that people in their twenties are looking for, it does feature helpful stories they can relate to. Kristine Huntley
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved


Book Description
A startling, insightful, and instructive exploration of the challenges twentysomethings face as they transition from school to "the real world."

While the midlife crisis has been thoroughly explored by experts, there is another landmine period in our adult development, called the quarterlife crisis, which can be just as devastating. When young adults emerge at graduation from almost two decades of schooling, during which each step to take is clearly marked, they encounter an overwhelming number of choices regarding their careers, finances, homes, and social networks. Confronted by an often shattering whirlwind of new responsibilities, new liberties, and new options, they feel helpless, panicked, indecisive, and apprehensive.

Quarterlife Crisis is the first book to document this phenomenon and offer insightful advice on smoothly navigating the challenging transition from childhood to adulthood, from school to the world beyond. It includes the personal stories of more than one hundred twentysomethings who describe their struggles to carve out personal identities; to cope with their fears of failure; to face making choices rather than avoiding them; and to balance all the demanding aspects of personal and professional life. From "What do all my doubts mean?" to "How do I know if the decisions I'm making are right?" this book compellingly addresses the hardest questions facing young adults today.


About the Author
Alexandra Robbins, a contributing editor at Mademoiselle, is a journalist who has written for such publications as The New Yorker, The Atlantic Monthly, The Washington Post, USA Today, Travel and Leisure, Details, Salon, and the Chicago Tribune. She works at the Washington, D.C. Bureau of The New Yorker. Abby Wilner is a Website administrator. Abby Wilner works in the Information Technology field as a Website Administrator.

FROM OUR EDITORS

The Barnes & Noble Review
What￯﾿ﾽs a quarterlife crisis? It￯﾿ﾽs the awkward phase you go through halfway to your midlife crisis: that thrilling period when the structures of your life -- parents￯﾿ﾽ rules and school schedule -- fall away. ￯﾿ﾽThe extreme uncertainty that twenty-somethings experience after graduation occurs because what was once a solid line that they could follow throughout their series of educational institutions has now disintegrated into millions of different options,￯﾿ﾽ write Alexandra Robbins and Abby Wilner. ￯﾿ﾽThe sheer number of possibilities can certainly inspire hope￯﾿ﾽ. But the endless array of decisions can also make a recent graduate feel utterly lost.￯﾿ﾽ Too often, Robbins and Wilner report, recent graduates find themselves drowning, directionless, in an open sea of possibility.

In this book, 20-somethings Robbins and Wilner lead us through the difficult period between being a graduate and being a grown-up. They share with us the personal insights and stories of 100 about-to-be-adults and provide us with a more realistic perspective on this misunderstood period of life. ￯﾿ﾽThe 20s are supposed to be easy, because no one talks about these problems, and because the difficulties are therefore so unexpected,￯﾿ﾽ explain the authors. ￯﾿ﾽAnd at the fragile, doubt-ridden age during which the quarterlife crisis occurs, the ramifications can be extremely dangerous.￯﾿ﾽ Quarterlifers need to know that they￯﾿ﾽre not alone in their feelings -- that others are swimming through the same troubles and the same hopes. By documenting the real feelings of recent grads, Robbins and Wilner create a unique guide to the slippery, amazing, depressing years between childhood and adulthood. (Jesse Gale)

ANNOTATION

When young adults emerge at graduation from almost two decades of schooling, during which each step to take is clearly marked, they encounter an overwhelming number of choices regarding their careers, finances, homes, and social networks.

FROM THE PUBLISHER

A startling, insightful, and instructive exploration of the challenges twentysomethings face as they transition from school to "the real world."

While the midlife crisis has been thoroughly explored by experts, there is another landmine period in our adult development, called the quarterlife crisis, which can be just as devastating. When young adults emerge at graduation from almost two decades of schooling, during which each step to take is clearly marked, they encounter an overwhelming number of choices regarding their careers, finances, homes, and social networks. Confronted by an often shattering whirlwind of new responsibilities, new liberties, and new options, they feel helpless, panicked, indecisive, and apprehensive.

Quarterlife Crisis is the first book to document this phenomenon and offer insightful advice on smoothly navigating the challenging transition from childhood to adulthood, from school to the world beyond. It includes the personal stories of more than one hundred twentysomethings who describe their struggles to carve out personal identities; to cope with their fears of failure; to face making choices rather than avoiding them; and to balance all the demanding aspects of personal and professional life. From "What do all my doubts mean?" to "How do I know if the decisions I'm making are right?" this book compellingly addresses the hardest questions facing young adults today.

SYNOPSIS

Quarterlife Crisis is the first book to document this phenomenon and offer insightful advice on smoothly navigating the challenging transition from childhood to adulthood, from school to the world beyond. It includes the personal stories of more than one hundred twentysomethings who describe their struggles to carve out personal identities; to cope with their fears of failure; to face making choices rather than avoiding them; and to balance all the demanding aspects of personal and professional life. From "What do all my doubts mean?" to "How do I know if the decisions I'm making are right?" this book compellingly addresses the hardest questions facing young adults today.

FROM THE CRITICS

Publishers Weekly