Lost in Transition

"A fascinating book."--The American Conservative "This book provides an excellent overview of the challenges emerging adults are currently experiencing." --Sociology of Religion "A balanced and thoroughly-researched examination of the dark side of emerging adulthood. Lost in Transition is public sociology at its finest, and deserves careful reading by anyone who seeks to understand emerging adults in America." --Tim Clydesdale, author of The First Year Out "Emerging adulthood is not always a period of 'glory days,' when young people savor the freedom and fun of their youth. With this book, Smith and his colleagues illuminate the darker side of the years from the late teens through the early twenties. Through their adept use of rich, in-depth interviews with 18-23-year-olds, they show the many ways emerging adults struggle to find a meaningful place in the world. Crucially, their insights provide a convincing argument that the difficulties of emerging adults arise not from any inherent features of the age period, and still less from any moral failures on their part, but from the what their society provides - and fails to provide - as resources of meaning for them in their journey to adulthood. This book is essential reading for anyone who wishes to understand young Americans and help them thrive." --Jeffrey Jensen Arnett, author of Emerging Adulthood "The authors are to be commended...Lost in Transition gets high marks for readability."--Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion "Lost in Transition is a groundbreaking, compelling, and deeply necessary look at the challenges facing young people today. Not content to believe tired clichés about the enthusiasm of youth, Christian Smith and colleagues conducted one of the most comprehensive studies of today's emerging adults. The results, based on both quantitative analysis and detailed qualitative interviews, are shocking, revealing widespread moral relativism and precious little civic engagement. Lost in Transition takes a fair, clear-eyed look at this group, unafraid to reveal the serious problems facing young adults. We ignore these challenges at our peril. Lost in Transition is a must-read for parents and educators interested in understanding today's generation. A courageous, nuanced, deep-dive look at today's youth." --Jean Twenge, author of Generation Me "There is much to engage with in this book, and in my case it was worth the time to read, think about...I hope other sociologists will do the same." --Contemporary Sociology