The Fourth Turning continues the project of mapping out the place of generations in history, a project begun in the authors’ earlier books Generations and 13th Gen. If millennial fever takes hold, The Fourth Turning may be only the first of an impending wave of pseudo-scholarly tracts prognosticating future (but imminent!) doom as we collectively close the books on this millennium. Those expecting a serious or dry tome might be put off by the authors’ taste for bulleted text and catchy phrasings, but can you blame these guys for wanting to make impending peril as exciting as possible? After all, they think we are headed toward “events on par with the Revolution, the Civil War, or World War II” in the next 20 years. Mixing solid understanding of present generational divisions, with some fairly broad generalizations, Strauss and Howe promise to move from history to prophecy. Fans of Future Shock, Megatrends, or Powershift will be familiar with the authors’ style of writing and not at all put off by the book’s reach or style. Their take on history provides an intriguing (if not always reliable) lens through which to view the past, present, and maybe even the future.
Customer Reviews
From history to prediction:
Not only was this book a facinating review of history, but it’s breadth was facinating. It’s impact is being felt in many areas as I finally read it, because so many places and speakers quote from it. I can only recommend it as they capture certain aspects of where we’ve been and where we’re possibly going, and what we can do about it. It’s also helped me make some sense of the growing trends amongst this next generation.
FOREWARNED IS FOREARMED!!:
Rather than reiterate what the others who gave this book 5 stars have to say, I’m gonna’ keep it simple: READ THIS BOOK!! FOREWARNED IS FOREARMED!
chilling predictions are now coming true:
This book was written 10 years ago but the predictions it makes are shockingly true. We are now seeing the future in the young people we know. Highly recommended.
historical astrology:
a horrid mix consisting of one part historical riffing, one part astrology, and one part interesting correlation of data patterns. The combined effect is little more than a condescending attempt at palm reading.
That being said, some of the predictions were spot on but ultimately the suggestions as to how to deal with the looming catastrophe has us all being good little docile unquestioning citizens. It’s sad that people take this tripe seriously.
I would suggest the book ‘Worldchanging: A User’s Guide for the 21st Century’ instead for some real-world solutions to real-world problems.
6 stars!:
I have read and re-read this book over and over. I always find something new. One of the most important books in its genre in the last 40 years. Amazing scholarship and thought went into this. Anyone interested in where we have been and where we are now should read. I hope they are writing something as a followup because this book pre-dates 9/11 and therefore is a bit dated in that way. But still stands up well 6 years later.
