If I would have read this book when it came out in 2000, I probably would have been completely blown away by it. As it is, in 2006, it is still a pretty good read.

In Millennials Rising, authors Howe & Strauss examine what they call the "millennial generation" --those kids born since 1982, who would be high school graduates in the year 2000. They examine trends in a number of categories including family, school, conduct, culture, commerce, etc., showing what has happened through the 1990's and making predictions for the new millennium. They make a number of interesting observations about the character of this generation and come across as very optimistic about where these kids are going.

The main thing this book has going for it is the strength of their observations of the previous generations. As a Gen-Xer myself, I found many of their points congruent with my experience of my own life and what I've observed in my Boomer parents. I was also intrigued by their ability to trace generational cycles back literally to the American colonial period. I am not a big believer of the "history repeats itself" mindset but I do believe that general trends often recur and Howe & Strauss are good at picking out these trends.

However, there are some flaws with this book. First, this book, with its margin quotes on every page and it's broken up text is very hard to read. Maybe it was written this way in an attempt to simulate the computer-altered attention spans of these millennials; however, hyperlinking does not translate to the pages of a book and I wish "cutting edge" authors would ditch this practice. If you want to hyperlink your text, leave it on a computer.

Second, I found their "hero generation" concept to be rather disingenuous, though it fits right in with their optimism for the millennials. Six years down the road, I have seen very little that seems "heroic" in the millennial generation even by the standards of Howe & Strauss. Which really leads to my primary complaint about the book: it is dated. Any book that predicts as much as this book does has a harder time standing the test of time than other books. Though some of their generalizations may turn out to be accurate, many of their observations have already shown their weakness. Can 9/11 and the Iraq war be anything other than the "hero trial" posited by the authors? If so, it seems to me that many of their conclusions have not stood up.

But it is difficult to be brief about a longish book that contains a lot of things to think over like this one. Still, despite its flaws, I think it is a very valuable read for anyone interested in trying to come to grips with historical trends. It is also a valuable tool in trying to understand "these kids today." Keeping in mind that its authoring have done nothing more that capture a moment in time (albeit very well), there are excellent things to be drawn from this book.

No doubt the 4th turning was a refreshing revelation. And the more dated predecessor Generations was a great secondary read. From that I gathered there was a sort of synergistic relationship with each skipped generation. Boomers relating to GI generation and Silent relating to the 13th generation, simply stated, a reciprocating bond of grandparents and their grandchildren. Parents sure didn't like the antics and conduct of their children but they sure love those amazing grandchildren . So it all makes sense that we get this tertiary and purely subjective read from Howe about what essentially are his darling grandchildren.

When I read about students turning in their teachers for espousing their pollitcal viewpoints I think millennial. When I read about the yet to be calculated damages of Thimerosol in vaccines introduced in the 90's I think millennial. Add ritalin and a V chip in the back of the neck and you get the ideal personae of a denizen of Huxley's Brave New World.

I read the Millenials Rising book and I have to say that I found that a lot of the things that were said in this book to be very dated and, for the most part, not revelant to today's teenagers and young adults. One thing that I've noted is that a lot of things have happened since the publication of this book, 9/11, the war in Iraq, etc. and it doesn't jibe with me that the authors stated that the entertainment the Millenials enjoy are "squeaky clean" which doesn't explain the popualrtiy of subsequent shows such as "Chappelle's Show", or "Boondocks" both of which are highly controversial.

I also get the impression that the authors only spoke to a certain group of people which undercuts the assertion that this is the make up of a generation as a whole and I get the feeling that there are other voices that were being ignored of a lot of subjects(such as Columbine) and doesn't really tell the whole story.

I think that this is a very poor book to look to understanding today's youth and, as such, I do not recommend it to anyone.

I have read all these guys books and have read, with rapt curiosity, their opinion of me and my generation, the Millennials, who began graduating high school in 2000. I am most at odds with their opinion of Millennials and church. They claim that we will be more churched than our parents. At least in Utah, this trend is not happening. What is happening is this: according to something I read released by the Mormon church, for every Mormon couple that currently has four children, only two will stay active Mormons. A youth pastor in the area where I live has had a similar experience. Half of the youth that graduate from the church youth group don't join the singles group, and half of those that did join the singles group fall out two years later. Several college ministers and many Mormon bishops have complained about a similar problem with college ministries near at least one Utah college. No one goes to the college groups. The retention rate is 50% or worse. Hardly the generation that will be going to church in droves. Plus, how do you explain the problem of prescription drug abuse? Cheating? While we may not be as deviant as Gen X, we are hardly the little saintly prudes these two have made us out to be. The church retention rate just doesn't fly with me. I am not seeing, here or in Iowa, the insane church attendance that these guys predict. Many of us, like I said, drop out once we turn 18. Many of the people I know are just like me: we do have religious beliefs, but we get nothing out of church and so we don't go. Take this book with a grain of salt-it is somewhat on the mark, but not entirely on the mark. For those who claim that this book has not been given a chance, it has been six years since they penned it and very little of what is in here has happened. Secondly, according to How and Strauss, there are, at best, roughly 14 more graduating classes of Millennials. And then it is on to the next generation. To date I have seen less than half this stuff come true.