The Vanishing American Adult: Our Coming-of-Age Crisis--and How to Rebuild a Culture of Self-Reliance

Product Description THE INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER In an era of safe spaces, trigger warnings, and an unprecedented election, the country's youth are in crisis. Senator Ben Sasse warns the nation about the existential threat to America's future. Raised by well-meaning but overprotective parents and coddled by well-meaning but misbegotten government programs, America's youth are ill-equipped to survive in our highly-competitive global economy. Many of the coming-of-age rituals that have defined the American experience since the Founding: learning the value of working with your hands, leaving home to start a family, becoming economically self-reliant―are being delayed or skipped altogether. The statistics are daunting: 30% of college students drop out after the first year, and only 4 in 10 graduate. One in three 18-to-34 year-olds live with their parents. From these disparate phenomena: Nebraska Senator Ben Sasse who as president of a Midwestern college observed the trials of this generation up close, sees an existential threat to the American way of life. In The Vanishing American Adult, Sasse diagnoses the causes of a generation that can't grow up and offers a path for raising children to become active and engaged citizens. He identifies core formative experiences that all young people should pursue: hard work to appreciate the benefits of labor, travel to understand deprivation and want, the power of reading, the importance of nurturing your body―and explains how parents can encourage them. Our democracy depends on responsible, contributing adults to function properly―without them America falls prey to populist demagogues. A call to arms, The Vanishing American Adult will ignite a much-needed debate about the link between the way we're raising our children and the future of our country. Review “Sasse has published a book of political philosophy in the form of a guide to parenting.” ―George Will, The Washington Post “The Vanishing American Adult is written as a reflection on the purpose and nature of education… At its core, the book also pleads for something greater: the rehabilitation of shared values in a time of intense difference; a focus on culture as the deepest challenge of politics; and the ability to imagine virtue as part of who we are as citizens.” ―The Atlantic “Sasse write well and entertainingly, with wit and erudition, but never pedantic in advancing his ideas. And those ideas have great merit.” ―The Washington Times “Sasse doesn’t pretend to offer a silver bullet, but he offers clear steps for nudging our kids out of their comfort zones and toward curiosity and that elusive compulsion… fantastic advice and chock-full of it.” ―Chicago Tribune "If you want to raise a healthy and happy family in a rapidly changing world, [The Vanishing American Adult] will provide you with copious notes and ideas...Ultimately, this book has the potential to do what so few books can promise: make you a better person." ?The Daily Beast “Heartfelt advice… an earnest critique of American youth.” ―Kirkus Reviews “Deeply thoughtful, delightfully personal, and bravely ecumenical in scope, Sasse’s guide for stemming the tide of delayed responsibility showcases what is both practical and possible.” ―Booklist “Sasse’s belief that meaningful work gives life purpose, grounded as it is in ancient philosophy and lived experience, is hard to argue with.” ―The Weekly Standard "The Vanishing American Adult offers a worthwhile reminder that our families are far more important than politics, and developing the next generation needs to be addressed without the help of Washington D.C." ―Lincoln Journal Star "Why do you do what you do? For many American parents, caught up in a swirl of activity and competition, it might be difficult, if we're really honest with ourselves, to find an immediate and satisfying answer. The Vanishing American Adult offers a grand opportunity to stop, slow down, and think." ―National Review "I know