Generations (book)

Generations: The History of America's Future, 1584–2069 is a 1991 non-fiction book by William Strauss and Neil Howe. It described the Strauss–Howe generational theory, which posits that American history takes place along generational cycles of crisis and resurgence.

Reception

Jay P. Dolan in The New York Times wrote that "As history, 'Generations' does not make the grade. It pretends to offer a new interpretation of the past, but it is too contrived to be taken seriously. And as a guide to the future, it is about as reliable as the neighborhood fortuneteller." Publishers Weekly called it "a trendy, detailed, convoluted chronicle, often as woolly as newspaper horoscope." George N. Heller in The Bulletin of Historical Research in Music Education described its premise as "an approach to history which has considerable promise."

After the publication of their first book Generations, Morton Keller, a professor of history at Brandeis University, said that the authors "had done their homework". He said that their theory could be seen as pop sociology and that it would "come in for a lot more criticism as history. But it's almost always true that the broader you cast your net, the more holes it's going to have. And I admire [the authors'] boldness."

Sociologist David Riesman and political scientist Richard Neustadt offered strong, if qualified, praise. Riesman found in the work an "impressive grasp of a great many theoretical and historical bits and pieces" and Neustadt said Strauss and Howe "are asking damned important questions, and I honor them." The Times Literary Supplement called it "fascinating", but also "about as vague and plausible as astrological predictions". Publishers Weekly called it "as woolly as a newspaper horoscope".