An Ordinary Age, Rainesford Stauffer
An Ordinary Age, Rainesford Stauffer
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An Ordinary Age
Finding Your Way in a World That Expects Exceptional

Author: Rainesford Stauffer

Narrator: Jaime Lamchick

Unabridged: 7 hr 43 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Publisher: HarperAudio

Published: 05/04/2021


Synopsis

Best Book of 2021 —Esquire?Featured on Good Morning America""A meticulous cartography of how outer forces shape young people’s inner lives."" —Esquire, Best Books of 2021 In conversation with young adults and experts alike, journalist Rainesford Stauffer explores how the incessant pursuit of a “best life” has put extraordinary pressure on young adults today, across our personal and professional lives—and how ordinary, meaningful experiences may instead be the foundation of a fulfilled and contented life.Young adulthood: the time of our lives when, theoretically, anything can happen, and the pressure is on to make sure everything does. Social media has long been the scapegoat for a generation of unhappy young people, but perhaps the forces working beneath us—wage stagnation, student debt, perfectionism, and inflated costs of living—have a larger, more detrimental impact on the world we post to our feeds. An Ordinary Age puts young adults at the center as Rainesford Stauffer examines our obsessive need to live and post our #bestlife, and the culture that has defined that life on narrow, and often unattainable, terms. From the now required slate of (often unpaid) internships, to the loneliness epidemic, to the stress of ""finding yourself"" through school, work, and hobbies—the world is demanding more of young people these days than ever before. And worse, it’s leaving little room for our generation to ask the big questions about who they want to be, and what makes a life feel meaningful.Perhaps we’re losing sight of the things that fulfill us: strong relationships, real roots in a community, and the ability to question how we want our lives to look and feel, even when that’s different from what we see on the ‘Gram. Stauffer makes the case that many of our most formative young adult moments are the ordinary ones: finding our people and sticking with them, learning to care for ourselves on our own terms, and figuring out who we are when the other stuff—the GPAs, job titles, the filters—fall away.

About Rainesford Stauffer

Rainesford Stauffer has written and reported for the New York Times, New York magazine’s The Cut, WSJ Magazine, Teen Vogue, Vox, and The Atlantic, among other outlets. She has appeared on CNN Newsroom, NPR’s On Point and Weekend Edition, and podcasts such as ABC News’ Start Here, the Guardian’s Chips with Everything, and Foreign Policy’s Don’t Touch Your Face. She is a journalist, speaker, and Kentuckian.


Reviews

Goodreads review by Shelby on March 10, 2021

This book is an antithesis to the ~Girlboss~ manifestos that bombard blogs and Instagram. It fills a niche in the market and on library shelves for young adults who have skipped or graduated from college and feel aimless, purposeless, and unsupported. It felt redundant for me but I think for a reade......more

Goodreads review by Maria on May 03, 2021

How are you living your best life? An Ordinary Age ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ “If you’re constantly trying to change yourself or better yourself, it leaves little room to actually get to know yourself at all—to recognize that goodness and worthiness don’t find you after you’ve fixed yourself first.” Thank you @harper......more

Goodreads review by Kris on February 02, 2022

A mixed bag. The writing includes a combination of social studies and personal interviews. Published in 2021, she also mentions some post-Covid effects. It's not academic, not thorough, and by no means groundbreaking. Stauffer is clearly into critical race theory and the socialist-leaning left. Any......more

Goodreads review by Megan on July 05, 2021

Love love LOVED this 10/10 recommend!!......more

Goodreads review by R.J. on April 27, 2021

An Ordinary Age is a book of essays that centers on emerging and young adulthood and mostly applies to Gen Z, but as a Millennial in my late 30’s I found plenty of this relatable. The chapters on perfectionism and self-care resonated with me the most. Rainesford Stauffer examines a variety of topics......more