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Generation We: The Power and Promise of Gen Z
There are moments when the normal flow of time catches, hesitates, and shifts direction.
2020 was one of these moments.
Now, at this critical juncture, a new generation is coming of age and demanding a Generation Z. Three billion strong, they're at the center of the most pivotal issues of our time, from reimagining how we live on our changing planet to enacting a new mandate for racial equity. The following decade will bring unparalleled change, with Zs shaping the path ahead.
This generation has a voice—and force—that's united, unprecedented, and still unacknowledged.
In Generation We, cultural and generational expert AnneMarie Hayek joins forces with thousands of Zs to tell their powerful story—one that impacts all of us. From new ideas on capitalism, politics, and climate change to education, gender, race, and work, AnneMarie explains how Gen Z thinks, what they envision, and why we should be hopeful. Zs are not naïve idealists. They're hardened realists with a bold vision for how we can transition, re-create, and progress. Generation We is your invitation to see the future they will create as it's unfolding.
2020 was one of these moments.
Now, at this critical juncture, a new generation is coming of age and demanding a Generation Z. Three billion strong, they're at the center of the most pivotal issues of our time, from reimagining how we live on our changing planet to enacting a new mandate for racial equity. The following decade will bring unparalleled change, with Zs shaping the path ahead.
This generation has a voice—and force—that's united, unprecedented, and still unacknowledged.
In Generation We, cultural and generational expert AnneMarie Hayek joins forces with thousands of Zs to tell their powerful story—one that impacts all of us. From new ideas on capitalism, politics, and climate change to education, gender, race, and work, AnneMarie explains how Gen Z thinks, what they envision, and why we should be hopeful. Zs are not naïve idealists. They're hardened realists with a bold vision for how we can transition, re-create, and progress. Generation We is your invitation to see the future they will create as it's unfolding.
- GenresNonfiction
206 pages, Kindle Edition
Published August 17, 2021
8 people are currently reading
360 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
March 31, 2025
Loved this read. Recommend it for millenials that are already stuck in their mental models based on limited or subjective experiences with the younger gen.
September 14, 2021
Generation We: The Power and Promise of Gen Z caught my eye on Goodreads for a couple of reasons. I happen to be one of the youngest Millennials (1995) and my sister is one of the oldest Gen Zs (1997). I always believed we grew up in a fairly similar world since we're only a year and a half apart. It was crazy reading this book and being able to relate back to my sister and so many of my close friends. I have Gen Z friends out here killing it as parents and some who still live at home with their parents. Some of them have started their own businesses and some are still working for the man. But the one thing we can't deny is how powerful this generation is going to be.
I have fought with southern old white women about gender equality, systemic racism, LGBTQ+ rights, and even healthcare. It blows my mind that some people are willing to argue that some people don't deserve equal rights. But Gen Z is fully prepared to face lawmakers head. They are not sitting idly while legislation creates a less than ideal world for the future, they're taking action and holding major corporations accountable for their wrongdoings.
Author, AnneMarie Hayek, acknowledges that she is Gen X and used a team of Gen Zs to help create this book and received input from Gen Zs all over the US. Hayek is a partner of the company Global Mosaic, which is who published this book.
All that being said, I had a few issues with it. Just doing a basic google search would discredit several topics brought up in the book. At one point, the author begins talking about Billie Eilish's career and how she became famous after posting a song on SoundCloud. When mentioning Eilish again, the author states that Eilish actually uses they/them pronouns. Now, I can't find any information stating that this is true. But if it was, someone on her team missed the potentially harmful use of she/her instead of they/them when discussing Billie Eilish.
Hayek also discusses something she refers to as Eco-Anxiety and Eco-PTSD. The idea behind these disorders is that Gen Z is struggling to cope with the deteriorating climate and what they can do to reduce their carbon footprint. Hayek claims that many teens are struggling with these new disorders. While the American Psychology Association has acknowledged Eco-Anxiety as a stressor, no psychologist is currently treating this as a diagnosable disorder.
I am glad that I read this book. I just wish some of the topics were researched a bit more.
This review and more can be found on A Reader's Diary!
I have fought with southern old white women about gender equality, systemic racism, LGBTQ+ rights, and even healthcare. It blows my mind that some people are willing to argue that some people don't deserve equal rights. But Gen Z is fully prepared to face lawmakers head. They are not sitting idly while legislation creates a less than ideal world for the future, they're taking action and holding major corporations accountable for their wrongdoings.
Author, AnneMarie Hayek, acknowledges that she is Gen X and used a team of Gen Zs to help create this book and received input from Gen Zs all over the US. Hayek is a partner of the company Global Mosaic, which is who published this book.
All that being said, I had a few issues with it. Just doing a basic google search would discredit several topics brought up in the book. At one point, the author begins talking about Billie Eilish's career and how she became famous after posting a song on SoundCloud. When mentioning Eilish again, the author states that Eilish actually uses they/them pronouns. Now, I can't find any information stating that this is true. But if it was, someone on her team missed the potentially harmful use of she/her instead of they/them when discussing Billie Eilish.
Hayek also discusses something she refers to as Eco-Anxiety and Eco-PTSD. The idea behind these disorders is that Gen Z is struggling to cope with the deteriorating climate and what they can do to reduce their carbon footprint. Hayek claims that many teens are struggling with these new disorders. While the American Psychology Association has acknowledged Eco-Anxiety as a stressor, no psychologist is currently treating this as a diagnosable disorder.
I am glad that I read this book. I just wish some of the topics were researched a bit more.
This review and more can be found on A Reader's Diary!
July 18, 2024
I will separate my thoughts on this book into pros and cons:
Pros:
-As a person who is in Gen Z, I was impressed by the quantity of figures and references that are specific to Gen Z. I am one of the oldest in Gen Z, and I was familiar with almost every person and event that the author referenced. Bravo.
-I appreciated that most of this book highlighted the positives of Gen Z.
-Although the author is from Gen X, she does a good job of quoting Gen Z people, and even includes short interviews with people from Gen Z in the audiobook.
Cons:
-This book has an intense liberal American bent, making it a very biased description and characterization of Gen Z. Whether I am an American liberal or not, I was not prepared for the intense politicization of an entire generation of people.
-Much of this book read as political rhetoric and even propaganda, which is not what I was wanting or expecting when I chose a book to learn about Gen Z.
-As an older Gen Z person who works with Gen Z teens multiple times a week, much of how the author characterized Gen Z was very different from what I see and experience with the teens I work with. The author speaks as though all teens are politically inclined activists who are aware and concerned about major world issues, and this has not been my experience with Gen Z teens at all.
-I did not expect the author to use the F word in this book, and she used it more than once.
Pros:
-As a person who is in Gen Z, I was impressed by the quantity of figures and references that are specific to Gen Z. I am one of the oldest in Gen Z, and I was familiar with almost every person and event that the author referenced. Bravo.
-I appreciated that most of this book highlighted the positives of Gen Z.
-Although the author is from Gen X, she does a good job of quoting Gen Z people, and even includes short interviews with people from Gen Z in the audiobook.
Cons:
-This book has an intense liberal American bent, making it a very biased description and characterization of Gen Z. Whether I am an American liberal or not, I was not prepared for the intense politicization of an entire generation of people.
-Much of this book read as political rhetoric and even propaganda, which is not what I was wanting or expecting when I chose a book to learn about Gen Z.
-As an older Gen Z person who works with Gen Z teens multiple times a week, much of how the author characterized Gen Z was very different from what I see and experience with the teens I work with. The author speaks as though all teens are politically inclined activists who are aware and concerned about major world issues, and this has not been my experience with Gen Z teens at all.
-I did not expect the author to use the F word in this book, and she used it more than once.
September 3, 2022
This was an engaging read, with a rich look at a topic that interests me greatly in both my personal (mom of 3 GenZers) and professional (climate justice work) lives. AnneMarie Hayek shares well-researched analysis and personal stories, supported with copious amounts of study and poll data. While much of what was covered was pretty stark (e.g., the depression of young folks in the face of the dire state of our world), I came away hopeful for our future, with GenZ already leading -- and set to keep leading -- so much of the change we need. As GenZ's mark on our world continues to grow as they continue to come of age, "Generation We: The Power and Promise of Gen Z" should be broadly compelling to anyone contemplating our collective future.
February 9, 2023
A good description of the mindset of Gen Z, who make up many of today's high school and university students. I think it's a fair descriptor, though I was frustrated at times by the lack of critical assessment of Gen Z's worldview. This is a generation I love, but - like every other generation - they have their blind spots.
Read
October 11, 2024I read this for class & it was so interesting to read such a pro Gen Z & everything they’re about book. If you work with Gen Z, highly recommend this as informational. As a Christian, I walked away disheartened but informed. She takes a very pro “they can do nothing wrong” stance.
Want to read
September 3, 2021Great I won the giveaway, can't wait to start reading
October 10, 2021
Powerful book about generation Z. How much times have changed in 2020. Interesting book
December 31, 2023
All middle and high school teachers should read this book (or a parent of a teenager). Very informative.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews