Scan barcode
Reviews
The Defining Decade: Why Your Twenties Matter--And How to Make the Most of Them Now by Meg Jay
linzic01's review against another edition
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
4.5
May not be as widely applicable as described, however definitely felt applicable to me and where I am in life at the moment lol. Read this mostly a chapter at a time when on walks, which I think was a good way to read as it gave me time to digest each chapter and story, lesson, action point, as they came. This is also a book to get you thinking; and I feel will be useful to come back to specific chapters when they feel pertinent, rather than necessarily re-reading as a whole
krabinovitz's review against another edition
challenging
informative
reflective
medium-paced
3.5
Helpful at certain points, but not always. Felt somewhat out of touch with some of the larger concerns facing 20-something’s today and instead focused exclusively around wasting life by “spending too much time wanting to have fun.” At many points the arguments either felt obvious or repetitive with other parts of the book.
With that said, it did include some insightful information about the importance of your 20s on shaping the rest of your life
With that said, it did include some insightful information about the importance of your 20s on shaping the rest of your life
francescafg's review against another edition
3.0
it was just alright... the general message of the book was "don't sit around and waste time in your twenties because if you don't work towards something meaningful you will be 30 and regret it." i really liked the first part about work because it told stories about people which were inspiring in terms of them getting what they wanted professionally, and tips like making the most of weak ties etc.
but then she wrote a whole part of the book essentially saying that you shouldn't "put off" having a baby (as if people take this decision so lightly irl?) because you will be less fertile in your 30s and 40s, but says absolutely nothing to people who may be in their 20s and want to have a baby but can't bc of financial issues. this whole part of the book i thought specifically spoke to people who are capable of having a baby right now and also want to have one in their lifetime, but don't have one because they want something else right now and end up losing track of time and becoming infertile. as an almost 22 and probably fertile person who probably eventually wants to have a child this was irrelevant to me because the only reason why i'm not doing so is because i don't have the means to support one and i don't know when that will ever happen, so i'm just... not having one. the author provides no guidance to what someone like me should do and only gives examples of couples who "put off" having a child because they wanted to focus on other things, and then "ran out" of time. also like 50% of gen z doesn't want to have a child not because they're 'putting themselves first" but because they don't want to bring a child into this world or can't support one.
a lot of the book speaks from this urgent perspective of running out of time which i think is not helpful. while it's not productive in itself, "goofing off"/working dead end jobs/not finding a meaningful existence etc in your 20s is a common experience which i find that people eventually get sick of and it spurs them to do something more with their lives. i don't know maybe i'm taking it too personally, but as someone who i assume would be considered the exact audience for the book (in my early 20s and don't know what to do with myself), i didn't find it very helpful.
i know the author was trying to be helpful, but i just find the whole thing of writing a book from the perspective of "20 somethings put off achieving their goals because they're foolish and would rather spend their years goofing off" to be sort of inaccurate and out of touch with the sense of dread/lack of hope for the future that that age group actually experiences, so maybe she could become more informed about the societal issues that we face and then write a different book.
but then she wrote a whole part of the book essentially saying that you shouldn't "put off" having a baby (as if people take this decision so lightly irl?) because you will be less fertile in your 30s and 40s, but says absolutely nothing to people who may be in their 20s and want to have a baby but can't bc of financial issues. this whole part of the book i thought specifically spoke to people who are capable of having a baby right now and also want to have one in their lifetime, but don't have one because they want something else right now and end up losing track of time and becoming infertile. as an almost 22 and probably fertile person who probably eventually wants to have a child this was irrelevant to me because the only reason why i'm not doing so is because i don't have the means to support one and i don't know when that will ever happen, so i'm just... not having one. the author provides no guidance to what someone like me should do and only gives examples of couples who "put off" having a child because they wanted to focus on other things, and then "ran out" of time. also like 50% of gen z doesn't want to have a child not because they're 'putting themselves first" but because they don't want to bring a child into this world or can't support one.
a lot of the book speaks from this urgent perspective of running out of time which i think is not helpful. while it's not productive in itself, "goofing off"/working dead end jobs/not finding a meaningful existence etc in your 20s is a common experience which i find that people eventually get sick of and it spurs them to do something more with their lives. i don't know maybe i'm taking it too personally, but as someone who i assume would be considered the exact audience for the book (in my early 20s and don't know what to do with myself), i didn't find it very helpful.
i know the author was trying to be helpful, but i just find the whole thing of writing a book from the perspective of "20 somethings put off achieving their goals because they're foolish and would rather spend their years goofing off" to be sort of inaccurate and out of touch with the sense of dread/lack of hope for the future that that age group actually experiences, so maybe she could become more informed about the societal issues that we face and then write a different book.
caseyaonso's review against another edition
4.0
ill review in a sec im listening to eternal sunshine first
updated: i bought this three years ago and it has been sitting on my shelf ever since lol, i think subconsciously i expected this to be a bit of a debby downer book (im naturally pretty anxious so the idea of reading something that seemed like it was a “hey here are a bunch of things you havent thought about btw the clock is ticking” situation wasnt the most attractive idea lmao) but i really misjudged this! i ended up finding this quite empowering and reassuring while still being a kick in the ass lol. this book isnt constantly shelling out earth shattering stuff you havent heard before but i think it just reframes a lot of topics & discussions and gives that bit of distance that you cant get from thinking about this kind of stuff in your own head.
updated: i bought this three years ago and it has been sitting on my shelf ever since lol, i think subconsciously i expected this to be a bit of a debby downer book (im naturally pretty anxious so the idea of reading something that seemed like it was a “hey here are a bunch of things you havent thought about btw the clock is ticking” situation wasnt the most attractive idea lmao) but i really misjudged this! i ended up finding this quite empowering and reassuring while still being a kick in the ass lol. this book isnt constantly shelling out earth shattering stuff you havent heard before but i think it just reframes a lot of topics & discussions and gives that bit of distance that you cant get from thinking about this kind of stuff in your own head.
hummusluvr69's review against another edition
3.0
Lacks nuance and acknowledgement of less-privileged, non-traditional situations, but I definitely gleaned some helpful advice from this read
share_the_book_dragon's review against another edition
hopeful
informative
inspiring
relaxing
fast-paced
4.0
cambrialily's review against another edition
5.0
I’m currently at a crossroads in my mid twenties, feeling lost and unsure what steps to take next to become the person I always saw myself being both in my career and personal life. This book made me feel seen, offered great questions to get myself thinking, and has left me feeling a little less lost. I HIGHLY recommend!!!