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A review by spinstah
Why We Can't Sleep: Women's New Midlife Crisis by Ada Calhoun
3.0
I only finished this a couple of days ago, but it already seems to have slipped thorugh my grasp. I think it's because the approach is scattershot - there are too many women quoted in the book, most of whom you only hear one story or quote from. My overall takeaway is "Yeah, lots of other (white, cis, well-educated) women feel this way. Here's some research." And maybe that's enough for some readers.
I take issue with the things she highlights being a Gen X specific phenomenon. Yes, Gen X was the first to have to deal with some of what she discusses. But many of these issues are things that all women are going through. We are all expected to look gorgeous, have a curated design aesthetic, become a CEO, and raise perfect children. I don't really feel like the generational aspect of this brought enough to the table, aside from the fact that at 40 you start to run out of energy and/or willingness to deal with the bullshit.
While the focus is different, I think [a:Anne Helen Petersen|7219002|Anne Helen Petersen|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1596205069p2/7219002.jpg] did this type of analysis better in [b:Can't Even: How Millennials Became the Burnout Generation|48930297|Can't Even How Millennials Became the Burnout Generation|Anne Helen Petersen|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1583442527l/48930297._SY75_.jpg|74338637]. While I also felt that the generational focus of that was not needed, she did a better job making a coherent argument about the systemic and policy reasons behind the experiences and situations she discussed.
I take issue with the things she highlights being a Gen X specific phenomenon. Yes, Gen X was the first to have to deal with some of what she discusses. But many of these issues are things that all women are going through. We are all expected to look gorgeous, have a curated design aesthetic, become a CEO, and raise perfect children. I don't really feel like the generational aspect of this brought enough to the table, aside from the fact that at 40 you start to run out of energy and/or willingness to deal with the bullshit.
While the focus is different, I think [a:Anne Helen Petersen|7219002|Anne Helen Petersen|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1596205069p2/7219002.jpg] did this type of analysis better in [b:Can't Even: How Millennials Became the Burnout Generation|48930297|Can't Even How Millennials Became the Burnout Generation|Anne Helen Petersen|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1583442527l/48930297._SY75_.jpg|74338637]. While I also felt that the generational focus of that was not needed, she did a better job making a coherent argument about the systemic and policy reasons behind the experiences and situations she discussed.