Description: Hailed by national leaders as politically diverse as former Vice President Al Gore and former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, Generations has been heralded by reviewers as a brilliant, if somewhat unsettling, reassessment of where America is heading. William Strauss and Neil Howe posit the history of America as a succession of generational biographies, beginning in 1584 and encompassing every-one through the children of today. Their bold theory is that each generation belongs to one of four types, and that these types repeat sequentially in a fixed pattern. The vision of Generations allows us to plot a recurring cycle in American history--a cycle of spiritual awakenings and secular crises--from the founding colonists through the present day and well into this millennium. Generations is at once a refreshing historical narrative and a thrilling intuitive leap that reorders not only our history books but also our expectations for the twenty-first century.
Brief description: William Strauss (February 5, 1947-December 18, 2007) was an American author, historian, playwright, theater director, and lecturer. As a historian, he is known for his work with Neil Howe on social generations and for the Strauss-Howe generational theory. He is also well known as the cofounder and director of the satirical musical theater group the Capitol Steps, and as the cofounder of the Cappies, a critics and awards program for high school theater students.