A New Kind of Party Animal: How the Young Are Tearing Up the American Political Landscape [Hardcover]

Michele Mitchell (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 2, 1998

In this provocative and timely first book, twenty-seven-year-old political correspondent Michele Mitchell explores how young people, contrary to popular opinion, are redefining politics. It is the multimillion-dollar question asked by marketing strategists: Who are these people? It is the exasperation of political pundits: Where are they coming from? And, it is the anxiety of older Americans: Where will they lead us? Now, for the first time, these new political party animals are convincingly portrayed. It's impossible to pigeonhole an eighty million-strong group that stretches from trust fund babies to welfare kids, from Daughters of the American Revolution to descendants of slaves and new immigrants, from Berkeley to the Bible Belt, from those raised by both parents to children whose parents are single or divorced. This is a generation in which many grew up as latchkey kids with television as a source of comfort, and a group that says "show me" when offered a promise because of its exposure to marketing and advertising. And because of their independence, young people do not unconditionally offer up loyalty. Plus, they are building their own communities and connecting through the technologies they are creating. Mitchell explores six factors that not only set this generation apart, but are transforming the political world: lack of party affiliation, diverse interest in a range of issues, grassroots-based approaches to problem-solving, lack of gender bias, skepticism of marketing and advertising, and computer savvy. In prose that is entertaining, lively, and fresh, we glimpse the lives of such up-and-comers as Jerry Morrison, in his run for office in Chicago; Kim Alexander of Sacramento, a pioneer in using the Internet to affect politics; Quillie Coath Jr. and Charles McKinney of Durham, North Carolina, propelled into community activism as a means of improving their neighborhoods; and Lynn Marquis, Robert George, and Bob Meagher, who are making changes at ground zero in Washington, D.C. Insightful, succinct, and engaging, A New Kind of Party Animal is our road map to understanding the future of American society and politics.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Americans born between 1961 and 1981 have been given many labels, including "Generation X," "slackers," "apathetic," and "lost." This book, by the youngest person to have written for the New York Times editorial page, overhauls that generational stereotype by looking at Gen-X political activism--an area, she says, in which this generation has been working for change.

Mitchell's narrative weaves together the stories of several of the young and politically gung ho and their runs for political office, voter registration drives, Internet activism, and grassroots community work. What she finds, contrary to media pigeonholing, is an active, informed, computer-literate group unlike any that has gone before. "When it came to politics," she writes, "we said 'show me' when offered a promise. We believed in only what we could see with our own eyes. We demanded accountability. We did not unconditionally offer up our loyalty."

As the "18-35s" come into power, the author envisions a generation less interested in party affiliation and slippery candidate promises than in real action and serious issues. Instead of Democrat or Republican, liberal or conservative, she says, "be prepared for variations of 'independent.'" Those seeking clues to where American politics is heading at the end of the century might do well to start their search here. --Maria Dolan

From Publishers Weekly

The 27-year-old author, who is the youngest person to have served on the New York Times editorial board, has refined the 1960s adage: "Don't Trust Anyone over 30" into "Don't Trust Anyone on Social Security." Her political jeremiad tries to show the clout of the 18- to 35-year-olds by highlighting several individuals in that age bracket. At one end of the spectrum is working-class Jerry Morrison, who went up against the political machine in Chicago and was surprised to learn that "sinister" precinct captains know how to manipulate votes. At the other end of the spectrum is Robert George, an African American who writes editorials for Newt Gingrich, who professed to have been shocked to learn that the House speaker wanted him in the photo as he signed the welfare bill only because he was black (George declined). Mitchell talks about the "Lead or Leave" campaign of young Americans around the nation who organized to fight the deficitAand ended up disbandingAthough she also mentions that the reason why President Clinton's health-care reforms were dismissed was because "young, healthy singles" didn't want to pay for it. The author attacks ABC's Sam DonaldsonApointing out that he is 62Abecause he dismisses the importance of the Internet, to Mitchell, a hallowed alternate to the "prepackaged drivel" of network TV and newspapers. She then goes on about the history of volunteerism in the U.S. and the contributions of Teddy Roosevelt's father. Unfortunately, she has Ted Kennedy running for president in 1976, four years before he actually ran. Also, Warren Rudman was a senator from New Hampshire, not Maine. These kinds of errors from a political pro make it hard to take this book seriously.
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 224 pages
• Publisher: Simon & Schuster; 1St Edition edition (July 2, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0684836971
• ISBN-13: 978-0684836973
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 5.6 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (32 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #6,249,803 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A keen glimpse into a powerful political revolution, July 6, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: A New Kind of Party Animal: How the Young Are Tearing Up the American Political Landscape (Hardcover)

I can't help but think the first review on this page was written by a scared status-quo politician with an axe to grind against Ms. Mitchell. But this book is too insightful and true to be so easily dismissed. The book provides a very keen look at the political attitudes of the so-called generation X.

As a person in this age group (I'm 27) it provided a sense of validation and a real epiphany for me. We've been stereotyped as apathetic and uninvolved, but this book exposes that as myth and shows that we're merely involved in a new and unconventional way. This has confounded career politicians who don't know how to buy our vote by luring us into the "goodie system." We simply will not be bought and it frustrates the career politicians.

The book provides a fascinating look at what politics in the future may be like. And I can tell you, this book's observations are very on-the-mark. The book gives a glimpse at a developing political revolution that is being brought on by the 18-35 generation. It is sure to catch many politicians off guard.

Highly recommended. If you want to see the future of politics, you can't afford to miss this book.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Warning! Stay Away!, April 30, 2000

By 

Aaron W. - See all my reviews

This review is from: A New Kind of Party Animal: How the Young Are Redefining "Politics as Usual" (Paperback)

I came to bury Mitchell, not to praise her. But after reading her own post and the five star reviews, I've reconsidered -- Not! Mitchell truly deserves kudos for turning some people on to politics. But if you want to get interested in politics you should start somewhere else. Anywhere else. I kid you not, I'm sitting by 6 x 10 feet of bookshelves packed with political books and this is The Worst I've ever read. I had high hopes for "A New Kind..." and Mitchell deserves credit for attempting to attack the stereotype of GenX apathy. With a bow to her post comments which say otherwise, this book is too top heavy with case studies. And case studies do not make a case. Okay, so GenXers excel at computers and watch MTV and listen(ed) to Pearl Jam. Fine. But then they vote and volunteer like pretty much everyone else. And in a way that's probably Mitchell's point, that they're as active as anyone. But I was hoping for a unique vision, or at least a clear take on what Generation X means to her. And within the chaotic writing (how many times did she hit 'cut' and 'paste' to try to throw such disparate thoughts together) that would get an English teacher's red pen smoking, neither a vision nor a cohesive theme can be found. I just turned 34, and am more in step with the "Blank Generation" (who came of age during Reagan, punk, and Wall Street 'heroes') than the younger crowd Mitchell covers. Still, I had very high hopes for this book. And while it may be more ambitious than, say, cheap supermarket Tom Clancy knockoffs, "A New Kind..." stands as the worst political book I've ever read.

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars This book has proven to be a joke, September 10, 2002

By 

Mary Cassady (San Diego, CA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: A New Kind of Party Animal: How the Young Are Tearing Up the American Political Landscape (Hardcover)

This author wrote a book full of superficial anecdotes that are supposed to pass for analysis. Anyone really interested in politics should disregard this foolishness. There is no methodological rigor here and a lot of hot air. This one is destined for the discount bins in book stores, if not the trash cans.