Customer Reviews

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

5 star:		(16)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(9)

 

 

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.

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.

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.

I first read this book when I was 19 or 20, not long after it was published. I sat enthralled, with a highlighter, and dog-earing page after page. The bad reviews the book received on Amazon are dated, and after a recent re-read of the book, I think it's time to give Michele Mitchell credit for her foresight. She published this book eleven years ago, and at that point talked about the use of the internet for electoral purposes, talked about the rise of one generation into the political party system (at the time of her writing, Barack Obama would have fit the profile of many of the people she discussed in the book). The major political parties largely ignored what was obvious then, all the way until/through 2004-2006, and what we're experiencing now was foretold in the 1996 and 1998 elections and talked about by just one political book.

It is not the deepest or most thorough scouring of the ideas presented, but it is a good start. And I implore new readers to pick this up with today's political world in mind.

In this book, Michelle Mitchell clears up one of the biggest misconceptions about the 18-35 year old crowd. Too often they are written off as self-indulgent, tuned out brats. Mitchell makes the compelling case that what is often perceived as cynicism is really just healthy skepticism.

After all, this is a generation that has been marketed to and spun for their entire lives. No wonder they want to know the facts and judge for themselves.

She also makes a stong case that what this generation needs more than anything else from their political leaders is authenticity. They want someone who will tell them the truth, even if it is unpleasant and then lay out a compelling vision as to how to approach the problem, an approach that includes a role for them. Until such a person comes along, this generation will be perfectly content to satisfy their political urges in local direct action and forego much activity on the national political scene.

If what you do isn't going to make a difference, then why bother playing that game? Why not play a game that show immediate results, seems to be the attitude.

All in all, this is an enjoyable read that is filled with insight for anyone who hopes to reach this increasingly important demographic block of voters.

I felt compelled to write a review of this book after reading the pompous piece by the self-promoter below. It was no surprise to learn he is a freelance writer and a baby boomer and that he assumes the author of this book, who obviously (if you read her bio) has a writing background, would be based in video. I liked this book a lot--if he found it so distasteful, how does he explain how right on it was on nailing the political trends of 2000, considering the book came out two years earlier? The breezy, informal style made it readable, something that I can't say for many political books. I suggest the bitter reviewer below keep his advice to the author to himself. She doesn't need it.

As a member of the 18-35 generation, I found Mitchell's book to be an excellent reminder of all the good things young people can do in politics. The different "snapshots" of individuals around the country were enjoyable, varied, and insightful. I am so motivated to take a more active role in government now! I read this book in one night and felt it was an evening well spent.

I felt that this book was an "instruction manual" for young adults to become politically active in government. As a young adult, I feel that the author, had written an profound guide about the world of government and how young adults are getting into the spectrum.

I really liked the pace of this book. Frankly, I have little time to read, and this book has been one of the few to hold my interest. Anyone who thinks all poli sci books are supposed to be as thick as doorstops wouldn't like this one, but I suspect those readers aren't the author's target, anyway.

What a waste of time for this author, since she did so little writing - a few sentences on this, a few sentences on that - where was she going in such a hurry? The pace was a mistake, the material was never fleshed out enough to mean anything. Waste of time for the reader too.