Welcome to the Jungle

An in-depth examination of the social, cultural and economic circumstances that shaped the generation commonly referred to as Generation X, Welcome to the Jungle is no baby-boomer booster. Holtz, a twentysomething law student, builds an impressive case indicting boomers for crimes against the Xers (whom he calls the Free Generation). Armed with a stack of references and a mountain of resentment, Holtz asserts that, when boomers postponed both marriage and children in the '70s, American culture adapted to this swinging, child-free lifestyle. But while boomers benefited from these changes, Holtz claims, the children of the '70s paid the price. From ``latchkey kids'' totoday's flat job market to a depleted Social Security fund in 2020, Welcome to the Jungle describes, in grim detail, how the Free Generation always seems to be cleaning up after the boomer pride parade. Though the majority of Holtz's arguments are convincingly presented and dutifully referenced, Holtz's periodic, overzealous boomer-bashing and poorly drawn conclusions detract from an otherwise powerful thesis. The unwavering emphasis on boomers' sins also implies that the Free are indeed both powerless and inferior, just as the boomers have suspected all along. Nevertheless, Welcome to the Jungle's articulate emphasis on public policy commendably elevates the level of twentysomething debate beyond The Brady Bunch and Disco Duck. (June)