NATIONAL BESTSELLER • Discover the game-changing theory of the cycles of history and what past generations can teach us about living through times of upheaval—with deep insights into the roles that Boomers, Generation X, and Millennials have to play.
First comes a High, a period of confident expansion. Next comes an Awakening, a time of spiritual exploration and rebellion. Then comes an Unraveling, in which individualism triumphs over crumbling institutions. Last comes a Crisis—the Fourth Turning—when society passes through a great and perilous gate in history.
William Strauss and Neil Howe will change the way you see the world—and your place in it. With blazing originality, The Fourth Turning illuminates the past, explains the present, and reimagines the future. Most remarkably, it offers an utterly persuasive prophecy about how America’s past will predict what comes next.
Strauss and Howe base this vision on a provocative theory of American history. The authors look back five hundred years and uncover a distinct pattern: Modern history moves in cycles, each one lasting about the length of a long human life, each composed of four twenty-year eras—or “turnings”—that comprise history’s seasonal rhythm of growth, maturation, entropy, and rebirth. Illustrating this cycle through a brilliant analysis of the post–World War II period, The Fourth Turning offers bold predictions about how all of us can prepare, individually and collectively, for this rendezvous with destiny.
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"I rated this a four and not a five because some of the philisophical rambling gets pretty boring. But,it really made me think about things in a new way. To think about the country, economics, generations in terms of cycles was fascinating to me. Difficult book to get through but very worth it. "
— Kursten (4 out of 5 stars)
"One of the best efforts to give us an integrated vision of where we are going.”
— Wall Street Journal“I put down The Fourth Turning with a mixture of terror and excitement...If Strauss and Howe are right, they will take their place among the great American prophets.”
— Boston Globe"A startling vision of what the cycles of history predict for the future.”
— USA Weekend“Their take on history provides an intriguing…lens through which to view the past, present, and maybe even the future.”
— Amazon.comIn Generations, William Strauss and Neil Howe told us what was coming in the 1990s--from culture wars to family values. In The Fourth Turning, they tell us what will happen after the year 2000.
Generations is the most stimulating book on American history I have ever read.
— Senator Al GoreGenerations is a brilliant intellectual tour de force.
— Speaker Newt GingrichGenerations might change the world as much as Darwin's Origin of Species.
— Oakland TribuneA provocative, erudite, and engaging analysis of the rhythms of American life.
— Newsweek" This was a tough and rewarding read. Trying to understand the seasons of time has and will help me to prepare and understand what is happening in the world and why. "
— Karen, 2/20/2014" A most excellent review of the cycles of American history. It details how the generations interact and repeat the same cycles throughout history, going from peace, to religious revival, to discontentment, to crisis (war), and back to peace. Thus, we know what phase will come next in history... "
— Emtee, 2/18/2014" A totally different view of history. This book was really interesting to read 12 years after being published in that it was accurate to what it has prophesied. Meticulously written by two guys who really know their stuff. "
— Ken, 2/9/2014" This book offers some interesting theories about inter-generational psycholgogical dynamics, but it takes the prophecy aspect just a bit too seriously. It veers a little too much into new-age territory, and the authors clearly seem to have some contempt for Gen X while taking a tone of worship whenever they mention the Millenial generation (yeah, those kids are going to save us all). "
— Ron, 1/21/2014" Strauss defines historical cycles that predicts a 4th turning, the last of the 100 year +- cycle. His predictions 10 years ago have been amazingly accurate. It is quite an impressive book. "
— Terry, 1/14/2014" This book was published in 1997 so it is now over 11 years old. It does an excellent job of discussing social, political, financial and historic cycles. The interesteing thing about this book in 2009 is how one can track where we are today and frankly it is very alarming. "
— Dick, 1/10/2014" Whew... well, I slogged through this because it had just enough good stuff to keep me going. Overall I liked the book but can only recommend it to a few people. If you are little wonky then, yeah, go for it. "
— Cleat, 12/12/2013" Thought provoking meta-look at American history. Definitely recommended for anyone with more than a passing interest in our country's past (and future). "
— Will, 11/26/2013" Fascinating especially in light of sept 11, 2001 "
— Corby, 11/15/2013" This book is a different way to look at history. Rather than looking at history in a linear fashion, the authors present the idea that history is cyclical. It was quite an interesting concept and a new way to look at the past ... and possibly the future?? ;) "
— Natalie, 10/26/2013" This book describes a pattern of behavior over our societal history. It divides generations into 4 groups by behavior and experiences and shows how these repeat throughout history. Whether you agree with this premise or not it is worth a read. It is thought provoking and interesting. "
— Roseann, 10/21/2013" Really helps you understand what is happening in our world today. We are in a crisis - are you using it for a great opportunity or are you panicking??? "
— Toni, 9/26/2013" Really liked this book... it encouraged me about the future and the current "crisis" we are in. It is a bit redundant, but it's good because it really helps to drive the point home. "
— Ange, 6/29/2013" Seasons . . . "
— Verena, 5/25/2013" A fascinating theory of history - basically that human history is defined by generational cycles. Not the best read, but a worth the slog "
— John, 6/1/2012" Probably not True but true enough to be useful. "
— David, 3/1/2012" Super interesting, he'd been pretty accurate so far. Written in 1997, predicted 9/11, recession, etc. "
— Brian, 2/20/2012" Great book! Truly insightful into our cultural, political, and economical history. The current state we are in as a nation makes much more sense to me now after reading this book. "
— Chris, 11/25/2011" Brilliant analysis of the generational "circle of life." Highly recommended by this GenX Nomad. "
— Steve, 10/29/2011" Interesting view of cyclical history. I got a little bogged down in ALL the history, but I skimmed through most of the book. "
— Kristen, 9/27/2011" Though published ten years ago, eerily accurate prediction of the situation in which we currently find ourselves. "
— Tom, 8/25/2011" It has been a while since I read this book, but it caused my fascination with historical cycles. This book shows some interesting cycles in history and what kind of people are a part of each cycle and what to expect for the future. I really loved this one. "
— Duncan, 2/14/2011" Brilliant analysis of the generational "circle of life." Highly recommended by this GenX Nomad. "
— Steve, 1/13/2011" This was a tough and rewarding read. Trying to understand the seasons of time has and will help me to prepare and understand what is happening in the world and why. "
— Karen, 12/14/2010" This was a tough audio book to get through but I'm glad I made the effort to. The Fourth Turning presents a very interesting insight into the 4 stage historical cyclical pattern that each generation plays and paints a dire picture of what we can expect as nation. <br/> "
— Stephen, 12/12/2010" This was an extremely dense read, but well worth it to try to understand the current political cycle we are enduring. "
— Kit, 8/13/2010" I remember being really impressed by this in 1998 when I originally read it but, in retrospect, it seems very pseudo-scientific. Might be worth a reread to see how it holds up. "
— Adam, 7/28/2010William Strauss (1947–2007) was the author of numerous works on generational issues, including Generations: The History of America’s Future and 13th-GEN. Strauss was also the cofounder and director of the Capitol Steps, a political cabaret.
Neil Howe is an acclaimed historian, economist, and demographer and the bestselling coauthor with William Strauss of The Fourth Turning, as well as over a dozen books on demographic and social change. The nation’s leading thinker on today’s generations—who they are, what motivates them, and how they will shape America’s future—he is managing direct of demography at Hedgeye Risk Management, an independent financial research firm, as well as president of LifeCourse Associates, which serves hundreds of corporate, nonprofit, and government clients.
Tom Parks is an AudioFile Earphones Award-winning narrator who has also been a finalist for the prestigious Audie Award for best narration. He has been involved in recording audiobooks and voice-overs for over thirty years and through an eclectic range of projects. In addition to performing and directing, he is also an active musician, drumming in musical theater productions in the Midwest, and is in demand as a conference speaker.