The Vanishing American Adult: Our Coming-of-Age Crisis–and How to Rebuild a Culture of Self-Reliance

America’s Youth Are In Crisis. Raised By Well-meaning But Overprotective Parents And Coddled By Well-meaning But Misbegotten Government Programs, They Are Ill-equipped To Survive In Our Highly-competitive Global Economy. Many Of The Coming-of-age Rituals That Have Defined The American Experience Since The Founding — Learning The Value Of Working With Your Hands, Leaving Home To Start A Family, Becoming Economically Self-reliant — Are Being Delayed Or Skipped Altogether. The Statistics Are Daunting: 30% Of College Students Drop Out After The First Year, And Only 4 In 10 Graduate. One In Three 18-to-34 Year-olds Live With Their Parents. From These Disparate Phenomena, Nebraska Senator Ben Sasse Who As President Of A Midwestern College Observed The Trials Of This Generation Up Close, Sees An Existential Threat To The American Way Of Life. In The Vanishing American Adult, Sasse Diagnoses The Causes Of A Generation That Can’t Grow Up And Offers A Path For Raising Children To Become Active And Engaged Citizens. He Identifies Core Formative Experiences That All Young People Should Pursue: Hard Work To Appreciate The Benefits Of Labor, Travel To Understand Deprivation And Want, The Power Of Reading, The Importance Of Nurturing Your Body — And Explains How Parents Can Encourage Them. Our Democracy Depends On Responsible, Contributing Adults To Function Properly — Without Them America Falls Prey To Populist Demagogues. A Call To Arms, The Vanishing American Adult Will Ignite A Much-needed Debate About The Link Between The Way We’re Raising Our Children And The Future Of Our Country. – Publisher. Citing How Over-protected Youth Are Ill-equipped To Handle The Demands Of The Real World, A Guide To Raising Self-reliant Young Adults Explains How To Revive Core Formative Experiences To Create Responsible, Active, And Engaged Citizens. –publisher. Introduction — Stranded In Neverland — From Little Citizens To Baby Einsteins — More School Isn’t Enough — Flee Age Segregation — Embrace Work Pain — Consume Less — Travel To See — Build A Bookshelf — Make America An Idea Again — Postscript: Why This Wasn’t A Policy Book — Afterword: Teddy Roosevelt, From The Grave To Twitter. Ben Sasse. Includes Bibliographical References And Index.