THE EAT GENERATION

The claim of the author is that the beat generation never really existed ""except in the minds of Jack , the noted non-writer, and a handful of indolent admirers of his . Her concern is with the group she calls the ""upbeat generation"" the out of million Americans under thirty years of age who are neither delinquent nor . Using extensive interviews with youth leaders, statistics and publications, she discusses. ""The Case for the Teen Agers"": their sex education and attitudes (""Appeals for morality will have to be based on ethical and psychological grounds""); the new concept of preventative engagement (a living-together-up-to-a-point as preparation for marriage which religious leaders claim will perhaps preclude disastrous marriages), the new respect for brain power on campus, and the dwindling importance of the fraternity (membership has accelerated only 25% although college enrollment has sky rocketed ). Particularly interesting in Miss Cox's analysis of the tremendous marketing power of the young and the new respect Madison Avenue is showing youth's 10 billion dollar annual expenditure. Despite the misleading title of the work -- which led one to expect more explication of philosophical values among the ""upbeat""- this is a comprehensive and intelligent work.