THE AMAZING GENERATION

A persuasive argument for disillusioned smartphone users to reject the hype in favor of “friendship, freedom, and fun.”

This young readers’ edition of Haidt’s The Anxious Generation (2024) encourages young people to build a life free from smartphone addiction. Racially diverse fictional characters interact in Cheng’s mini comics, which are embedded within explanatory nonfiction prose. The paragraphs of Haidt and Price’s text are broken up with illustrations, sidebars, and occasional pages that evoke a scrapbook or notebook. The young characters model how smartphones encourage isolation, increase bullying, and take the place of exploring hobbies and cultivating talents. Short quotes from teenagers and people in their 20s that support the book’s message appear in colorful speech bubbles, along with a handful of full-page “Meet a Rebel” interviews with people like 23-year-old Gabriela Nguyen (founder of the Appstinence Movement), who advocates for leaving smartphones behind in favor of building in-person social relationships. The authors include hard-hitting facts, statistics, and arguments that will persuade “rebels” to reject the addictive design models of the “greedy tech wizards.” The book’s design provides plenty of attention-grabbing material, but it’s the research that makes it relevant and convincing, particularly since the authors never blame the users of technology. The “rebel” and “tech wizard” labels may feel hyperbolic, but the book addresses the importance of choosing a better path to support and maintain mental health with conviction.

Will inspire balanced and thoughtful decision-making in a world where technology is designed to promote impulsivity.