Lipsky and Abrams look at the economic, social, and political forces that have shaped America since the sixties to find the roots of the generation's issues. Lipsky and Abrams argue convincingly that twenty-somethings face problems rooted in long-term shifts in American society and its economy that no individual can control. And they make the case that until the generation finds a real niche in the economy, overall recovery will be slower and more tenuous than ever.

Late Bloomers also puts names and faces on the statistics about the numbers of twenty-somethings who are un- or underemployed (30 percent of all people under thirty in 1992), who can't afford to marry (the average age for first marriages is now twenty-nine for men and twenty-seven for women) or own homes (the median age for first-home ownership is now thirty-five, up from twenty-seven in 1980).

Bolstered by some of the most comprehensive research ever undertaken on the boomer/bloomer conflict, Late Bloomers brings constructive, nonconfrontational analysis to a subject that sorely needs it.