Rating: 
Summary: Save it for Glamour Magazine
Review: The authors bring up some interesting issues that are certainly worth discussing, but there is a complete lack of sociological analysis. I was not impressed. This book is full of irritating stylistic conventions and proofreading errors, starting from the first page.
Rating:
Summary: Save it for Glamour Magazine
Review: The authors bring up some interesting issues that are certainly worth discussing, but there is a complete lack of sociological analysis. I was not impressed. This book is full of irritating stylistic conventions and proofreading errors, starting from the first page.
Rating: 
Summary: It's the same old song
Review: The only saving grace of this book are the interviews of women from all walks of life -- including actress Susan Sarandon, comedian Ali Wentworth, financial expert Suze Orman, and writer Judy Blume --- about what they were doing at age 30 and what they are doing today, as proof that it is not a bad thing that you don't have everything tied up in a neat package by age 30. However, the statement the authors make that "30 is the new 50" is wrong (they are more accuarate when they state that 30 is to a woman what 50 is to a man). The adage "Don't trust anyone over 30" has been around since the 1960s, and they in fact mention a photo of one of their mothers wearing a T-shirt with that on it when she was in her 20s! I dislike that the authors bring themselves into it so much, like they are our best friends and we looked up to them and --- surprise! -- they had so much doubt about themselves at age 30. Their stories are not all that interesting. And WHY, when they bring in an original interview about another late 20s/early 30s woman, they preface it with how she looks? Particularly annoying was when they described a woman as having "green eyes behind sexy librarian-style glasses". What does THAT have to do with anything? If anything, they overlook the fact that fashion magazines ignore women after age 30 (which frankly made me happy whren I turned 30 -- no more pressure, however subtle, to adhere to those "Thirty Things to do Before Age 30.") It's all right, but if you read Cosmo, Glamour and the other mags at all over the last 5 years, you've read this book. Because once a year, each of those mags write on this topic. Ho hum.
Rating: 
Summary: At 30 You Wonder What You've Worked For So Long
Review: The story of the mid-life crisis at about age 50 has long been a stable of both literature and life itself. Now these authors have developed the New Girls' Club, with Geraldine Ferraro, Susan Sarandon, Suze Orman, Mary Matalin, Paul Zahn, Judy Blume and many others who share their crossroads moments where they report their thoughts, actions and strategies for moving on towards the rest of their lives towards professional and personal lives at unexpected levels.
Reading this book lets you know that you aren't the only one having a bit of a panic at the age of 30.
Rating:
Summary: A Great Book
Review: This book was GREAT! I thought it addressed such a wide array of issues relevant to many generations. It was enlightening and the stories are ones of encouragement that I will reflect back upon on my journey through life.
Rating:
Summary: Hit the mark for me
Review: This book's style seems to put some people off-personally-it didn't bother me. I found it very readable. More importantly-I found that it hit exactly the points that I'm struggling with in my life at the moment ("around 30). This was the first time I had even looked at the issues in my life (about being a mother vs reaching my career potential post grad school) as a larger phenomenon with many women. A friend loaned me this book, and although we are in different positions in life we both found that it resonated with us because we have the same things on our mind. Perhaps "crisis" isn't the best name for the book since I would not define the amazing birth of my son at the same time as a promotion at a great job as a crisis-but it does demand hard choices. I think they make mention several times to basically being very fortunate in general. I don't know any of my friends who couldn't relate to a large portion of this book in some way shape or form whether you are wondering about how you would ever fit children in your life or how you will keep your career on track if you want to spend time with your kids. And of course-finances are the practical base of these choices as well.
Rating:
Summary: Good, but.....
Review: When I first started reading this book, I raved about it and told all my friends that they would have to read it. I'm having my own midlife crisis at 33 because I'm facing gender discrimination in my career, which is blocking me from achieving what I want and know I can do. I was agonizing over making a drastic career change, when my incredibly supportive husband bought this book for me. He thought it would help to know I wasn't alone in my unhappiness. And it did help. We Gen-X women were brought up to believe that equality had been achieved and if only we work hard enough we could do whatever we want. And when we don't accomplish all of our dreams, we tend to blame ourselves, instead of the system. At the same time, our entire generation is agonizing about spending too much time at work and missing out on a life. But somewhere in the middle, it became tedious. It took me forever to finish, because I grew tired of reading yet another story about an ultra-successful woman with baby fever. As a woman who loves children but doesn't want any of her own, the book lost me. A few things actually bothered me, like the "Baby Envy" section and a general sense that the only women faced with work/life crises were mothers. There are plenty of women that struggle to find a balance between career and family, even if that family is a husband, siblings, or close friends. I wish the authors had more analysis of what's causing the pervasive work/life imbalances and how we should stick together to make a change for all of us. When I read the chapter on men's perspectives, I kept thinking, "We shouldn't be concerned about bosses discriminating against parents because they leave work before 6:30, we should be concerned that bosses are expecting any of their employees to work that long in the first place! There were many insightful observations and perspectives that I hadn't considered before, and for that I'm glad I read the book. I found the first and last two chapters to be the most influential on me. I'm not as enthusiastic as many other reviewers, but I do recommend this book to everyone in Generation X/Y, and to even a few boomers that want to understand why their children are so troubled when they seem to "have it all."
Rating:
Summary: You can't have it all, but you can have life past 30
Review: While this book was intended for a female audience, I (as a man) found it struck chord after chord with me. And while this book was intended for Generation Xers, I found it hit many of the same issues my own generation (baby boomers) have faced--especially those of us boomers who were born just at the end of the baby boom. The crisp writing is evidence of the journalistic backgrounds the authors bring to the table. And so are the many interviews. The authors drew on widely varying experiences and stories, to paint a mosaic of what women face at the age of 30. That mosaic consists of a range of pressures based on unrealistic expectations. Just look at three such expectations, for example: Expectation to look young forever. I remember when my own mother turned 30. She was sitting on the porch with a neighbor, when the neighbor's husband joked about her being over the hill and the need to trade up to a new dishwasher. While he thought that was harmless humor, he wasn't far off the mark in conveying the way women are often perceived in certain occupations (for example, acting) or in certain social environments. I remember watching an episode of Love American Style, where a man walks into an appliance store advertising "Trade in your dishwasher." He then walks out with a younger woman. In America, women are expected to be permanently young and beautiful. One actress, for example, was getting botox at the age of 29. Why are women not valued for who they are? Why is it bad, if they are themselves? Expectation to bear children. This is one of the problems the book discussed. Yes, many women feel a pressure not to look old, because their looks are more valued than their maturity. But at the other end of the spectrum, most women feel pressure to have children once they hit 30--because their their biological clocks are ticking loudly by that time. This pressure is both biological and social. And it can be immensely burdensome. Expectation to have it all. What does this mean? This is the central issue this book deals with, and it's here that we male baby boomers are saying, "Been there, done that, doing it again." For women, however, this expectation is more complex than for men. And at about the age of 30, women are declining in their ability to meet the two expectations mentioned above. The book delves into this expectation in a way that, while using examples of 30-ish women, has near universal resonance with everyone else. Understanding these expectations and the effects they have on women who are at or around 30 years old can help any person who has work-based or social interaction with these women. And, it can help you understand your own expectations, if you are in some other category than a 30-ish woman. But the real power of the book is how all of this builds toward the final chapter, "Guts and Grace." It is there that the reader gains insights from women who have passed through their 30s--perhaps decades ago. What the women say is truly valuable. But even more valuable are the object lessons they bring. No longer concerned with the pettiness of meeting other people's expectations of appearance, youth, wealth, position, or other less meaningful aspects of life, these women are examples to other women--and to men. For people feeling disappointed by, disillusioned with, or overwhelmed by life, this book brings hope. As one woman says in the final chapter, "...this is my life, and it is what I have. I am going to make the most of it." I like the fact that this woman, and others quoted in the book, explain the meaning behind that thought.
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