{"product_id":"an-ordinary-age-finding-your-way-in-a-world-that-expects-exceptional-9780062998989","title":"An Ordinary Age: Finding Your Way in a World That Expects Exceptional","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eBest Book of 2021 --\u003cem\u003eEsquire?\u003c\/em\u003e\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eFeatured on Good Morning America\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003e\"A meticulous cartography of how outer forces shape young people's inner lives.\" --\u003cem\u003eEsquire\u003c\/em\u003e, Best Books of 2021 \u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eIn conversation with young adults and experts alike, journalist Rainesford Stauffer explores how the incessant pursuit of a \"best life\" has put extraordinary pressure on young adults today, across our personal and professional lives--and how ordinary, meaningful experiences may instead be the foundation of a fulfilled and contented life.\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eYoung adulthood: the time of our lives when, theoretically, anything can happen, and the pressure is on to make sure everything does. Social media has long been the scapegoat for a generation of unhappy young people, but perhaps the forces working beneath us--wage stagnation, student debt, perfectionism, and inflated costs of living--have a larger, more detrimental impact on the world we post to our feeds. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eAn Ordinary Age\u003c\/em\u003e puts young adults at the center as Rainesford Stauffer examines our obsessive need to live and post our #bestlife, and the culture that has defined that life on narrow, and often unattainable, terms. From the now required slate of (often unpaid) internships, to the loneliness epidemic, to the stress of \"finding yourself\" through school, work, and hobbies--the world is demanding more of young people these days than ever before. And worse, it's leaving little room for our generation to ask the big questions about who they want to be, and what makes a life feel meaningful.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003ePerhaps we're losing sight of the things that fulfill us: strong relationships, real roots in a community, and the ability to question how we want our lives to look and feel, even when that's different from what we see on the 'Gram. Stauffer makes the case that many of our most formative young adult moments are the ordinary ones: finding our people and sticking with them, learning to care for ourselves on our own terms, and figuring out who we are when the other stuff--the GPAs, job titles, the filters--fall away.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAbout the Author\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eStauffer, Rainesford:\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e - \u003cp\u003eRainesford Stauffer has written and reported for the \u003cem\u003eNew York Times, New York\u003c\/em\u003e magazine's The Cut, \u003cem\u003eWSJ Magazine, Teen Vogue, Vox\u003c\/em\u003e, and \u003cem\u003eThe Atlantic, \u003c\/em\u003e among other outlets. She has appeared on CNN \u003cem\u003eNewsroom\u003c\/em\u003e, NPR's \u003cem\u003eOn Point\u003c\/em\u003e and \u003cem\u003eWeekend Edition\u003c\/em\u003e, and podcasts such as ABC News' \u003cem\u003eStart Here\u003c\/em\u003e, the \u003cem\u003eGuardian\u003c\/em\u003e's \u003cem\u003eChips with Everything\u003c\/em\u003e, and \u003cem\u003eForeign Policy\u003c\/em\u003e's \u003cem\u003eDon't Touch Your Face\u003c\/em\u003e. She is a journalist, speaker, and Kentuckian. \u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Harper Perennial","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":50719316443410,"sku":"9780062998989","price":14.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0831\/4771\/8930\/files\/img_40ccf9b4-c82e-4d61-bc98-12bfe62c737f.jpg?v=1734664985","url":"https:\/\/surprise-castle.myshopify.com\/products\/an-ordinary-age-finding-your-way-in-a-world-that-expects-exceptional-9780062998989","provider":"Surprise Castle","version":"1.0","type":"link"}