Promising to be “your sherpa through this wild journey of understanding your Gen Z child or your Gen Z friend, and better yet, cherishing that relationship with them,” Whitmire goes above and beyond in his attempts to accurately analyze Gen Z, sharing a wealth of research and statistics that offer fascinating tidbits about this captivating generation. Those range from their tendency to spend at least 6 hours a day online, their chummy relationship with Google to answer all of life’s questions, and their overwhelming preference to text before talking. Whitmire’s relaxed style may seem cheeky at first, but readers shouldn’t take that to mean he’s trivializing Gen Z’s contributions; “this generation does not lack motivation or ambition,” he writes—“they were born and bred… to dream big.”

Whitmire does a masterful job explaining the thoughts and objectives of Gen Z—honesty and transparency are key, he asserts—and provides sensible, actionable advice to readers seeking to understand them. He also offers a glossary of Gen Z expressions (covering sayings like “no cap” and “sus”) to help older generations communicate with and develop “genuine understanding and respect for the generation shaping our future.” Celebrating differences is essential, Whitmire urges, and this clever offering does just that—with a healthy serving of playfulness along the way.

Takeaway: Savvy guide to understanding Gen Z for older audiences.

Comparable Titles: Ryan Jenkins’s The Generation Z Guide, Darrell E. Hall’s Speaking Across Generations.

Production grades
Cover: B
Design and typography: A-
Illustrations: N/A
Editing: A-
Marketing copy: A-