Kayleen Schaefer Book order (chronological)

The traditional "checklist" of becoming an adult has existed for decades. In But You're Still So Young, journalist Kayleen Schaefer cleverly shows, through her own journey and those of men and women from various backgrounds , how thirty-somethings have re-thought these major "benchmarks." The people in this book envisioned their thirties differently than how they are actually living them. He thought he would be done with his degree; she thought she'd be married; they thought they'd be famous comedians; and everyone thought they would have more money. Schaefer uses her smart narrative framing and relatable voice to show how the thirties have changed from the cultural stereotypes around them, and how they are a radically different experience for Americans now than they were for any other generation. And as Schaefer and her sources demonstrate, not being able to do everything isn't a sign of a life gone wrong. Being open to going sideways or upside down or backwards means finding importance and value in so many ways of living, a sign of life gone right. -- Cover page 4

'Text me when you get home.' After joyful nights out together, female friends say this to one another as a way of cementing their love. It's about safety but, more than that, it's about solidarity. A validation of female friendship unlike any that's ever existed before, Text Me When You Get Home is a mix of historical research, the author's own personal experience, and conversations about friendships with women across the country. Everything Schaefer uncovers reveals that these ties are making us, both as individuals and as society as a whole, stronger than ever before.