twentysomething: Surviving and Thriving in the Real World [Paperback]

So why is the actual experience of being a twentysomething so hard?

The life of a twentysomething is much different today than it was in the time of our parents. Unlike previous generations, guys and girls today are not marrying right out of high school. We're not graduating college and moving into a job that will be our career for the rest of our life. We're not even sure what the point of our life is, to be totally honest. I should know. I'm now 29 and have been there, done that, for most of the issues that author Margaret Feinberg delves into in her new book, twentysomething.

It's no different for most Christians, either. We may know God and live to serve him, but that does not spare us from the same struggles that others our age are going through. Relationship problems. Debt loads from our higher education. Moving back into mom and dad's house after college. The struggle to get a job that requires experience, but being unable to get experience since you can't get a job. Trying to figure out how God fits into the equation of the confusion of our lives and this crazy, post-modern world that we live in today. The surprising fact that many are extremely lonely in their place in life, in spite of a circle of friends and family, or even with a spouse. It's rough out there, even if you have faith, family, and friends. The real world is a scary place that is full of twists, turns, and unexpected mountains that no one told us about when we were supposedly preparing for it.

Feinberg knows what it's like to have been through all of this. She is also a realist, and, thus, her book is both empathetic as well as practical. She doesn't write to give you all the answers, since she does not have all the answers. What she does have is some surprising insight on what it all means as well as some solid advice on how to handle it. She has words of encouragement for those who are not there yet, or are in the midst of the chaos. And she lends an understanding shoulder for those who just want to know that what they are going through in life is not exclusive to them. Feinberg points out the great many positives that accompany these years of transition - stuff that really does give cause for those of other ages to be green with envy. It isn't all a horror story and so the emphasis on so many of the pluses of this age is a welcome one. And she is able to weave the presence and promises of God into the tapestry with skill and wisdom.

It's about time that something on this subject was written. I'm better off for having read it now, at least. twentysomething is an excellent book; it really is a must-read for everyone in their twenties, as well as the one who is about to enter this new decade in life. Highly recommended. FIVE STARS