Living on the Edge: An American Generation's Journey through the 20th Century

Authors Meet Critics Book Colloquium

Living on the Edge: An American Generation’s Journey through the 20^th Century

Prof. Richard A. Settersten and Prof. Glen H. Elder

Commentary by

Prof. Blair Wheaton and PhD student Rachel Meiorin

Followed by Audience Discussion

Wednesday, May 11, 2:30-4:00 pm EST, on Zoom (click to RSVP)

Life course scholars Rick Settersten and Glen Elder will join us for a discussion of their recent book (with Lisa Pearce), Living on the Edge: An American Generation’s Journey through the Twentieth Century (University of Chicago Press, 2021). Based on lifelong data drawn from the iconic Berkeley Guidance Study, the book tells the story of the rarely studied 1900 generation. Set against a century of revolutionary change, the book traces the 1900 generation’s social origins through education, marriage and childbearing, employment, and their later years. From the reorganization of marriage and family roles and relationships to strategies for adapting to a dramatically changing economy, the challenges faced by this generation echo our own time. Their experiences with rapid social change and disruption provide remarkable insights into life as we know it today.

Richard A. Settersten Jr. is University Distinguished Professor of Human Development and Family Sciences at Oregon State University.

Glen H. Elder Jr. is the Odum Distinguished Research Professor of Sociology at UNC Chapel Hill.