One In A Millennial by Kate Kennedy is marketed as a witty and honest reflection on millennial pop culture and its impact on the young women it influenced with its sexist overtures and subliminal misogynistic messaging. As well as the high expectations placed on millennials and the subsequent critique this generation faced.
One In A Millennial by Kate Kennedy
Synopsis
Kate Kennedy a self-proclaimed expert on the millennial zeitgeist is sharing her insights and commentary on her experience coming of age during a time when society was on the cusp of a new reality. She explores how pop culture, the rise of social media, and the subliminal messaging of sexism, misogyny, purity culture, and religious zealotry impacted her identity.
She also explores how her identity crisis followed her into adulthood impacting her romantic relationships and confidence in Corporate America to show up as herself without feeling judged or ridiculed missing out on professional and romantic opportunities.
With apt commentary, cheeky millennial metaphors, and a penchant for rhyming and alliteration she takes you on a nostalgic journey of introspection and reflection.
Content ⭐️⭐️⭐️
The initial premise for this promises you delicious commentary and profound insights into the millennial experience while bathing you in pure nostalgia. As an elder millennial looking for every excuse to reminisce on my younger days, I leaped at the chance to read this reflective piece.
While you’ll find apt social commentary interspersed throughout I don’t feel this book fulfilled its promise. The combination of the structural and execution conflicts with the writing style with the weak half-baked commentary that lacked the stability of sociological context the content felt empty and questionable.
While you know she’s a popular podcaster known for sharing her opinions and views on pop culture this nonfiction promotes her sharing stance and provides commentary on the impact of pop culture particularly for young women as sexism and misogyny played a major role in influencing this group. Yet, there was no substantial point being made in which the reader is left trying to figure out the point of this novel. It was pure vibes, weak writing, and opinions holding hands and calling itself something profound.
Writing Style ⭐️ ⭐️
While Kennedy provides a conversational tone with plenty of sass and millennial-relevant metaphors, rhymes, and alliteration. Sadly, the novelty of this quickly wore off as you sift through what appears to be a journal with a stream-of-consciousness writing style. This book could’ve used another round of edits in which the editor sharpened the writing and advised Kennedy to focus on one key point or idea that aligned with the general theme of the novel.
Instead, her essays amble on without a point to ground them. She takes the reader outside of the essay on side quests where she focuses on tangents that don’t add to the point or topic of the essay. It’s like she’s trying to cover all the topics at once thereby creating an utter convoluted chaos. This creates a poor reading experience as you find yourself becoming bored and losing focus in the middle of the essay while you struggle to wait for her to land the plane and establish the purpose and point of the essay.
Furthermore, it becomes redundant as she reiterates points repeatedly making it feel like you’re going in circles Kennedy proceeds to state this isn’t a memoir and proceeds to share and reflect on her experiences.
While there’s nothing wrong with this I was seeking a book that explored the social issues and provided thoughtful critiques on millennial culture by analyzing the common social complications regarding misogyny, sexism, fatphobia, diet culture, the unhealthy obsession with celebrity culture, and its influence on young women in regards to unattainable beauty standards and body image.
Yet, these topics weren’t explored in the depth that you’d expect considering Kennedy’s claims this isn’t a memoir but commentary. This leads me to ask if not a memoir then why memoir shaped?
Ratings & Recommendation
I wanted to enjoy this novel however it missed the mark for me with the writing being the key factor in my lack of enjoyment and appreciation for this work. As an elder millennial-aged 40 and a Black American, I was looking forward to learning about another millennial experience from a different background and culture than mine to explore how our experiences differ and are the same. Plus, I’ll be honest I was chasing nostalgic vibes.
However, I just couldn’t move beyond the bad writing and poor structure and organization of ideas. What’s worse is with better writing and editing and proper classification of this book it would’ve worked! If she had leaned into this being a memoir and sharing her insights on her experience and its impact on her and left the commentary out of it. I mean she goes into depth with how pop culture impacted her perception of what love, dating, and life should be like for young successful women. We also see her struggles with self-acceptance and identity.
All great topics to explore as they pertain to the problematic narratives millennial women were fed during their formative years. This book would be great if you enjoy it as a memoir and don’t expect any profound commentary but a relatable story about one woman’s experience coming of age as a millennial. Or, if you’re a fan of Kate Kennedy and her podcast B There in 5.
If you’re seeking a well-written and structured exploration of millennial pop culture with intelligent insights and commentary on its impact and influence on young adult women you can pass on this.
