I listened to the audiobook and would rate the book a 3.5 / 5 (rounded down rather than up).
The primary reason I enjoyed this book is due to the unique historical viewpoint it delivers which I’ve never heard before. It was a good long-term history lesson that concentrated on the last century, which is both the one I’m most interested in and the one I can relate to the most.
I’m extremely impressed by how William Strauss was able to predict the financial crisis. However, it’s also worth mentioning that he made many other predictions that I simply overlooked. I found myself clinging to and appreciating the predictions that came to fruition while overlooking the ones that did not.
Whether or not the 80 year cycles he’s referring to are true or will continue, the book still provides a very good overview of the generational differences in the US population since the second world war. This is a very important narrative in understanding how the US got to where it is today.
The reason for the low rating is because there are tons of predictions being made, and when you make a lot of guesses, some are bound to happen. I also found that the last 20% of the book felt like continuous reiteration of ideas he had already discussed.
An interesting point he made is that we should expect a somewhat absurd (I do not recall the exact wording) president about 10 years after the crisis of the fourth turning; I will just leave it at that. He also mentioned that around the year 2020 is when the fourth turning should reach a climax which could potentially culminate in some sort of war. With all the debt that has been created through QE, continuously low-interest rates, Brexit, Trump, Putin, conflicts in the middle east, the rise of cryptocurrencies, and North Korea testing intercontinental ballistic missiles, I both fear but am also really excited to live through and impact what happens next.