X vs. Y: A Culture War, a Love Story is an exploration of pop culture and relationships through the eyes of two different generations - what ties them together and what separates them. It’s sister vs sister, in the nicest possible way. The sisters are Eve Epstein and Leonora (Leo) Epstein. Eve is from Gen X, while her sister Leonora is fourteen years younger, and a part of Gen Y. Like all of us, part of what has shaped their experience of life is when they were born.
Both Eve and Leonora have a writing and editing background and put it to good use in creating this compilation of short essays, infographics, comparative tables and lists, conversations, and more. The book shares what’s different about generational life experiences (writing a school assignment with a typewriter versus a Mac, for instance), and what’s the same, encouraging a better understanding of each other.
Starting with an introduction to Gen X and Gen Y, Eve and Leonora present their different perspectives, broken down into seven chapters: music, fashion, TV, sex and dating, movies, technology, books and magazines. Examining the Venn diagrams which precede each chapter, and the information and examples that follow them, I found myself comparing what I had in common, trying to decide how accurate they seemed to me, and whether my personal experiences and interests fit more into Gen X or Gen Y, or the overlapping of the two. Most of the time it was one more than the other, although sometimes it felt like none of the above!
X vs. Y could be a great conversation starter for families with teenage children, and for students in upper high school studying sociology.
Browse the X vs.Y Book Tumblr here.
Title: X vs. Y: A Culture War, a Love Story
Author: Eve Epstein and Leonora Epstein
Publisher: Stewart Tabori & Chang, $24.95 RRP
Publication Date: April 2014
Format: Paperback
ISBN: 9781419707704
For ages: 15+
Type: Young Adult Non-Fiction
