Book Review: “Class of Hope and Change: A Walk with Millennials” by Deji Komolafe

“Class of Hope and Change: A Walk with Millennials” by Deji Komolafe (2018)

Genre: Non-fiction, Oral History

Page Length: 332 pages (paperback edition)

Synopsis:

Reclaiming their time. Sharing their lives. Speaking their truth.

Millennials, the young people who entered adulthood during the first 18 years of the 21st century, have come of age during one of the most dramatic periods in modern human history. The rapid changes taking place in their individual lives parallel the rapid changes occurring in technology, culture, economics, and politics in societies around the world.

For the past ten years, millennials have been the driving force behind large and small changes across the full spectrum of life. They have built their own seats, created spaces for themselves at the tables of influence, and claimed their places as equal stakeholders in the ongoing project of human civilization.

They have a lot to say, and we made time to listen.

Class of Hope and Change captures this moment in history through a series of conversations, conducted over the past two years, with over 50 millennials. This book is an intra-generational conversation among young people who bring a variety of life experiences and cultural perspectives to discussions about a wide range of timely and timeless subjects.

This beautiful movement of love, trust, and truth is rooted in the belief that through conversation, we can discover the gems of wisdom which lie beneath the surface of what we typically see and share on social media.

Life in the real world is not always pretty, but we think truth can be communicated in love…and we aspire to do just that. (description from Goodreads)

Review:

Class of Hope and Change is a wonderful collection of stories and insight from a conversation with millennials. The book is compilation of conversations held from the two-year podcast documentary. Being a millennial myself I was excited to read these stories of people and their various experiences of growing up in today’s world. I learned a lot about others experiences different from my own and it was eye-opening to see how our generation is evolving and growing.

The book is set up into several sections covering themes such as college, technology, family/friends/career, love, and so much more. Each section starts off the narrative to set up the theme and then we jump into a larger conversation with each person sharing their thoughts on the topic. What the interviewees had to say in each conversation was very insightful and I could relate to some of their struggles that they’ve gone through growing up.

This book shows that even though all of these millennials come from different backgrounds we all share one greater experience together. I loved that the book was inclusive and shared a variety of voices. I also appreciated that even though the book is written in an oral history structure, it was very easy to read the book and all of the content was clearly organized in a way that was easy to digest. I l also enjoyed that this platform will help to give a platform to voices that may not always be heard, and highlights many PoC voices.

I appreciate Komolafe’s effort into putting all of these narratives together and the work that was put into the project. The book made me realize that I was not alone in my struggles as a millennial in today’s society and I feel that many of the topics discussed are relatable to a wide audience. I think that many people will be able to resonate with this book. I recommend it for anyone who loves to read human stories!

Final Verdict: