Overview

Born during the Great Depression and World War Two (1929 1945) an entire generation has slipped between the cracks of history. These Lucky Few became the first American generation smaller than the one before them, and the luckiest generation of Americans ever. As children they experienced the most stable intact parental families in the nation 's history. Lucky Few women married earlier than any other generation of the century and helped give birth to the Baby Boom, yet also gained in education compared to earlier generations. Lucky Few men made the greatest gains of the century in schooling, earned veterans benefits like the Greatest Generation but served mostly in peacetime with only a fraction of the casualties, came closest to full employment, and spearheaded the trend toward earlier retirement. Even in retirement/old age the Lucky Few remain in the right place at the right time. Here is their story, and the story of how they have affected other recent generations of Americans before and since.

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Reviews

<p> As a member of the Lucky Few generation, I salute Woody Carlson's masterful analysis of this nearly forgotten cohort of Americans. With a conceptual model drawn especially from the work of Richard Easterlin, and utilizing the treasure trove of PUMS data, Carlson has helped put the past, present, and future of current American generations into proper focus. (John Weeks, San Diego State University) <p> In this masterful study, Carlson demonstrates that the generation born during the Great Depression and World War Two was blessed by virtue of their comparatively small numbers and the fortunate timing of world events. The richly documented account of the varying fates of American generations, based chiefly on IPUMS data, provides a fresh perspective on the history of the United States in the twentieth century. The Lucky Few succeeds both as a compelling argument and as a fascinating story. It will become a classic of historical sociology. (Steven Ruggles, Director, IPUMS Project)

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