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Hybrid: Second Floor Reads Non-Fiction Book Discussion

The Anxious Generation by Jonathan Haidt

Join us for our non-fiction book discussion group. This month’s title is The Anxious Generation: How the Great Rewiring of Childhood is Causing an Epidemic of Mental Illness by Jonathan Haidt.

After more than a decade of stability or improvement, the mental health of adolescents plunged in the early 2010s. Rates of depression, anxiety, self-harm, and suicide rose sharply, more than doubling on many measures. Why? Social psychologist Jonathan Haidt lays out the facts about the epidemic of teen mental illness that hit many countries at the same time. He then investigates the nature of childhood, including why children need play and independent exploration to mature into competent, thriving adults. Haidt issues a clear call to action. He diagnoses the “collective action problems” that trap us, and then proposes four simple rules that might set us free. He describes steps that parents, teachers, schools, tech companies, and governments can take to end the epidemic of mental illness and restore a more humane childhood. Haidt has spent his career speaking truth backed by data in the most difficult landscapes—communities polarized by politics and religion, campuses battling culture wars, and now the public health emergency faced by Gen Z. We cannot afford to ignore his findings about protecting our children—and ourselves—from the psychological damage of a phone-based life.

Reserve a copy of the book while registering (we'll let you know when it's ready to be picked up), or come to the Central Adult Information Desk.

Questions? Email discussion leader Susan Gibberman at sgibberman@stdl.org.

Choose to attend this program in-person or watch online on Zoom. Please indicate your preference when registering. After registering, you receive a link to the Zoom webinar at least three hours before the program.

Want to switch your attendance preference from online to in-person (or vice versa)? No problem! Call (847) 923-3347 and we will assist you.

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