Jennie Bristow and Emma Gilland’s (2020) The Corona Generation: Coming of Age in a Crisis
Paper details:
You are all reading Jennie Bristow and Emma Gilland’s (2020) The Corona Generation: Coming
of Age in a Crisis. This short book is relevant to all of your lives: it documents how life in the
earliest months of the pandemic were uncertain, confusing, and may have altered society in
profound ways. It pays special attention to how COVID-19 impacted youth in ‘Generation Z’
(people the same age as you!). Bristow—a trained Sociologist—interviews her daughter (and co-
author) Emma, and contextualize how the pandemic altered the lives of people across generations.
This book was written in the earliest months of the COVID pandemic, where much less was known
about how the virus spreads/functions, and when it would go away. As such, fear and uncertainty
are underlying themes of discussion. Rather than simply arguing that different generations
experience the pandemic differently, they also argue that other sociological factors such as class
will play a major role in shaping the future of a post-COVID society.
After reading Bristow & Gilland’s book, please answer the following prompts and questions:
Prompt 1 (10 points): Bristow and Gilland (2020: 72) argue “the big story of the covid-19 crisiswill turn out to be one of class, not generation.” Broadly speaking, explain how/why the authors
believe that class is a major factor in relation to the COVID-19 pandemic. In what ways does class
play a role in who benefits/loses from the response to the pandemic? Give at least two specific
quotes and examples from the book that speak to the issue of class, labor relations, and/or political-
economy.
Second, explain why the authors are skeptical of the “generation wars” framework, which views
societal conflict through the lens of different generations acting as coherent units of analysis,
pitting one generation against another. Give at least two specific quotes and examples directly
frcgoom the book to make your argument.
