In Emerging Adulthood, Jeffrey Jensen Arnett presents an engaging and compelling portrait of the lives of people he calls "emerging adults." He argues that in recent decades, a new stage of life has developed, usually lasting from about age 18 through the mid-twenties, and distinct from both the adolescence that precedes it and the young adulthood that comes in its wake. This new stage is one of identity exploration, instability, possibility, self-focus, and of a substantial sense of limbo. As the demographics of American youth, the American workplace, and adulthood continue to evolve, Arnett's book is indispensable reading for anyone wanting to understand the face of modern America.