Post Grad: Five Women and Their First Year Out of the Ivy League

Kitchener, who graduated from Princeton in 2014, reports on the experiences of five young women (including herself) in the first year out of college, a transition she likens to “leaving a pool and jumping into the ocean.” The women she profiles are all Princeton graduates, but they vary in their aspirations, values, and racial, ethnic, and socioeconomic backgrounds. These differences strengthen the threads of the narrative as Kitchener and her peers undergo major changes in their personal and professional lives. With a strong command of narrative, she draws on genuine moments of stress, such as breakups or familial strife, to keep readers interested while highlighting professional transformations and obstacles. One woman chooses to commit to her art; another prepares for medical school; others look to the start-up world for employment. Kitchener reports on topics such as sexual orientation, religion, dating culture, drug abuse, and depression, all of which the women deal with in turn. Kitchener excels at sprinkling the multiple story lines with statistics to add clarity and insight to a truly challenging stage of life. Her book is highly recommended for recent grads stumbling through their newfound independence. [em](Apr.) [/em]