The Fourth Turning

My Thoughts

The Fourth Turning is easily one of the most important books from this year’s Books of Titans reading list. I also read Generations this year by the same authors. The Fourth Turning is a more recent publication (1997 – compared to 1991 for Generations) and describes the coming crisis likely to occur within the next 10 years. The authors present history as cyclical instead of linear. I’ve always assumed a linear viewpoint of history moving along a fixed line and I think most of my education and most of the news pushes that assumption. To go through past history to show a common set of four cycles that continually repeat is quite an accomplishment. To then move to the future to predict how that will play out is quite another accomplishment. For this book to be 20 years old and for the reader to be able to view their predictions as quite accurate and prescient is something that sets this book apart. This and Generations are unlike books I have ever read. I highly recommend this book. If the authors are correct in their view of cyclical history, then we have a crisis coming very soon and this book may help you see the signs a properly prepare.