One to Add to Your Reading List

"People all over have simply stopped acting their age."

Rejuvenile, a new book by Christopher Noxon, caught my attention a few weeks ago, and has since filled my head with all kinds of new ideas about kiddie culture, kids' media, mass marketing, and much more. It turns out Noxon has been thinking about and writing about many of the same things that have been rustling around in my brain and spilling out occasionally here on the blog, but he has taken an approach to these ideas/observations that I had never considered. He identifies and defines a type of adult which he calls the Rejuvenile. These are adults who "cultivate tastes and mindsets traditionally associated with those younger than themselves."

In other words, these are adults who play in kickball leagues or pursue extreme sports, who collect action figures or comic books or dolls, who make frequent trips to Disneyland, or who enjoy (yes, enjoy) dining regularly at Chuck E. Cheese. Not all Rejuveniles exhibit all of these interests; in fact, many live a large part of their lives under the guise of "traditional" adult appearances and behaviors, and save their Rejuvenile passions for the weekends.

Early on, Noxon makes very clear that he's not talking just about a trend among Generation X. He talks about Gen X-ers and Baby Boomers (and even older individuals), parents and non-parents, and couples and singles as Rejuveniles. He doesn't generalize, but he does point out that most Rejuveniles are upper class and urban, that many work in creative and/or high tech fields, and that this group appears to be more heavily male than female.

He takes a broad approach to Rejuveniles - giving examples of different ways that people stay young, and different societal and generational trends that have led to the growing prevalence of Rejuveniles. The early chapter on the history and roots of Rejuvenalia was a bit tedious, although he needed to cover a lot of that ground to credibly establish his theory. But beyond the first chapter, the book goes at a fun and fast pace through dozens of examples of Rejuveniles. Noxon interviewed, among others, the founder of an adult tag league called the Tag Institute, a woman who had a brief career as a professional skipper, numerous toy collectors, a 40-something couple (without children) who spend at least one weekend a month at one of the Disney parks, and a mom who returned to her pre-teen passion of skateboarding as a way of coping with post-partum depression.

Quite necessarily, Noxon addresses the darker side of the Rejuvenile concept - Michael Jackson, Furries, and a few not-so-well-adjusted adults who are highlighted. He also struggles openly in the book with his own view of Rejuveniles and with his own identity, at times stepping out of the mostly-objective voice into a "now here's my own experience and perspective" voice.

Noxon spends part of a chapter discussing Rejuveniles as parents, and points out that parents today - generally speaking - are more likely than past generations to engage in playing with their children. Also in this chapter, he ventures briefly into children's media, and shared an interview with Belinda Miller and Hova Najarian, parents and founders of the kids' radio show Greasy Kid Stuff.

In the final chapter, he touches on a few ideas that I thought were deserving of more time and attention, especially the reluctance of Rejuveniles (or adults in general) to "give up the magical thinking of childhood" - so belief in Santa and the Tooth Fairy is replaced by belief in UFO's, psychics, and angels. Noxon's very brief discussion of pop spirituality and what has been called the "counter-Enlightenment" left me wanting more. But that is just one almost-peripheral aspect of Rejuveniles.

In some ways, as I read, I identified strongly as a Rejuvenile. But at other points in the book, I reacted like a Harrumphing Codger (Noxon's term for people who frown on Rejuvenile behaviors). Identifying with Rejuveniles is not essential at all to the enjoyment of this book - it provides a fascinating look at a cleverly-defined concept, with plenty of unique "case studies" and some insightful personal views.

To learn more, click on over to Noxon's Rejuvenile blog, or head straight to Amazon to get your own copy. I highly recommend this one.