Quote by Jenny Zhang: “Youth is wasted on the young, but also on everyone else.”

This witty twist on a common saying suggests that not only do young people often fail to appreciate their youth, but society as a whole often misunderstands or undervalues the experiences and potential of the young. It's a critique of generational divides.

The late 2010s saw increasing intergenerational dialogue, often marked by critiques of how different age groups perceived and treated one another. This era grappled with issues of economic inequality and differing social values across generations.

Chinese-American poet and fiction writer whose debut story collection Sour Heart won the PEN/Faulkner Award for Fiction in 2018. Her work explores the immigrant experience, childhood, and the complexity of family across class and culture.