Contextualised in the so-called ‘generation wars’, endorsed by politicians and the media, Stop Mugging Grandma is written as an antidote to dangerous myths about generational conflict. The book's focus is on the politicisation of generations in the United Kingdom, but the socio-political circumstances of different generations in the United States of America and Australia are also explored. Addressing claims that baby boomers have ‘stolen their children's futures’, ‘bankruted youth’ and ‘betrayed their countries’ (pp. 6–7), the book shows how far-fetched many media articles are in boomer-blaming. Bristow analyses and disputes the myth that society is facing a war between generations due to the greed of baby boomers, and challenges the contention that younger generations are uniquely disadvantaged compared to their older counterparts. The book's engaging and thought-provoking style invites readers to think critically about such myth-making and calls for ‘an end to the divisive and disruptive language’ (blurb) of generational angst.

The book begins with a broad examination of the politicisation of age and moves on to specifics about baby boomers and millennials – the two generations most often claimed as being in generational conflict. Chapters 1–3 explore the socio-political context of the 1960s, where free higher education, a thriving post-war welfare state and cheap mortgages resulted in greater disposable incomes and increased consumerism. In analysing these factors, which many use as the basis for boomer-blaming, Bristow challenges generationalism – the idea that generations are constrained to a specific range of birth years – as too simplistic. Rather, Bristow defines a generation as a group of people associated ‘by the social events that characterised the time at which they came of age’ (p. 74), for instance, the First World War, the Sixties and 9/11. Using her definition, Bristow contextualises what it was like for people growing up in different generations, with particular focus on the political leaders of different eras to analyse whether their policies suited the generations of that time. In these chapters, Bristow provides evidence for a key point stressed throughout the book: that political elites use ‘generational arguments to evade confronting the crises of the moment’ (p. 106).

Later chapters analyse the ‘generation war’ from the viewpoint of millennials and explain that the struggles many young people face today – lack of housing, job insecurity and costs of higher education – create a millennial angst not only about the socio-economic position of where individuals may fall from, ‘but a terror about where they might fall to’ (p. 130). The book questions the extent and impact of ‘youthquakes’ – changes to the political, cultural or social landscape resulting from the actions or influences of young people. Using statistical data, Bristow argues that in politicising age, narratives of both younger and older generations are ignored and youthquakes are often over-exaggerated. Bristow firmly rejects the idea that the votes of younger and older people should be weighted depending on who has longer left to live, arguing that this is a ‘toxic impact of generationalism on political debate’ (p. 167).

In the book's final chapter, the concepts of ‘doomography’ and ‘gerontophobia’ are examined. The former referring to a pessimistic view of the impacts of demographic trends, such as increased longevity and population growth, and the latter indicating a rhetoric which portrays older people as ‘the undeserving rich’ (p. 216). In exposing the prejudice on which these concepts are based, Bristow advocates more neutral ways of viewing apparent generational inequalities by presenting their political and economic causes. The book ends with the affirmation that ‘there are no easy solutions to the problems that besiege our present era; but while being young at the dawn of the twenty-first century may not be exactly blissful, it's a long way from the hell of the elite imagination’ (p. 226). To close, Bristow includes a short sentimental poem written by her grandfather during his time as a prisoner of war in the Second World War to show that even during dark days, youthful optimism can be found.

Bristow's writing style is lively with humorous undertones, which engage the reader into questioning their own views on generational conflict. A general readership would find the book captivating and the book is suitable for students, researchers and practitioners alike. However, the language used suggests the book is aimed towards people with prior knowledge of the issues surrounding generation-blaming. Overall, Stop Mugging Grandma is a valuable and timely reminder for people to question their own position towards boomer-blaming and to analyse the existence of the so-called ‘generation wars’ critically.