Customer Reviews

The Journey of Life: A Cultural History of Aging in America (Canto original series)

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If you're scared of what awaits you as you age in this country where the frail elderly are too often bereft in short-staffed institutions and by and large exiled from the mainstream of our society no matter where or how they happen to live, you will probably find hope in this book, which shows by historical example that we change. The Journey of Life : A Cultural History of Aging in America is a well written vista of American social perceptions. Tom Cole writes as if he is fascinated by the panorama of his research into how Americans have seen the elderly and aging. He shows us the views we have moved through in strategic detail, not overwhelming us with statistics or boring us with long, dull paragraphs of psycho-social explanations, but carefully exposing the layers of American belief, fear, hope, and socio-economic reality from which have arisen our views of death, aging, and the aged from the early days through the present. From vile, malevolent curmudgeons on their way to the dark pit of annihilation to sweet, harmless fools shuffling through zippedy-doo-da landscapes toward automatic acceptance into a radiant heaven, to the present, where we simply seem to lose our faces in the rush of hyper-productivity and adoration of the sexy young, the American view of the aged and aging constantly changes, reflecting the dominant perceptions of our society.

Cole provides a rich study of the culture of aging in America. Exhaustively researched, The Journey of Life is a must for gerontologists, policymakers, medical professionals, and anyone who is interested in a deeper understanding of why we believe what we do about aging in America, factors influencing these beliefs, and how they have developed over time. Its academic tone can make for a dry read early on, but overall, very well written and intriguing.

This excellent, thoughtful history, based on the author's dissertation is both well researched with strong underpinnings os philosophic depth. I highly recommend it.