Learning to Be Old: Gender, Culture, and Aging [Paperback]

Margaret Cruikshank (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0847698491 | ISBN-13: 978-0847698493 | Publication Date: December 2002 | Edition: 1

What does it mean to grow old in America today? Is 'successful aging' our responsibility? What will happen if we fail to 'grow old gracefully'? Especially for women, the onus on the aging population in the United States is growing rather than diminishing. Gender, race, and sexual orientation have been reinterpreted as socially constructed phenomena, yet aging is still seen through physically constructed lenses. This book helps put aging in a new light, neither romanticizing nor demonizing it. Feminist scholar Margaret Cruikshank looks at a variety of different forces affecting the progress of aging, including fears and taboos, multicultural traditions, and the medicalization and politicization of natural processes. Through it all, we learn a better way to inhabit our age whatever it is.

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

Age discrimination is alive and well in America. Despite increased knowledge about aging and improved longevity, myths and stereotypes abound. This book's title refers to the need to dispel those myths and to see old age as characterized by new opportunities and the development of new talents and strengths. Gerontologist and women's studies expert Cruickshank (Ctr. on Aging, Univ. of Maine) examines the issues from a decidedly feminist viewpoint. She elaborates on two basic ideas: that aging is affected more by culture than by biological changes and that awareness of societal beliefs and customs about aging is essential if women are to achieve "comfortable aging." She also rails against "medicalization" and the overemphasis on bodily decline in old age. Cruickshank raises important issues, but at times her position might strike some as overly strident, as when she suggests that the aged are overmedicated as a result of an inappropriate relationship between the pharmaceutical industry and mainstream medicine. This thought-provoking book is recommended for academic social science and medical collections but would likely prove to be too dense for general readers.
Linda M.G. Katz, Drexel Univ. Health Sciences Libs., Philadelphia
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Review

In her excellent book, Learning to Be Old, Margaret Cruikshank compares the aged to a 'colonized people', suggesting that ageism goes beyond dehumanization into actual scapegoating of the old. (The New York Times Magazine )

Through its underlying feminist perspective, Learning to Be Old raises the promise of a transformative approach to the paradoxes of aging. Margaret Cruikshank argues that aging is socially constructed and therefore we can (and must) change, unlearn, or rethink what is accepted as the 'truth' about aging in order to learn to age comfortably. (Nancy R. Hooyman )

The American view of aging is dominated by cultural myths, simplistic media portrayals, and public relations science. In this confusion, strong voices are needed to help us reflect on important issues. Learning to Be Old is a strong critique of theviews of aging contained in our culture, and it is a very welcome addition to the growing humanities literature in the field.... (Robert C. Atchley )

In this lively and engaging book, Margaret Cruikshank challenges the concept of successful aging, which imposes a competitive and male standard on a complex social process, and argues that we adopt instead the notion of 'aging comfortably.' (Quadagno, Jill )

Margaret Cruikshank's approach is innovative and creative. Many of her ideas are essential for fully understanding the personal and societal aging experience. She integrates ways to help us age successfully with the larger social and economic questions. Well thought out. (Olson, Laura Katz )

Exciting and important . . . this pioneering work addresses an area that is desperately in need of critical analysis. (Virginia Gillispie )

The American view of aging is dominated by cultural myths, simplistic media portrayals, and public relations science. In this confusion, strong voices are needed to help us reflect on important issues. Learning to Be Old is a strong critique of the views of aging contained in our culture, and it is a very welcome addition to the growing humanities literature in the field. (Robert C. Atchley )

A valuable book on aging. Scholarly and well-documented. (The Senior Times )

Sheds light on a particular bias inherent in studying this country's burgeoning aging population and asks why unlike gender, race, and sexual orientation identities that have been reinterpreted as socially constructed phenomena, aging is still seen through physically constructed lenses. (Tuscon Weekly )

Compressing a significant amount of important information on issues of race, gender, social class, economics, and ethnicity, Cruikshank has created a readable book on the general theme of gerontology. The current research, theories, and practices outlined by Cruikshank will give readers of all ages insights into 'learning to be old.' An extensive bibliography is provided for further study. Essential. (Choice Magazine )

Learning to Be Old is a nice text for both the graduate and undergraduate levels, either in courses on the sociology of aging or in women's studies courses to provide a feminist perspective on aging. (The Gerontologist )

The major contribution may be her analysis of the potential negative effects of women's family roles and her suspicion that grandmothers are being expolited. This book...raises a number of important questions. (Journal Of Marriage And Family )

Learning to Be Old is full of analyses and insights. . . . It can inspire consciousness raising, group discussion, and social and political activism. It will stimulate thought, rev up your indignation, furnish your brain, and probably prove that your mother was a damn sight more astute that you realized. (Marie Shear The Women's Review Of Books )

One of [the book's] strengths is its weaving of themes from different fields and disciplines. . . . Another is in presentation-it is informative, lively, and well researched. (Journal Of Women & Aging )

Dr. Cruikshank has done a tremendous amount of research for this book. She cvoers so much in such little space, that you marvel she gets it all in...definitely factual and informative (Golden Threads )

This text is such a gem that it is tempting to quote from it non-stop. (Canadian Women's Studies )

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 256 pages
• Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield Publishers; 1 edition (December 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0847698491
• ISBN-13: 978-0847698493
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 6 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,668,453 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

42 of 43 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Being Old, February 12, 2003

By 

Jean R. Eckerly (Edina, MN United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Learning to Be Old: Gender, Culture, and Aging (Paperback)

If presenting unvarnished truth appears to be "sometimes overly strident", so be it. Ageism is indeed rampant unless one happens to be a white male political or corporate figure, and this book gives one the data that supports this truth.
As a physician, I find the chapter "Overmedicating Old Americans" extremely important and timely, and I feel that this book can be easily read by the general public and should be taken very seriously by Health Care and Social Service professionals.