Full Description
As the baby boom generation ages, there are few ethnographies that capture the dynamics of aging. This new book is based on years of participant observation in "the Sands," a beautiful ocean community of well-off individuals and couples seeking the easy life. Yet the community members contend with deep uncertainties about health as they learn to face the realities of death. Identity, sexuality, gender, and conflict play into a sense of "who belongs where," who is counted a friend or stranger in the struggles of old age. Warren shows how the vicissitudes of the aging body center the present and become anchors for the past and future. Expressed in beautiful literary prose, this book moves beyond wealth to explore the realities of aging in poignant new ways that will enliven discussion in courses on Gerontology, Medical Sociology, Inequality, and many others.
Contents
Table of Contents
Acknowledgments
Preface
Introduction: Island in the Sun
PART 1: The Sands
Chapter 1: Street Life/Private Spaces
Chapter 2: The Coconut Telegraph
PART 11: The Yacht Club
Chapter 3: Sociability/Affiliation/Competition
Chapter 4: Body/Sex/Gender
PART 111: Aging in Place
Chapter 5: Generations/Autobiographies
Chapter 6: Do Not Go Gentle into that Good Night
References
Index
