Cross-Cultural Engagement in the Library

Elderhood by Louise Aronson Finalist for the Pulitzer Prize in General Nonfiction A New York Times Bestseller Longlisted for the Andrew Carnegie Medal for Excellence in Nonfiction Winner of the WSU AOS Bonner Book Award Winner of the 2022 At Home With Growing Older Impact Award As revelatory as Atul Gawande's Being Mortal, physician and award-winning author Louise Aronson's Elderhood is an essential, empathetic look at a vital but often disparaged stage of life. For more than 5,000 years, "old" has been defined as beginning between the ages of 60 and 70. That means most people alive today will spend more years in elderhood than in childhood, and many will be elders for 40 years or more. Yet at the very moment that humans are living longer than ever before, we've made old age into a disease, a condition to be dreaded, denigrated, neglected, and denied. Reminiscent of Oliver Sacks, noted Harvard-trained geriatrician Louise Aronson uses stories from her quarter century of caring for patients, and draws from history, science, literature, popular culture, and her own life to weave a vision of old age that's neither nightmare nor utopian fantasy--a vision full of joy, wonder, frustration, outrage, and hope about aging, medicine, and humanity itself. Elderhood is for anyone who is, in the author's own words, "an aging, i.e., still-breathing human being."

Late Bloomers by Rich Karlgaard We live in a society where kids and parents are obsessed with early achievement, from getting perfect scores on SATs to getting into Ivy League colleges to landing an amazing job at Google or Facebook-or even better, creating a start-up with the potential to be the next Google or Facebook or Uber. We see software coders become millionaires or billionaires before age thirty and feel we are failing if we are not one of them. Late bloomers, on the other hand, are under - valued-in popular culture, by educators and employers, and even unwittingly by parents. Yet the fact is, a lot of us-most of us-do not explode out of the gates in life. We have to discover our passions and talents and gifts. That was true for author Rich Karlgaard, who had a mediocre academic career at Stanford (which he got into by a fluke) and, after graduating, worked as a dish - washer and nightwatchman before finally finding the inner motivation and drive that ultimately led him to start up a high-tech magazine in Silicon Valley, and eventually to become the publisher of Forbes magazine. There is a scientific explanation for why so many of us bloom later in life. The executive function of our brains doesn't mature until age twenty-five-and later for some. In fact, our brain's capabilities peak at different ages. We actually experience multiple periods of blooming in our lives. Moreover, late bloomers enjoy hid - den strengths due to taking the time to discover their way in life-strengths coveted by many em - ployers and partners, including curiosity, insight, compassion, resilience, and wisdom. Based on years of research, personal experience, interviews with neuroscientists, psychologists, and countless people at different stages of their careers, Late Bloomers reveals how and when we achieve our full potential-and why today's focus on early success is so misguided, and even harmful.

Women Rowing North by Mary Pipher New York Times Bestseller *USA Today Bestseller *Los Angeles Times Bestseller *Publishers Weekly Bestseller The instantNew York Times bestseller from the author ofReviving Ophelia--a guide to wisdom, authenticity, and bliss for women as they age. Women growing older contend with ageism, misogyny, and loss. Yet as Mary Pipher shows, most older women are deeply happy and filled with gratitude for the gifts of life. Their struggles help them grow into the authentic, empathetic, and wise people they have always wanted to be. InWomen Rowing North, Pipher offers a timely examination of the cultural and developmental issues women face as they age. Drawing on her own experience as daughter, sister, mother, grandmother, caregiver, clinical psychologist, and cultural anthropologist, she explores ways women can cultivate resilient responses to the challenges they face. "If we can keep our wits about us, think clearly, and manage our emotions skillfully," Pipher writes, "we will experience a joyous time of our lives. If we have planned carefully and packed properly, if we have good maps and guides, the journey can be transcendent."

The Generation Myth by Bobby Duffy Millennials, Baby Boomers, Gen Z--we like to define people by when they were born, but an acclaimed social researcher explains why we shouldn't. Boomers are narcissists. Millennials are spoiled. Gen Zers are lazy. We assume people born around the same time have basically the same values. It makes for good headlines, but is it true? Bobby Duffy has spent years studying generational distinctions. In The Generation Myth, he argues that our generational identities are not fixed but fluid, reforming throughout our lives. Based on an analysis of what over three million people really think about homeownership, sex, well-being, and more, Duffy offers a new model for understanding how generations form, how they shape societies, and why generational differences aren't as sharp as we think. The Generation Myth is a vital rejoinder to alarmist worries about generational warfare and social decline. The kids are all right, it turns out. Their parents are too. 

Happy Retirement: the Psychology of Reinvention by DK A practical, fully illustrated guide to planning and enjoying retirement, grounded in psychological research. Retirement can bring immense fulfillment but also can be a source of stress, especially today. Retirement: The Psychology of Reinvention uses psychological research and a unique visual style of infographics and illustrations to provide readers with a retirement roadmap just right for them. Fully illustrated, with constructive advice for all retirees -- whatever the age and circumstances -- and inspirational guidance from a wealth of sources, Retirement: The Psychology of Reinvention answers all the questions readers are likely to ask at any stage of retirement.

Connecting the Dots by Patricia Mohammed; Cheryl-Ann Boodram (Editor) The Caribbean has been a part of the demographic transition globally in the increase of the ageing population relative to those of working or youthful years. Advances in health and social welfare have brought into sharp relief the pressures on resources particularly health care. In this groundbreaking collection, professionals across a range of academic and practice disciplines examine and shed light on how the work-life balance intersects with changed productivity thresholds, caregiving for the ageing and how an ageing society might be embraced. Connecting the Dots demonstrates the need to reframe policy and practice across the Caribbean to harness the potential of an ageing population as a new human capital resource. Focusing on the challenges of the contemporary working population; how critical the work of the elderly in the home is in facilitating work-life balance for the working population; and how much of a strain care of the elderly places on achieving work-life balance, the authors establish the need to strike a balance in both attitude and application of policies and procedures which can provide a conducive environment for working men and women to lend support to their ageing relatives while enhancing the agency of the elderly to contribute to their own individual, community and national development. Comprising of 19 chapters divided into 5sections, Connecting the Dots provides a new perspective on ageing and the economic growth potential to be realised from harnessing and tapping into the 'ageing dividend'

Sports and Aging by Gerald R. Gems (Editor) 2023 Choice Outstanding Academic Title In Sports and Aging a wide-ranging group of physically active people, including many scholar-athletes, fifty years and older, discuss sports in the context of aging and their own athletic experiences. This collection of personal accounts includes a spectrum of contributors across genders, social classes, and racial, ethnic, national, religious, and educational backgrounds to determine whether there are any common characteristics that can promote long, happy, healthy, and meaningful lifespans. In this fresh look at the role of sports in the process of aging, contributors range from a ninety-six-year-old great-grandmother to a former Olympian. Many contributors have used education to better their lot in life or to find solace and meaning in the service of others. For all, sports or physical activity has enhanced their health and temperament and provided a sense of community.

Living with Momma by Elizabeth B. Adams Living with Momma offers personal narratives and sacred stories for caregivers searching for measurable peace as they navigate unexpected paths within 21st century families. 63 million Americans are caring for aging parents and grown children at the same time, and they often find themselves wondering, "How is it possible to care for our families and ourselves at the same time?" In Living with Momma, Elizabeth Adams, an author and pastor, uses her life experiences, along with the wisdom found in open-ended questions, to show caregivers who are serious about establishing rewarding relationships with adult family members how they can enjoy their challenging, outdated living arrangements. She offers caregivers three questions to ask for immediate change and helps them find a safe space of hope and faith to protect themselves from caregiver fatigue.