 | Summaries and Customer Reviews are supplied by Amazon.com | “We must develop a compelling vision of later life: one that does not assume a trajectory of decline after fifty, but one that recognizes it as a time of change, grown, and new learning; a time when ‘our courage gives us hope.’” —from The Third Chapter At a key moment in the twenty-first century, demographers are recognizing the significance of a distinct developmental phase: those years following early adulthood and middle age when we are “neither young nor old.” Whether by choice or not, many in their “third chapters” are finding ways to adapt, explore, and channel their energies, skills, and passions in new ways and into new areas. It’s this process of creative reinvention that the renowned sociologist Sara Lawrence-Lightfoot details in The Third Chapter, which redefines our views about the casualties and opportunities of aging. She challenges the still-prevailing and anachronistic images of aging by documenting and revealing how the years between fifty and seventy-five may, in fact, be the most transformative and generative time in our lives, tracing the ways in which wisdom, experience, and new learning inspire individual growth and cultural transformation. The Third Chapter is not a how-to guide but a fascinating work of sociology, full of passionate and poignant stories of risk and vulnerability, failure and resilience, challenge and mastery, experimentation and improvisation, and insight and new learning. These stories reveal a whole world of learning and discovery awaiting those who want it. In The Third Chapter, Lawrence-Lightfoot captures a new moment in history and offers us a book rich with insight and hope about our endless capacity for change and growth. |
Average Customer Rating:    Later Life Learning I "enjoyed" reading through this book once, but it's not one I would re-read -- and towards the end it got a little tedious. The basic premise of the book is that adults ages 50 to 75 are still functional enough to learn new and challenging subjects. Sick commentary on this society (not the author's fault!) that folks actually feel compelled to write books to state what should be obvious. The greatest weakness of this book (especially for folks who may be looking for a little inspiration) is that it focuses on older adults who have no immediate financial worries. The discouraging underlying premise (pretty much acknowledged by the author) is that if you are having difficulty making ends meet, you are doomed to brain-dead, repetitious employment with little or no opportunity to reinvent yourself towards a more fulfilling existence in your "later" years. 3rd Chapter It only gets better The book was a very enjoyable read and was very insightful into the difficult but exciting changes that are available to us in life as we grow older. Going through the process is difficult but I am a firm believer that if you confront your issues ,we all come through it stronger and more vibrant. All journeys take time. Patience w/yourself and those you love ensures we all get there. A Good read!! Helpful to see how other people meet their challenges.Enjoy the ride!! Eloquence & Coherence
In an era when humans are living longer and healthier lives, this book sheds new light on the ramifications of this positive development in the human evolution. The author declares: "We must develop a compelling vision of late life, one that does not assume a trajectory of decline after fifty but recognizes this as a time of potential change, growth and new learning, a time when our courage gives us hope."
To demonstrate this she has written real life stories of 40 Americans. These stories reveal how people find purpose, meaning and ways to give back to the world by crossing the boundaries of place, discipline, race, class, generation, boundaries between art and science, boundaries between work and play. The stories also explain how the education, experience, skills and networks gained in the second chapter can be used to redefine life after 50, in refreshingly new ways.
The stories are polished with eloquence and the structure of the content is crafted with such beautiful coherence, that it is hard to put the book down. Like nature, this book tells you that humans too have an endless capacity for change and growth. Hence instead of declining after 50, it can be "the most transformative and generative time in our lives." This book inspires the reader to create a vision of his/her third chapter. A great book to read not just for people over 50 but for adults even in their second chapter, for its never too early to plan. All in all, a book that is absolutely delightful to read.
Ratna
Not the worst book about growth and aging As a sometime career consultant, I continue to search for a book targeting people at mid-life. This book seems to be about preparing for the years just past midlife, which Mary Pipher characterizes as the "young old."
As I've noted in reviewing other books, I often think it's impossible to write a really helpful book about this stage of life because (a) there just aren't a lot of choices for everyone and (b) there's such a variety of people, health levels, skills, aptitudes, background and more. Sara Lawrence-Lightfoot deals with (b) by focusing on a small slice of the population: educated, healthy people without financial worries. Within that group, she finds common patterns: a yearning for something that can't always be named, a resistance to change (possibly because successful people tend to resist changing a cherished identity) and finally a learning that differs from previous classroom experiences.
It is insights like this one that led me to give the book a 4-star rating rather than 3-star. I agree with reviewers who complained about the length of interviews, details of subjects' lives and narrowness of subject range. I also agree that the book doesn't present as many original ideas and frameworks as readers might expect from extensive research. But as a former academic myself, I think it's appropriate to work with a narrow sample, as long as you make it clear upfront, preferably in the book's title. There's value in asking explicitly, "If money were no object, how would people choose to enter their sixties and seventies?" At the same time, these people are insulated from many consequences of aging.
I also liked the author's review of the way the notions of aging and retirement have changed. I would have liked to see more on this topic. When I lived in New Mexico I met people who lived in those "55 and up" communities, including one woman who took care of her aging parents. When her mom died, she was in her early fifties: too young, according to the community. I also met people who wondered why I didn't want to live with my age-mates, an idea that makes me feel suffocated. It's good to have the historical perspective.
The best part of the book was the author's interview with economist Matthew Gladstone. Gladstone's perspective makes sense, possibly because I have a b-school background and enjoyed my economics courses. Gladstone suggests that as we continue doing work, the law of diminishing returns sets in. If I understand him correctly, I believe he might suggest that a successful lawyer might get enormous joy out of winning her first case, then her second...but at some point, she will be less joyful. It's like eating a meal when you're hungry; as you start feeling satisfied you don't enjoy the food as much.
I think we could extend economic thinking even further. When you reach a certain age, you certainly can invest whatever time, energy and money you have to learn something new or start a new venture. But your ROI - return on investment - will be limited. You might write one novel and maybe you will even sell it, but you won't have time to go on and write a series that would bring you the real rewards that come to authors after a long career.
I don't agree that the book reads like an academic article or a dissertation, having seen too many examples of the real thing. In fact, I think the book would be stronger if the author had introduced more sociological concepts to frame many examples. For instance, the interviewees made transitions from high-level professional or organizational settings to a more right-brained, artistic and/or spiritual focus. I know many people who never want to stop working. Volunteer work and the arts will never be enough for them (and I feel that way myself). The author notes that one interviewee, Pamela, feels frustrated because there are structural and institutional limits to her contribution. Yet anyone over 50 who wants to continue earning money faces much bigger challenges.
Finally, I admit to being jealous of those who found their new artistic callings. I wish I'd thought of singing lessons, but suspect I will still be advised to tap along to the songs rather than try to sing them. Over the past ten years, I've taken pottery classes in two different states. Each time I had less talent than anyone in the class. It was fun, though, and I just resumed. This time I decided to take on throwing. I still have less talent than anyone and I also have sore deltoids in my left arm. Still, I resonate to the experience of the interviewee, Josh, with learning the piano: trying to aim for a higher level does bring psychic rewards. Gives Us Encouragement for What We Already Yearn to Do As a life coach I especially appreciate this book. Many of my clients are Third Chapter people, and my experience of their desire to reinvent themselves in light of an outdated cultural paradigm about retirement echoes what is showcased in this book. I appreciate what may turn some others off, namely that the third chapter seems to be more open to exploration for those who live in relative safety. It makes sense to me that this be so, however. People who are dealing with survival issues wouldn't be able to focus on the reinvention process (Think Maslow's hierarchy of needs). If this book encourages people to make their unique contribution rather than expecting them to go into a retirement of leisure, how great is that!!?! In our present global unrest and paradigm-shifting, we need the people with heart, with life experience, and hard-won wisdom to make the difference they have time and inclination to make. The book is an easy read. If you're looking for a hard core text, this isn't it. |  |
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