Gail Sheehy Books

At last, this is your story. You'll recognize yourself, your friends, and your loves. You'll see how to use each life crisis as an opportunity for creative change -- to grow to your full potential. Gail Sheehy's brilliant road map of adult life shows the inevitable personality and sexual changes we go through in our 20s, 30s, 40s, and beyond. The Trying 20s -- The safety of home left behind, we begin trying on life's uniforms and possible partners in search of the perfect fit. The Catch 30s -- illusions shaken, it's time to make, break, or deepen life commitments. The Forlorn 40s -- Dangerous years when the dreams of youth demand reassessment, men and women switch characteristics, sexual panic is common, but the greatest opportunity for self-discovery awaits. The Refreshed (or Resigned) 50s -- Best of life for those who let go old roles and find a renewal of purpose. From the Paperback edition.

Millions have found their lives defined by Gail Sheehy's landmark bestseller, which prompted her to explore a historic revolution in the adult life cycle. People are maturing later and living longer; a healthy fifty-year-old woman can expect to reach her ninety-second birthday, while men also enjoy extended life spans. Traditional markers of adulthood—starting at twenty-one and ending at sixty-five—are outdated. Sheehy introduces a new concept: a Second Adulthood in middle life. She encourages readers to "stop and recalculate," viewing turning forty-five as the beginning of a new life. Instead of decline, those who embrace this phase experience deeper meaning, renewed playfulness, and creativity, transcending both male and female menopause. Through personal interviews, national surveys, and fresh findings from decades of U.S. Census data, Sheehy vividly illustrates these emerging stages. Blending scholarly analysis with compelling storytelling, she helps us understand our lives through the experiences of others. This groundbreaking work empowers us to customize our life cycles, fundamentally changing how we perceive ourselves. Critics praise it as an optimistic examination of adult development amidst complex realities, making it a significant contribution to contemporary thought.

From the flyleaf: "The best-selling author of Passages returns with a myth-shattering investigation of America's last taboo: menopause. "All women face menopause, but, as gail Sheehy so compellingly reveals in interviews with women from a broad spectrum of economic, ethnic, and racial backgrounds, the passage is seldom easy. Distracting symptoms, confusing medical advice, unsympathetic reactions from loved ones, and the scornful attitudes of socieyt-at-large often make menopause a lonely and emotionally draining experience. "[...] Sheehy sets out to erase the stigma of menopause and 'render normalcy to a normal physical process.'"

A Harvard psychiatrist presents an intimate and thought-provoking collection of case histories that explores a wide range of sexual problems while providing an illuminating look at the process of psychotherapy. "Glenmullen's case histories . . . have the feel of detective stories".--Chicago Tribune.