Book Review: JOURNEY FROM INVISIBILITY TO VISIBILITY

Sometimes, just in the nick of time, I'm sent a book that hits home. I've found, having achieved age 60, that things change. We have more role models for being age 60 than our mother's had, however. With people living until their 80s, we face retirement for far longer.

There is a dilemma, when society does not keep up to reality.
I'm tired of the phrase, 'Not your gramma's____' (insert a modern-day technology). Other ageist articles tell us how to force our mothers give up driving, or move to a senior's residence.

Life has changed for those of us who wear Arctic White hair. No longer do I have a work cadre of people who, even if they didn't socialize with me, we still talked every day. I've lost that. I've found purpose, in volunteering. I gave up being on volunteer committees, as they didn't possess my beliefs, want me, or my skills. There is too much politics in this.

In previous eras, grandmothers were the matriarch, at the centre of the family. More often than not, adult children must move for work, or involve step-families, which change the dynamics of a tribe. While some of us face loneliness at this stage of our lives, others can find opportunities for philanthropy and/or volunteerism. If you have health and wealth, you are really way ahead. Those with money can take grandkids traveling, or travel to see them. We can take trips for fun, with peers. It is a new age of growing old.

 This is a helpful book. It is a perfect book for a women's book club, or for those seeking to work through their thinking, attitudes, and their beliefs. There are strong opportunities for self-analysis, with historical context, real-life personal stories, and thoughtful end-of-chapters questions for reflection. There are reminders to take time for ourselves, but also others. To socialize, have fun, and enjoy life.

Authors Cindy Soloway,
Gail Harris and Marilyn Lesser

  In JOURNEY FROM INVISIBILITY TO VISIBILITY authors Gail Harris, Marilyn Lesser and Cynthia Soloway bring together a chorus of women who have, without any connection to each other, shared their stories about their dreams and disappointments. But the book is not merely a collection of stories; it is also a guide with information and strategies on how to incorporate the past into the picture of our present lives.

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@Barrie Summy