New Passages: Mapping Your Life Across Time

This book is horrible. Fixating primarily on overachieving white people (and many more men than women), Sheehy draws "truths" from a ridiculously skewed data set. Even then her deductions seem to be of the pop psychology type. Like others of her ilk who appoint themselves to define trends, Sheehy bends the examples to fit her theses. She says that blue-collar data obtained from Family Circle magazine focus groups reinforced her conclusions, but the few times that she cites it, the data seems to refute them instead. Any book that can state the first transitional issue facing a man in his 50s is hair loss just can't be taken seriously. The 16 years that have transpired since she wrote it reinforce how trivial it is. What a waste of time.

Sheehy offers an interesting categorization of life stages in the context of American life as she has known it and lived it. She uses excerpts from the hundreds of interviews she conducted throughout the United States while preparing this book to prove her theory. Her stages have catchy labels: Tryout Twenties, Turbulent Thirties, Flourishing Forties, Flaming Fifties, Serene Sixties. Sheehy's attempt to make meaning of the mature years is most likely to become an artifact of its era, unable to cross cultures or time. Her passages depend too heavily on life as it is being lived in the 1990s in the United States of America. With the work of Erikson and Jung on developmental aging already on the book shelf and thoughtful contributions by show more such as Friedan, Schacter-Shalomi and Miller, and others, Sheehy's contribution is disappointing. (March 1995) show less

New Passages by Gail Sheehy is a book of ideas about growing older. It looks at the First Adulthood as a time when people spread their wings. They are competitive, daring, and strive to make their mark in society. It’s a time when women are most fertile. It’s therefore best for families to have children before they are older. During this period there is focus on one’s career development. Before this period it was only the predominantly white males who labored in the workforce. Presently it’s men and women who are the breadwinners. Women have come a long way since the 1950s, and many were able to obtain a college education. This achievement has made them especially competitive. They have just become the backbone of their show more household, while supporting their husbands, and family members at home.
In the Second Adulthood that starts at age 45, men and women are becoming more established in their careers. This is the time that unexpected events begin to happen. It could be sickness, divorce, loss of a spouse, remarriage, or being laid off from work. It becomes a challenge to adjust to these setbacks, so some workers have to switch gears, and find new vocations. Families change into non-traditional ones with blended households. Later in life, women become independent and more assertive after menopause. At this time in their 60s they might have the responsibility for caring for an ailing spouse, and even their own parents.
People are living longer. In later life Sheehy talks about those who begin new hobbies, travel, or decide to live alone. The author described how some women become sexually liberated. Wise women mentor younger ones. Their fulfillment is enhanced by their adoption of new approaches to life. Some on this quest lead them to be more spiritual. Women become members of groups that meet to support other women. They discuss issues concerning the dreams, and future of their lives.
The book New Passages is however dated, since it was published in 1996. It gives information about the benefits of estrogen for women that have since been known to cause cancer. Sheehy seems to focus on the well-to-do in the society. Individuals the writer used in her case studies were people of the upper class and professionals. The work would have been more appealing if it had surveyed a broader cross section of respondents. Any mention about blue-collar workers was rather limited. show less

It's a good read. It helped me understand the plight of others at different points in their lives and gave me insight and tips as to what I can expect. In all, I liked her first passages book the best. Still glad I read both!

Some parts were interesting but it's now 20 years old and it shows how quickly things have changed. Everyone would laugh at the idea that 50 is old now. A lot was very dull to read though. I wouldn't really bother unless you are doing a sociology degree.

It's a good read. It helped me understand the plight of others at different points in their lives and gave me insight and tips as to what I can expect. In all, I liked her first passages book the best. Still glad I read both!

Rated: C+