You're Doing What?

Tales of creative, daring older women have existed for generations. An ancient Athabascan legend tells of two elderly women abandoned by their migrating tribe. Overcoming the terrors of starvation and death, the women survived by depending upon their learned but previously unused skills in hunting, fishing, and shelter-building. Like the legend, the stories in this book remind us: we tell our stories to make sense of our experiences and to point the way to others. This wonderful collection of first-person accounts will encourage you, regardless of age or gender, to think about how you want to live as you grow older. Fortunately, unlike the ancient Athabascans, we live in a time of longer lives and expanding opportunities for women although, obviously, many barriers persist. In this book, you'll see women of different races, classes, and sexual orientations face various challenges and choices as they age. A loving daughter recounts how her mother moved beyond a "bare and unadorned" Mississippi upbringing. A California Chicana counters her mother's denial of her Mexican heritage. A bisexual polyamorist rejects a life like her mother's. There are (relatively) young elders - the writer/teacher/poet grappling with her legacy - and older ones - the nonagenarian New Englander investing (monetarily) in the future. And there are women who refuse to succumb to disabilities - like the retired history professor, with rheumatoid arthritis, now writing poetry. All are embracing new adventures and changing what it means to be an "older woman."