In our prime : the invention of middle age

 by Patricia Cohen. As those at the tail of the baby boom approach age 50, New York Times culture reporter Cohen lays out the history and current conditions of midlife, from the mid-19th century to the present. Framed by the large-scale, ongoing research project Midlife in the United States, sponsored by the National Institute on Aging, her book addresses the "midlife crisis" (largely fictitious or misidentified), the boom of anti-aging "self-improvement" industries, and gaps between myth and media portrayals and everyday reality regarding health, sexuality, and economic power. Our concept of middle age is persistent but ill-defined (Cohen notes that those who learned of her research topic inevitably asked, "When is it?"). Today's adults make choices that belie age-based descriptions of life stages. The digital revolution, multiplication of media outlets, and diversification of the population guarantee that contemporary Americans' midlife experiences will be heterogeneous. From generation to generation, middle age less defines its constituents than is defined by them. VERDICT This is an illuminating social history for students, social scientists, and all those who wonder whether they are middle-aged. --Library Journal (Check Catalog)