“In this brilliant, wide-ranging book… one persistent theme is that the very definition of middle age, or midlife, is a moving target...a story packed with surprising twists, masterfully told…Cohen’s lively prose and thoughtful insights make this a joy to read.“ –The Boston Globe
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I write about culture, ideas, books, theater, psychology, education and assorted other topics for The New York Times. My first book, In Our Prime: The Invention of Middle Age was just released by Scribner. Although the middle-aged make up the biggest, richest and most influential segment of the country, the history of middle age has remained largely untold. In Our Prime is a biography of the idea of middle age from its invention in the late nineteenth century to its current place at the center of American society, where it shapes the way we view our family, our professional obligations, and our inner lives. The book ranges over the entire landscape of midlife, exploring how its biological, psychological and social definitions have shifted from one generation to the next. Middle age has swung between being an emblem of power and wealth, and a symbol of decline. Explaining why, I take readers from turn-of-the-century factories that refused to hire middle-aged men to high-tech laboratories where researchers are currently conducting cutting-edge experiments on the middle-aged brain and body. I trace how middle age has been depicted in movies, advertisements, books, and TV shows: the sportscar-buying husband, the frigid housewife, the predatory cougar, and the first-time parent. I uncover the origins of myths like the midlife crisis and empty nest syndrome, and investigate middle-age medical procedures from monkey gland transplants to human growth hormones, estrogen therapy, Viagra, Botox, and facelifts. The book also reveals the inner workings of what I call the “Midlife Industrial Complex,” a trillion-dollar economy that serves both Boomers and Gen Xers.
Combining extensive research with original reporting, In Our Prime will compel readers to re-examine deeply held assumptions about a topic they think they already know.
Dear Ms Cohen,
I’m executive producer with Australia’s premier late night discussion program, Late Night Live, presented by Phillip Adams for the past 20 years. (www.abc.net.au/rn/latenightlive) We would love to interview you about your new book the Invention of Middle Age please if you could find time to speak to us. We would like to give you at least 25-30 minutes on air live, so there is enough time to canvass all your ideas. If you live on the US East Coast it would mean a live interview via telephone or Skype at 6.30am your time, Monday to Thursday. I would love to know whether you could give us some of your time anytime soon? Possibly the week after next – or even Monday 23rd January. I look forward to your response.
Kind regards,
Gail Boserio,
Executive Producer, “Late Night Live”,
ABC Radio National
Ah Patricia, you’ve hit it quite right. I am 61 years old (no surgery) and when I look at pictures of my mother and grandmother when they were my age, I am perplexed. It saddens me. They looked so hard and old.
Jo
Hello Patricia,
I publish a website called MidlifeLivingWell.com and I would love to review your book on my site. From the brief synopsis I have read, it looks like midlifers can be happy about their status in life if they want to be. So glad you chose this subject to study and share your findings.
Hi Patricia,
I publish an online magazine for midlifers called MidlifeLivingWell.com. I would love to review your book for my readers. Congratulations (and thanks) for choosing this subject, studying it and presenting your findings in your first book!
thanks — would love for you to do that. patti