Agewise : fighting the new ageism in America / Margaret Morganroth Gullette.

Chicago ; London : University of Chicago Press, [2011], ©2011.

294 pages : illustrations ; 24 cm

Includes bibliographical references (p. 249-273) and index.

The new regimes of decline: A historical tsunami -- pt. 1. The hidden coercions of ageism. The eskimo on the ice floe: Is it aging or ageism that causes the pain? -- The mystery of Carolyn Heilbrun's suicide: Fear of aging, ageism, and the "duty to die" -- The oldest have borne most: Katrina and the politics of later life -- pt. 2. In the feminist country of later life. Hormone nostalgia: Estrogen, not menopause, is the public health menace -- Plastic wrap: Turning against cosmetic surgery -- Improving sexuality across the life course: Why sex for women is likely to get better with age -- pt. 3. Our best and longest-running story: Why is telling progress narrative so necessary, and so difficult? -- The daughters' club: Does Emma Woodhouse's father suffer from "dementia"? -- Overcoming the terror of forgetfulness: Why America's escalating dread of memory loss is dangerous to our human relations, our mental health, and public policy -- Elegies and romances of later life: Are there better ways to tell our saddest later-life stories? -- The next angels in America.