Encore Adulthood
Boomers on the Edge of Risk, Renewal, and Purpose
Phyllis Moen
Reviews and Awards
"In Encore Adulthood, Phyllis Moen-our preeminent scholar of the emerging life course-illuminates the bonus decades opening up between middle years and anything resembling old age. Beautifully written and filled with moving stories, Moen's book offers insights for individuals navigating this new, exciting, but often poorly understood chapter, and for societies determined to make the most of the longevity revolution. This is a landmark book, one destined to reshape our thinking about the new map of life." -Marc Freedman, author of The Big Shift and CEO of Encore.org
"Phyllis Moen opens our eyes to the emergence of this entirely new life stage, illuminating both the challenges it poses and the opportunities it offers as full-time paid work and family-building come to an end. Social scientists, policy makers, and individuals of all ages should pay close attention and follow the lead of this pioneering work." - Kathleen Gerson, author of The Unfinished Revolution
"Conventional adulthood unravels and encore adulthood emerges. Moen, with great insight, describes in this masterful book the social construction of the past and the possibilities of an enriched and fully engaged future for older men and women." -Lisa Berkman, Thomas D. Cabot Professor of Public Policy and Epidemiology, Harvard University
"Phyllis Moen has skillfully woven together an explanation of what baby boomers are attempting to do with their lives as they age in the twenty-first century. The book is a welcome addition to a growing body of work on a generation in need of understanding." --Contemporary Sociology