As the baby boom generation ages, there are few ethnographies that capture the dynamics of aging. This new book is based on years of participant observation in "the Sands," a beautiful ocean community of well-off individuals and couples seeking the easy life. Yet the community members contend with deep uncertainties about health as they learn to face the realities of death. Identity, sexuality, gender, and conflict play into a sense of 'who belongs where,' who is counted a friend or stranger in the struggles of old age. Warren shows how the vicissitudes of the aging body center the present and become anchors for the past and future. Expressed in beautiful literary prose, this book moves beyond wealth to explore the realities of aging in poignant new ways that will enliven discussion in courses on gerontology, medical sociology, inequality, and many others.

Carol A. B. Warren is Professor Emerita of Sociology at the University of Kansas, USA.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments

Preface

Introduction: Island in the Sun

PART 1: The Sands

Chapter 1: Street Life/Private Spaces

Chapter 2: The Coconut Telegraph

PART 11: The Yacht Club

Chapter 3: Sociability/Affiliation/Competition

Chapter 4: Body/Sex/Gender

PART 111: Aging in Place

Chapter 5: Generations/Autobiographies

Chapter 6: Do Not Go Gentle into that Good Night

References

Index