Aging Angry Making Peace with Rage

Fear of anger can ultimately be as destructive as expressed rage, fomenting social isolation, injustice, and misunderstanding. In Aging Angry: Making Peace with Rage, Amanda Smith Barusch argues that now, more than ever, it is time for older adults to turn toward anger rather than denying or avoiding it. By taking anger seriously, we can neutralize its destructive potential and harness its energy and wisdom for personal and social change.

Barusch draws upon the experiences of hundreds of older adults and a wealth of literary and academic sources to empower readers with new understanding of anger's sources, dynamics, and possibilities. Topics range from anger and race in the United States to mass violence committed by older adults to aged activists who have changed our world.

In rich and insightful prose, accompanied throughout by powerful case studies, Aging Angry forcefully demonstrates that anger--and even rage--can be transformative.

Amanda Smith Barusch, PhD, is Professor Emeritus at the University of Otago, New Zealand, and the University of Utah. She is known for her insightful narrative inquiries into the lives of older adults. Barusch served as Editor-in-Chief for the Journal of Gerontological Social Work (2009-2014) and is Deputy Editor-in-Chief for the Australasian Journal on Ageing. She serves on the Advisory Board of Aotearoa New Zealand Social Work Journal and is a fellow in the Gerontological Society of America.

Preface: Who's Angry Now?
Chapter 1: Aging While Angry
Chapter 2: Speaking of Anger
Chapter 3: Anger through the Ages
Chapter 4: Angry Bodies
Chapter 5: Women Cry / Men Rage
Chapter 6: Race & Anger in Later Life
Chapter 7: Elders on Social Media
Chapter 8: Lessons on Anger & Love
Chapter 9: Aging, Angry, and Armed to the Teeth
Chapter 10: Taming the Rage
Chapter 11: Embracing the Anger
Chapter 12: Changing the World
Conclusion: The Eye of the Heart
Appendices
Notes