Play Audiobook Sample
In Our Prime: The Invention of Middle Age Audiobook
Play Audiobook Sample
(2.97) - 65 listener ratings
Quick Stats About this Audiobook
Total Audiobook Chapters:
Longest Chapter Length:
Shortest Chapter Length:
Average Chapter Length:
Audiobooks by this Author:
Publisher Description
From the New York Times reporter whose beat is culture and ideas
comes a fascinating, revelatory, and timely social history of the
concept of middle age. For the first time ever, the middle-aged make up
the biggest, richest, and most influential segment of the country, yet
the history of middle age has remained largely untold. This important
and immensely readable book finally fills the gap.
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 families, our professional
obligations, and our inner lives. Patricia Cohen 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 been a symbol both of decline and of power and wealth.
Explaining why, Cohen takes readers from early-twentieth-century
factories that refused to hire middle-aged men to twenty-first-century
high-tech laboratories where researchers are currently conducting
cutting-edge experiments on the middle-aged brain and body.
Download and start listening now!
"So the book really is about the "invention" part. The author is really railing against the bummer labels that happen to people in middle age. It is a dense, but fun read."
— Jen (4 out of 5 stars)
Quotes
-
“This comprehensive and entertaining social history highlights the possibilities of the middle years and shows how middle age reflects the attitudes and customs of each generation that passes through it.”
— Publishers Weekly -
A cool, well-documented account that puts the concept of middle age into historical context.
— Kirkus -
“Pam Ward narrates with tones of playfulness and a bit of cynicism…Her voice reflects Cohen’s irritation with employers and marketers who value the younger generation.”
— AudioFile -
“This is an illuminating social history for students, social scientists, and all those who wonder whether they are middle-aged.”
— Library Journal -
“A cool, well-documented account that puts the concept of middle age into historical context.”
— Kirkus Reviews
In Our Prime Listener Reviews
-
" Interesting that the concept of middle age is somewhat of a media campaign. Like many non fiction books, I felt like it would have been better, shorter. "
— Jen, 9/12/2013 -
" Overall the idea is good. I found the beginning a bit slow and then as she talked about the science and research it became more interesting and then my interest waned with the marketing/television bit. I feel that it did not really enlighten me on any level. "
— Sharon, 7/26/2013 -
" Wasen`t really into it. It didn`t teach me anything new. "
— Blackieblack, 6/26/2013 -
" I liked the idea behind this book, but it dragged at times because it seemed that the author needed to give (too) many examples for each idea. I'm glad I read it, because it made me think about the way that our society views middle age and especially the middle-aged body. "
— Ashlie, 4/19/2013 -
" I enjoyed this enormously and recommend it to anyone anywhere near middle age. "
— Sarah, 11/9/2012 -
" Intro was interesting. Couldn't get through much more. "
— Tracy, 6/9/2012 -
" Reads like a textbook. Some part very slow; other parts humorous.. "
— Kathy, 5/26/2012 -
" This book is somewhat entertaining, and slightly educational. Not much new in this book, and certainly nothing that you couldn't read about in many other books. Pretty much a big yawn. "
— David, 3/23/2012
About Patricia Cohen
Patricia Cohen is a New York Times who covers culture and ideas. She has also worked at Rolling Stone, the Washington Post, and New York Newsday. Cohen’s work has been included in the writing textbook The Longman Writer, and she is a contributor to the four-volume series The New York Times Guide to the Arts of the 20th Century.
About Pam Ward
Pam Ward, an AudioFile Earphones Award–winning narrator, found her true calling reading books for the blind and physically handicapped for the Library of Congress’ Talking Books program. The fact that she can work with Blackstone Audio from the beauty of the mountains of Southern Oregon is an unexpected bonus.