Overview

How longer lives, greater prosperity, and policy shifts are reshaping aging and retirement Once considered a period of frailty and physical decline, aging and retirement have transformed into a chapter of continued vitality and growth for many Americans. Indeed, medical advancements and government policies have opened opportunities for people to live longer and healthier lives. Written from the perspective of a retired historian, On Retirement reveals how and why retirement, aging, and longevity have emerged as prominent issues in the United States. David Horowitz assesses the factors that have shaped these discussions, from dramatic increases in life expectancy to shifting government policies. He explores how writers and entrepreneurs have seen and promoted long lives through movies, print and new media, senior housing, how-to books, and aging organizations. While popular media often enforces self-governance narratives to achieve a ""successful"" retirement, Daniel Horowitz examines how this success is often only accessible through expensive and time-consuming avenues. Moreover, he assesses the socioeconomic and existential challenges most Americans encounter as they age, shaping the choices available to them post-retirement. Ultimately, Horowitz shows that popular ""self-help"" perspectives on longevity have failed to account for how dramatic inequalities shape American experiences with retirement. Providing an expansive look into the history of retirement and seniors' profound fears surrounding finance, health, and longevity, On Retirement examines the changing demographics that have allowed people to live longer and healthier lives and offers a critical assessment of popular retirement advice.

Full Product Details

9781479841219

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Reviews

""With a knack for wonderful story telling and fascinating detail and the perspective of an esteemed cultural historian and ever-engaged and curious retired person, Daniel Horowitz offers the general reader a comprehensive look at the experience, dilemmas, and uniqueness of aging in modern America."" - Gary Cross, author of Free Time: The History of an Elusive Ideal ""America has been getting older by the minute – and has been for decades. We've done so the way we do everything: loudly, chaotically, and democratically. In On Retirement, Daniel Horowitz listens in on that conversation, brilliantly distilling retirement manuals and magazines and TikToks into an elegant narrative about an aging America."" - James Chappel, Duke University, Author of Golden Years (2024)

Author Information

Daniel Horowitz is Mary Huggins Gamble Professor Emeritus and Professor Emeritus of American Studies at Smith College. He is the author of 10 books, most recently, Bear With Me: A Cultural History of Famous Bears in America and American Dreams, American Nightmares: Culture and Crisis in Residential Real Estate from the Great Recession to the COVID-19 Pandemic.

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