Overview

America's 39 million female Baby Boomers (US Census, 2016)-currently 54 to 72 years old-are beginning to cross the threshold into later life in a largely age-unfriendly culture, and are thus especially ripe for good news about growing older. Women of all ages (125.9 million, according to the 2014 US Census) suffer from lingering ageist stereotypes that overemphasize the losses of age, fail to recognize its many surprising gifts, and are especially demeaning of older women. American's 50 million men over fifty (AARP) are also affected by the widespread aversion to age. AUDIENCE: Baby Boomers, especially women Women of all ages Men over fifty

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9781631523793

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Reviews

I am sitting on the back porch of our condo bawling. I just finished Saving Bobby and I am filled with a belief that this 349-page book is the bravest thing I have ever seen in print. As Renee Hodges made it so clear in the end and was so apparent in each page, this is her story and maybe her eventual salvation. This process has brought Hodges to her darkest places and she found her salvation there. This sounds simple but I know how really hard that is. No one wants to do that. But she did. --Dr. William H. Davis, Orthopedic Surgeon As an orthopaedic surgeon, I can say that we have faced the Perfect Storm in unwittingly facilitating opioid addiction in our patients . . . This has created an environment where the downstream catastrophe of opioid addiction has not been prioritized or even really thought much about. Renee Hodges has now given us a very loud, clear wakeup call that we must heed . . . One has to ponder the tremendous good fortune and massive effort required to shepherd Bobby through the process of recovery. --Claude T. Moorman, III, MD, Executive Director, Duke Sports Sciences Institute and Head Team Physician, Duke Athletics If you have a recovering substance abuser in your life or even if you don't, this is an engaging read and a page turner. A truly inspiring look at a young man who was on a downward spiral until he found the right person to help him. --Linsey L. Hughes, Executive in Residence, Duke Financial Economics Center Renee Hodges spent a courageous year on the front lines of opiate addiction by taking in her struggling nephew, Bobby. Her story of his addiction odyssey is an all-too-common and silent experience in modern America. This story . . . exposes how difficult addiction can be, how it can be found anywhere--rich or poor--and ultimately how it may be overcome. Hodges's story grips the reader from the very first page. Out of her experience with her nephew comes an immensely moving and ultimately uplifting portrait of one American family as it confronts--and surmounts--addiction and fear. --Mimi Lukens, Senior Lecturer at Law, Duke Law School The behind-the-scenes story, which Hodges so beautifully described, was gut-wrenching, but for those searching for hope with a family member or loved one, I believe this book could be life changing. --Becky Wood, AFLAC Senior Sales Rep As a middle school/upper elementary teacher for the past twenty years, this book reminded me how easily and how many people have family members or friends who suffer from addiction. There is no shame or reason to judge; rather, we should accept who they are and offer them support. Everyone should read this book. --Louise Tranchin, middle school and upper elementary teacher Having worked with middle schoolers for years, I've seen many young people from every socioeconomic group struggle with substance abuse. Addiction in their families, of their friends, and of their own, often resulting in permanent emotional and physical scaring. Teachers and parents will benefit from reading this eye-opening account into what might be an unfamiliar reality. --Denise E. Carr, junior high and middle school science teacher Hodges bravely shares the events leading to Bobby's addiction and places them in context--letting us see family behaviors and cultural patterns that contributed to the challenge. She confronts the stigma of shame surrounding addiction--in a real and personal way. The book is also a love story: a story of a woman who refuses to do the convenient thing and give up on her nephew. Its message provides encouragement for the many families that are involved in this same struggle. --Ruth Caccavale Founder, Bull City Book Club, Durham, NC As a practicing pediatrician facing the challenges of a growing number of ever younger opioid abusers, and the ripple effect it has on the families and the communities they live in, I find Renee Hodges's book couldn't be more timely. Hodges's straightforward approach, common sense, humor, and honesty bring a heartfelt reality to a growing problem faced by far too many. This book is a must-read for all of us. --Kim Leversedge MD, Board Certified Pediatrician Start to tell anyone the premise behind Renee Hodges's remarkable book, and odds are they'll stop you before you get two sentences out. Their faces betray stunned recognition--'That's what happened to my brother's youngest daughter'; 'Oh dear heaven, you could be talking about my oldest son'; 'My best friend's son died from an overdose when he was twenty, she's never been the same --because this story, though it is so poignantly Bobby and Renee's story, belongs to us all. None of us has gone untouched by this tragic, life-altering epidemic. Saving Bobby strikes a chord in all of us: drawn by the larger picture of a frightening epidemic, we are caught in the gripping drama of the personal. This is a book you cannot put down. This is a story you cannot forget--nor should you. --Dee Mason, journalist, author, playwright, and public speaker

Susan Stewart guides her readers through the thorny thicket of aging in America to a quiet clearing where misconceptions of old age are peeled away and our fears are not denied but embraced. We're lead with gentle hands through solid cross-cultural, age-old traditions--with short excursions into psychology, contemporary science, poetry, and the wisdom of older women--that help to re-awaken our own forgotten memories and understandings of what it is to grow old. With the skill of an alchemist, Stewart invites us to explore eleven qualities that ripen in later life and can transform the leaden fear of aging into a grateful recognition that the 'golden years' are indeed gold. This book is to be read and then reread, one chapter at a time, whenever an infusion of audacity, contentment, agelessness, or courage is needed. --Jackie Cato, retired bilingual teacher In this wise volume, Susan Stewart offers a compelling vision of what aging can be, not only for women but for us all. In particular, the eleven qualities she dubs as 'the Graces of Winter' articulate a profound depth-psychological model, rooted both in contemporary, cutting-edge research, and ancient wisdom. --David Van Nuys, PhD, Emeritus Professor of Psychology and creator/host of the Shrink Rap Radio podcast Dr. Susan Stewart's book is a gift to all of us who are making the transition to late adulthood. Written in a beautiful, moving, personal, and descriptive style, her work draws on the truths of science and a myriad of traditions, cultures, and stories, and weaves these together into a seamless, rich tapestry. Dr. Stewart's writing has reaffirmed that I am not alone with the challenges that I am facing in the second half of life, and has given me the courage and perspective to forge onward with a renewed optimism about life and all that it has to teach me. Her book has given me permission to be my own unique and authentic self as I attempt to master the art of living fully and joyfully. I look forward to rereading Dr. Stewart's work many times as I hold it as a companion on my life's journey. --David F. Sowerby, PhD, consultant, author, and Adjunct Faculty Member in the Psychology Departments at Sonoma State University, Sofia University, and Dominican University of California Susan Stewart's book, aptly named Winter's Graces, is full of grace. For me, reading it was like opening a treasure box and discovering that a time of life I was anticipating with some dread is actually rich in beauty and other blessings. I envision groups of women coming together to receive its reassuring wisdom and to be awakened to the inviting possibilities that age has to offer. --Margaret, Potts, retired teacher I am sitting on the back porch of our condo bawling. I just finished Saving Bobby and I am filled with a belief that this 349-page book is the bravest thing I have ever seen in print. As Renee Hodges made it so clear in the end and was so apparent in each page, this is her story and maybe her eventual salvation. This process has brought Hodges to her darkest places and she found her salvation there. This sounds simple but I know how really hard that is. No one wants to do that. But she did. --Dr. William H. Davis, Orthopedic Surgeon As an orthopaedic surgeon, I can say that we have faced the Perfect Storm in unwittingly facilitating opioid addiction in our patients . . . This has created an environment where the downstream catastrophe of opioid addiction has not been prioritized or even really thought much about. Renee Hodges has now given us a very loud, clear wakeup call that we must heed . . . One has to ponder the tremendous good fortune and massive effort required to shepherd Bobby through the process of recovery. --Claude T. Moorman, III, MD, Executive Director, Duke Sports Sciences Institute and Head Team Physician, Duke Athletics If you have a recovering substance abuser in your life or even if you don't, this is an engaging read and a page turner. A truly inspiring look at a young man who was on a downward spiral until he found the right person to help him. --Linsey L. Hughes, Executive in Residence, Duke Financial Economics Center Renee Hodges spent a courageous year on the front lines of opiate addiction by taking in her struggling nephew, Bobby. Her story of his addiction odyssey is an all-too-common and silent experience in modern America. This story . . . exposes how difficult addiction can be, how it can be found anywhere--rich or poor--and ultimately how it may be overcome. Hodges's story grips the reader from the very first page. Out of her experience with her nephew comes an immensely moving and ultimately uplifting portrait of one American family as it confronts--and surmounts--addiction and fear. --Mimi Lukens, Senior Lecturer at Law, Duke Law School The behind-the-scenes story, which Hodges so beautifully described, was gut-wrenching, but for those searching for hope with a family member or loved one, I believe this book could be life changing. --Becky Wood, AFLAC Senior Sales Rep As a middle school/upper elementary teacher for the past twenty years, this book reminded me how easily and how many people have family members or friends who suffer from addiction. There is no shame or reason to judge; rather, we should accept who they are and offer them support. Everyone should read this book. --Louise Tranchin, middle school and upper elementary teacher Having worked with middle schoolers for years, I've seen many young people from every socioeconomic group struggle with substance abuse. Addiction in their families, of their friends, and of their own, often resulting in permanent emotional and physical scaring. Teachers and parents will benefit from reading this eye-opening account into what might be an unfamiliar reality. --Denise E. Carr, junior high and middle school science teacher Hodges bravely shares the events leading to Bobby's addiction and places them in context--letting us see family behaviors and cultural patterns that contributed to the challenge. She confronts the stigma of shame surrounding addiction--in a real and personal way. The book is also a love story: a story of a woman who refuses to do the convenient thing and give up on her nephew. Its message provides encouragement for the many families that are involved in this same struggle. --Ruth Caccavale Founder, Bull City Book Club, Durham, NC As a practicing pediatrician facing the challenges of a growing number of ever younger opioid abusers, and the ripple effect it has on the families and the communities they live in, I find Renee Hodges's book couldn't be more timely. Hodges's straightforward approach, common sense, humor, and honesty bring a heartfelt reality to a growing problem faced by far too many. This book is a must-read for all of us. --Kim Leversedge MD, Board Certified Pediatrician Start to tell anyone the premise behind Renee Hodges's remarkable book, and odds are they'll stop you before you get two sentences out. Their faces betray stunned recognition--'That's what happened to my brother's youngest daughter'; 'Oh dear heaven, you could be talking about my oldest son'; 'My best friend's son died from an overdose when he was twenty, she's never been the same --because this story, though it is so poignantly Bobby and Renee's story, belongs to us all. None of us has gone untouched by this tragic, life-altering epidemic. Saving Bobby strikes a chord in all of us: drawn by the larger picture of a frightening epidemic, we are caught in the gripping drama of the personal. This is a book you cannot put down. This is a story you cannot forget--nor should you. --Dee Mason, journalist, author, playwright, and public speaker

Author Information

Susan Stewart, PhD is an emerita professor of psychology, a retired psychotherapist, a speaker and workshop facilitator, and a baby boomer who recently turned seventy-two. She belongs to a women’s group that has been meeting for forty-eight years. Susan is blessed with four grandchildren—Natalie (22), Madison (19), Lona (6), and Lukas (4)—and two grown sons, Avery and Logan. She is a singer and cellist and loves to dance.

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