Introduction: The new regimes of decline
A historical tsunami
The hidden coercions of ageism
The eskimo on the ice floe
Is it aging or ageism that causes the pain?
The mystery of Carolyn Heilbrun's suicide
Fear of aging, ageism, and the "duty to die"
The oldest have borne most
Katrina and the politics of later life
In the feminist country of later life
Hormone nostalgia
Estrogen, not menopause, is the public health menace
Plastic wrap
Turning against cosmetic surgery
Improving sexuality across the life course
Why sex for women is likely to get better with age
Our best and longest-running story
Why is telling progress narrative so necessary, and so difficult?
The daughters' club
Does Emma Woodhouse's father suffer from "dementia"?
Overcoming the terror of forgetfulness
Why America's escalating dread of memory loss is dangerous to our human relations, our mental health, and public policy
Elegies and romances of later life
Are there better ways to tell our saddest later-life stories?
Afterword: The next angels in America.