Losing It

In the opening pages of this irresistible book, William Ian Miller warns, "the general themes... may strike some as glum and grim". Yet humour leavens each page as he confronts old age, its humiliations, and its undeniable hardships.

Taking an entirely original approach – using personal reflection, social science analysis, and above all a deep knowledge of Anglo-Saxon literature and culture – Miller frees us from facile stereotypes and presents a new portrait of old age that is honest, nuanced, and enriched by an understanding of the human experience of aging since Greek and Roman antiquity. As millions of Baby Boomers face inevitable decline and the prospect of "losing it", researchers in the positive psychology movement spin a rosy new picture of old age: people in their 60s and beyond are happier than younger folks, embracing this uniquely fulfilling phase of life. But Miller takes aim at such a fatuous denial of the hazards of old age. He debunks patronizing views and unflinchingly redirects us to consider what it is like when "your mental abilities are on a bullet train heading south".

Covering issues that range from retirement rituals and the art of complaining to vengeance strategies and going out in style, Miller gives us a unique and more candid way of thinking about growing old and how the indignities of aging might be experienced without entirely "losing it".