Americans have always had a complicated relationship with aging-- and women have been on the front lines of the battle, willingly or not. Collins illustrates the ways in which age is an arbitrary concept that has swung back and forth over the centuries. From Plymouth Rock to the first female nominee for president, she provides a social history of American women and aging-- and gives women a reason to expect the best from what's to come. -- adapted...

The author explains how Texas politicians Bush, Cheney, Rove, & Perry created a conservative political agenda based on banking deregulation, lax environmental standards, draconian tax cuts, states rights, gun ownership, and sexual abstinence that is now sweeping the country and defining our national identity.