Stephanie T. (stephkayeturner) reviewed on 8/29/2015 + 35 more book reviews

Passages by Gail Sheehy is a book that I saw lying around the house a lot when I was a kid. Since I am writing a memoir about my mom, I thought I'd read some of her favorite books. Turns out to be perfect timing. It's about the various phases of life leading up to the mid-life crisis. According to Sheehy, when we are young adults, many of us rush into choosing a role so that we can "get on" with life. This may entail denying parts of ourselves in order to better conform to that role, whether it's as a wife and mother, or go-getter professional. As mid-life approaches, many people start to realize the narrowness of that role and the sacrifices demanded by taking it on. We throw off those self-imposed limits and start a second exploration of self, perhaps in a wiser and less hurried frame of mind, though more conscious of our own mortality. A great read and still relevant, even though it was written in the mid-70s.

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