Dented Cans and Classic Cars centers on Daniel Krause’s experiences with moving to a retirement community and covers the entire – sometimes difficult – experience, from deciding on a move and picking a place to live to the frustrations of downsizing and his personal reactions after they moved into “the home.”
Dented Cans and Classic Cars is about growing older and the feelings it generates in a person who spent much of his career studying the aging process. The chapters have a series of pithy comments that only a professional sociologist with a finely honed sense of humor could make.
The writing is lighthearted, often humorous, and filled with unique insights into the problems, issues, and unique perspectives that are part of getting older in America. Dented Cans and Classic Cars answers some questions people never thought to ask, and the email supplements in each chapter provide fascinating and intensely personal insights into the author’s thoughts.
Nathan Aguinaga didn’t enlist in the Army planning to be a career soldier—a “lifer”—but the Army had other plans. He entered the world of light infantry in one of the nation’s top-tier rapid-deployment military units in the early 1990s and would continue for most of the next twenty years as a part of the famed 82nd Airborne Division. Lifer is the comprehensive account of his career journey as a paratrooper, drill sergeant, Army Ranger, and combat veteran.
From the high-tempo daily life of the 82nd Airborne Division to a year spent on the Korean DMZ to time spent as a drill sergeant to the daunting task of successfully completing Ranger School to his time spent in Iraq and even to a support deployment in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, Master Sergeant (Retired) Aguinaga tells his unvarnished story of Army life—the trials and tribulations, the joys and sorrows, and the humor found in even the darkest moments of duty.
Based on the latest research on aging, along with hundreds of interviews and focus groups with retirees ages sixty-five to ninety-five, Marilyn Laken has written a comprehensive guide to living into old age. Her unique background as a nurse and a biological anthropologist provides a rich context to topics such as why we age, the role that culture plays in how older adults are treated, and even what kind of ancestor we want to be. She covers everything from early retirement to end of life. As Marilyn explains, “Aging is biological and cultural. It is a time of discovery and a time of loss. Most of us are unprepared.” From the biology of aging to dealing with ageism and making decisions about where and how to live and what to do with our stuff, this book covers it all.
After months of puzzling symptoms, Kenneth Kann’s dad is diagnosed with a “dread disease,” amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, ALS. His dad and mom try to grasp this life-shattering news. It triggers disturbing realizations that at thirty-five, a proud survivor of sixties radicalism and the counterculture, Kenneth is leading a marginal life as a freelance writer and part-time teacher in Berkeley California. He is still battling with his dad. He is not prepared for his dad to be sick. He cannot absorb what he reads about ALS and what may happen to his dad. He is stunned by his parents’ tears. He goes home to help his mom, his dad, and himself.
As a group of climbing friends puts it, when attempting a rock climb under the threat of inclement weather, you must “feel the rock” to determine whether to proceed. If the rock is dry, you climb!
Feel the Rock is a story of living in the second poorest country in the Western Hemisphere, being immersed in the culture, climbing the high peaks of the Andes, and surviving deep loneliness and frustration on the path to personal and spiritual growth. It is a tale of being utterly uncomfortable physically, mentally, spiritually, psychologically, and financially. It is a revelation of what can happen when one is pushed to the breaking point. And it is an inspiration to take the risk of touching your inner heart/soul/consciousness—your rock—to live a fuller life.
After all, can you make big, important life decisions without knowing who you truly are? Without feeling the rock first?
In the summer of 1855, the nation cast its eyes on the working-class port of Norfolk and Portsmouth, Virginia. A ship named the Benjamin Franklin had steamed in from the West Indies harbor of St. Thomas—where yellow fever had hopped from ship to ship that winter—and tied up at a dock for repairs.
The ship unleashed the seeds of an epidemic on an unsuspecting population, and it didn’t take long for the first victims of yellow fever to fall. In the 100 days from late June 1855 until the first frost quelled the mosquito population, residents of the two cities confronted an unknown and unseen airborne stalker that killed one of every three people. The Fever is the never-before-told story of the deadliest epidemic in American history. It’s the story of a summer when the only things that mattered were life and death.
Think you know football? Not until you ride along with “Sweet Lou” Hammond as he pursues his dream of officiating in the National Football League—a dream he discovers comes at a steep price.
More than a sports journal, Lou’s story is a hilarious and heroic journey from the hardscrabble lot at Baltimore’s Radecke Park to the manicured lawn at M&T Bank Stadium, home of the Baltimore Ravens. His whistle-stops to success include every level of the game from sandlot to professional. Go behind the scenes and learn about the third team that plays every down. See the game between the white lines and from the press box. Meet the players, owners, and fans who created today’s football juggernaut.
As “Sweet Lou” says: “It’s the best seat in the house, but you have to stand.”
Why do men commit acts of violence, struggle to talk about their emotions, misuse their power, or take risks with their health? The Problem with Men offers a surprising answer. Dr. Ron Levant, a world-renowned psychologist, has spent his career trying to understand men like his abusive father as well as his own perplexing behavior. Using his lived experience as the backdrop, Levant takes readers on a gripping and, at times, heartbreaking journey of discovery, providing a rare front-seat glimpse at acid tests, threesomes, communes, state psychiatric institutions, jails, encounter groups, therapy sessions, wayward youth programs, fatherhood courses, and Berkeley protest movements. With grace, honesty, and insight, Dr. Levant reveals his own struggles to overcome his upbringing and become a better man in his quest to help readers understand the societal forces that shape men for the better—and the worse.
