Announcement

Aging Angry

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Amanda Barusch
amandabarusch.com
Amanda@amandabarusch.com
801-518-1366

It’s Never Too Late To Get Good and Mad

New research on older adults reveals the importance of turning towards anger rather than repressing it.

Salt Lake City, UT: In August 2017, Amanda Barusch's new boss publicly announced that she was in the “twilight” of her career. She knew he had a mandate to get rid of the “dead wood,” but never imagined that meant her. At 62, she was not even eligible for full social security benefits. The boss spearheaded a systematic campaign to purge the College of its senior faculty, Barusch included. Most went quietly, but she got angry. 

In her new book, Barusch shares her own struggles with anger and reports on original research she conducted, interviewing and surveying hundreds of older adults, including those who channeled their anger into personal and social change. Drawing also from a vast store of scholarship on anger, the resulting book challenges enduring myths and assumptions about anger and age even as it underscores the hazards associated with attempts to repress this powerful emotion. 

Aging Angry taps into the experiences and insights of hundreds of older adults. Readers will learn about: 

•  State-of-the-art research on the physiology of emotions;

• Injustices and microaggressions that have their roots in ageism;

• What the words and metaphors we choose say about our assumptions;

• the history of anger and revenge;

• how gender influences our expression of anger;

• how very dangerous it can be to ignore anger;

• what works (and what doesn't) in anger management programs; and

• tools for turning towards anger and making peace (and change) with rage.

Amanda Barusch is an emeritus professor with appointments in the U.S. and New Zealand. A fellow in the Gerontological Society of America, she has published eight major books and scores of articles in professional journals on the topic. She served as Editor-in-Chief for the Journal of Gerontological Social Work and now works on the editorial team of the Australasian Journal on Aging. After 40 years of study in the field, at 67 she can now proudly announce that she has achieved old age.

She dedicates the book “To grumpy, cantankerous, and obstreperous elders everywhere.” She says, “I hope this book will persuade readers to take anger seriously. It is, above all, a great source of focus and energy. Channeled properly, anger can change our lives and our world.”

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CONTACT: Amanda Barusch, 801-518-1366
Amanda@amandabarusch.com

Book Cover Images

Aging Angry

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Descriptions

Aging Angry

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Log Line

(29 words)

Have you ever wondered why you get angry all the time? Ever worried that your anger was out of control? Do you freeze when people around you are angry?

Pitch

(63 words)

Anger can be frightening, even dangerous - so much so that it's easy to forget that anger can provide energy and direction for much-needed change. Older adults have a lot to be angry about. Aging Angry tells their stories and draws from a wealth of literary and academic sources to offer a new understanding of anger that is especially relevant to these angry times.

Brief Description

(82 words)

Fear of anger can ultimately be as destructive as expressed rage, fomenting social isolation, injustice, and misunderstanding. In rich and insightful prose, Aging Angry draws upon the experiences of hundreds of older adults and a wealth of literary and academic sources to empower readers with a new understanding of anger’s sources, dynamics, and possibilities. The book unearths the deeper meaning of these angry times and urges readers to take anger seriously; to harness its energy and wisdom for personal and social change. 

Standard Description

(148 words)

 Aging Angry introduces a new perspective on anger in later life. It draws upon the author’s own experiences of anger, both in the workplace and in the family, as well as interviews and surveys with hundreds of older adults. The book offers: 

• Fascinating interviews with older adults about their experiences and understandings of anger

• A wealth of academic sources and a dozen expert interviews

• State-of-the-art research on the physiology of emotions

• In depth treatment of ageism and the injustices and microaggressions it engenders

• Wide-ranging consideration of how anger is expressed in English and other languages

• A history of anger and revenge

• Discussion of gender differences and similarities

• Exploration of the intersection between race and late life anger

• Lessons on anger and love

• In depth consideration of late life mass murderers

• A critique of anger management programs

• Tools for turning towards anger and making peace (and change) with rage

Endorsements

Aging Angry

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In Aging Angry, distinguished gerontologist, Amanda Barusch, confronts her own justified fury at having been pushed into unwanted university retirement by diving into original research on gray rage, while also providing a sobering survey of anger across history, philosophy and culture. She argues that the smoldering anger associated with late life, rather than an unsightly negative emotion to be reproached, often stems from legitimate causes. By leaning into one’s consternation, she contends, we may harness our ire with productive purposes, from resolving family estrangement to protesting injustice, like the Raging Grannies. Barusch inverts the old cliché of Boston politics, as if she’d counsel, “Don’t get even, get mad!” And make worthwhile change.

—Paul Kleyman
National Coordinator, Journalists Network on Generations

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Jump-started by her own unexpected and shocking experience of ageism in academe, Amanda Barusch's Aging Angry is eminently reasonable for a book about anger, the righteous, intelligent kind that surfaces as we grow older and are likely to encounter and observe more injustice—especially toward older adults, women, people with disabilities or low incomes, and later-life activists who fight the power. Barusch's fascinating interviews with "grumpy, cantankerous, and obstreperous elders" deepen our interest in using this primary emotion effectively to heal our nations of the common curse of ageism and improve the world.

—Margaret Morganroth Gullette
author of Ending Ageism, or How Not to Shoot Old People

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Superbly researched with stories interwoven to amplify our understanding of anger through multiple lenses: historical, cultural, psychological, and philosophical. Additionally, Barusch provides a highly personal perspective, as her experience of being pushed out of academia provided the impetus to explore anger with a gerontological twist. This work fills a gap in knowledge about … anger and its various manifestations. It’s a clear and compelling read.

—Constance Corley
Emeritus Professor, Cal State Los Angeles Source

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Drawing upon the great philosophers, religion, psychology, and her interviews with older adults and experts, Barusch comprehensively analyzes anger—an emotion often stigmatized, especially among older women, and relatively invisible in the field of gerontology. Her own personal experience with anger upon her retirement fueled her interest in the paradox faced by older adults of living forward while looking backward, which often underlies their anger. When older adults realize that love and anger can coexist and turn their anger into activism, they experience personal growth and oftentimes become activists for social change.

—Nancy Hooyman
Dean Emeritus, University of Washington School of Social Work

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With wisdom, wit, and style, Amanda Barusch affirms anger as an emotion to be embraced constructively as we age into later adulthood. From surveying world history and mythology to psychology and neuroscience, Dr. Barusch describes the nuanced nature of anger’s relationship with the human experience. She draws on lessons learned through interviews to provide a roadmap for older adults to activate their anger to live fuller lives and improve the social good. In doing so, Dr. Barusch’s book arrives as a fresh and necessary tome to challenge and inspire all of us to reconsider the positive role and utility of anger in our lives.

—Mitch Rosenwald
Professor of Social Work, Director of Doctoral Studies, Barry University School of Social Work

Excerpt

Aging Angry

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Preface: Who’s Angry Now?

Old age should burn and rage at close of day.

(Dylan Thomas, 1947)[1]

We were all on our best behavior for the first faculty meeting of that fall. The beginning of a new school year is always exciting and this time we had a new dean to welcome. Dressed for success, we jockeyed for position at the huge rectangular conference table. I stationed myself mid-table, behind a fresh clean notebook and a cup of herbal tea. The cast of characters had grown larger and more diverse during my 34 years on the faculty. Looking at my colleagues, I felt a surge of pride. I had chaired the committees that hired most of these bright young faculty members. I smiled as I watched the usual suspects, armed with laptops, tablets, and phones, huddle at the head of the table as close as they could get to the seat reserved for our new dean, almost as if some of his power might rub off on the

The man himself strode in wearing a well-tailored suit and a brisk air of authority. Following introductions, he launched into his plan to establish new standards for publications— standards that would apply to all faculty.

“But not if you’re, like Amanda, in the twilight of your career.”

All eyes shifted to me. I sat up straighter, cheeks burning, heart racing. I shrugged and gave a sheepish grin while the dean went on to detail his exciting new agenda.

“The twilight of your career.” Did he just say I was old? At 62, I liked to think I had a few good years left. It was almost funny; just a tasteless joke. Or could it be a coded threat? My stomach clenched. Did he think I was senile? Did he think I would go quietly? If so, he had a lot to learn.

So did I.

A full professor with tenure, I had researched and taught about aging for four decades, but the dean’s remark was my first experience of overt ageism. It left me feeling threatened and confused. I had already experienced my share of ageist microaggressions and had even learned to appreciate the cloak of invisibility that descends upon older women. But this was different. This was at my university. This was only the beginning.

In the weeks that followed, colleagues bustled into my office one by one and carefully closed the door. “You know, he’s still making that joke about your twilight years.” “Why is he singling you out?” “You aren’t the oldest one here.” I had no idea why the dean was targeting me; why he kept repeating that phrase.

Sure, there was “dead wood” on the faculty and I knew the administration expected the new dean to root it out. There’s dead wood in many academic settings: teachers who refuse to do research, researchers who can’t teach, tenured professors who never show up for meetings, people who use incompetence to avoid work assignments. In my days as an administrator, I had attempted to rejuvenate or remove some deadwood myself.

Could I be dead wood? I directed the largest program in the college, engaged in research, mentored students, wrote books and articles. I saw myself as productive, competent, and (for the most part) well-liked. I certainly had no intention of ending my career. But, in the following weeks, the dean made it increasingly clear that he wanted me gone.

A pattern developed. In meetings, our new leader ridiculed my suggestions and ignored my accomplishments. In private, he complimented me on my appearance. This combination of dismissal and objectification created a puzzling discordance. Meanwhile, staff who worked under me were transferred to other units. Paperwork and administrative demands consumed more and more of my time. The job I loved was replaced by tasks that were dull or impossible or both. Colleagues sympathized but were in no position to help lest they too become targets. The frustration spilled over into my personal life as I found myself snapping at my husband and waking at 3am to ruminate over my mistakes. Finally, I had to admit that I wasn’t aging well, I was aging angry.

And that is how this book was born.

One day, Margaret Morganroth Gullette sent an email to members of the North American Network of Aging Studies reporting that growing numbers of older faculty members with tenure were being pushed out of their positions. They couldn’t be fired, but administrators could make their lives miserable by changing their job assignments and fostering a culture that was hostile to older adults.

Partly, it’s about the money. Cost-conscious administrators figure they can save by trading a highly paid older adult for a less expensive novice. Also, at least in academic settings, an untenured faculty member is likely to be more malleable—less confrontive—than someone who enjoys the job security conferred by tenure.

In 2019, the year I retired, over 15,000 older workers filed age discrimination complaints with the federal Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), most related to discriminatory discharge and age-based harassment.[2] That’s just the tip of the iceberg. It doesn’t include state-level data and, apart from that, most cases are never reported. A more accurate measure comes from a 2017 survey conducted by AARP which found 61 percent of older adults reported having seen or experienced age-based discrimination in the workplace.[3]

Age alone is no reason to push a person out of a job. During the 20th century the rate of illness and disability among older adults declined steadily as longevity rose. As a result, millions of Americans are as capable as ever in our 60s, 70s, and (for the lucky ones) even in our 80s.[4] We can certainly do the job.

But, despite our best efforts, we can’t prevent age-related changes in our appearance. While our minds and bodies may be perfectly healthy, our faces slowly collapse into wrinkles, our hair steadily turns grey, and our profiles become . . . well . . . ample. These signals lead others to see us through the lens of their own fear of aging. In a process known as “social aging,” their responses tell us repeatedly that we are unattractive, incompetent, irrelevant.

Most older adults are unprepared for the assaults on our dignity that wear us down and erode our confidence. They make us angry. Sometimes, we displace that anger towards those we love. Sometimes, we direct it back towards ourselves in fits of self-loathing that can increase our risk of suicide. Some of us, lost in bouts of impotent rage, commit murder or mayhem. Still others serve as role models, channeling their anger into efforts that improve the world.

Graduation day is one of the real delights of academic life. At our university, it was invariably sunny and hot. I dressed lightly under my heavy regalia and paraded across campus smiling at parents and their robed graduates. That year, my usual joy was tinged with sadness. It would be my last graduation.

After the final set of handshakes and hugs, I went to my near-empty office. The plants and books were all gone; the recycling bin full of old reprints. I abandoned the award plaques: “Teacher of the Year.” “Dean’s Award for Research.” “Leadership Award.” I did save the thank you notes from students. Those, along with their silly gag gifts, would go home with me. I refused all offers of help, couldn’t stand the pity in my colleagues’ eyes. Muttering mantras of strength and resilience, I borrowed a hand cart and hauled boxes out to my car.

A treasured glass plate still sat in the middle of the table where my students and I used to meet. Made of clear glass with tiny bubbles, it was square with a perfect sprig of lavender embedded in its center and a beautiful navy blue border. Our long-dead family dog (a lab) used to retrieve smooth stones and I kept her collection on the plate. Students liked to handle the cool rocks while we talked. It seemed to help them stay calm and centered.

That plate was the last thing I packed. On my way out, I picked it up from the table, slipped the stones into a paper bag, and set it carefully into the top box on the cart. When I stopped at the curb, that box slid ever-so-slowly-and-inevitably to the ground, spilling the plate onto the asphalt. It shattered. Of course. Hot tears filled my eyes as I clenched my fists and swore like a sailor. Someone offered help, but I shook my head.

It was up to me to pick up the pieces.

This book grew out of that process. I began by asking other people about their experiences of anger. Then I conducted in-depth interviews and developed an online survey that would be completed by hundreds of older adults. I talked to experts. I read. I observed. I thought a lot.

The lessons I gleaned while assembling these pages deepened my understanding of both anger and age. I came to recognize the tight weave of culture, history, and identity that shapes our experience and expression of anger. I learned about the enormous contribution neuroscience has made to our understanding of human emotions; and yet, how tightly we cling to antiquated notions about both anger and aging. I learned how anger norms vary across time and cultures and even among families. I came to see how the expression of anger can be used to control others and how its suppression can threaten both personal and public well-being. I began to understand how age, gender, and race interact to shape our experiences of anger. Most importantly, I learned that in later life, when our emotional intelligence is its peak, we can tap into the power and wisdom of anger to fuel the changes that we and our world so desperately need.

A Note on Memory:

Each time we touch a memory we reshape it according to our mood, our attitudes, and our ongoing discovery of new truths. This certainly applies to the personal recollections I offer in this book. While I have checked basic facts with others who were present, my own perspective no doubt colors the narratives you will find in these pages. Those looking at these events from other points of view might describe them quite differently.

1. Excerpt from “Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night” by Dylan Thomas, from THE POEMS OF DYLAN THOMAS, copyright ©1952 by Dylan Thomas. Reprinted by permission of New Directions Publishing Corp and The Dylan Thomas Trust.

2. See:

• https://www.eeoc.gov/newsroom/eeoc-releases-fiscal-year-2019-enforcement-and-litigation-data

• https://www.zippia.com/advice/age-discrimination-statistics/

• https://www.eeoc.gov/reports/state-age-discrimination-and-older-workers-us-50-years-after-age-discrimination-employment#_ftn147

3. Perron, Rebecca. The Value of Experience: AARP Multicultural Work and Jobs Study. Washington, DC: AARP Research, July 2018. https://doi.org/10.26419/res.00177.000

4. See: Cutler, David & David Wise (Eds) (2009). Health at Older Ages: The Causes and Consequences of Declining Disability. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.

Feature Article

Aging Angry

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(433 words)

It’s Never too Late to Get Good and Mad

A new perspective on late-life anger

At 62, Amanda Barusch figured she had another ten good years of work ahead of her; but this was not to be. A new boss targeted her as “dead wood” and his campaign to get her out left her “good and mad.”

“One day I realized that I wasn’t aging well. I was aging angry,” says Barusch.

So, like any lifelong academic, Barusch did some groundbreaking research and wrote a book. For Aging Angry, she surveyed hundreds of older adults about their experiences with anger. She interviewed experts in fields ranging from philosophy to men’s rights. Then she drew from a wealth of literary and scholarly sources to develop a new perspective on anger.

The resulting work, released in 2024 by Oxford University Press,  is described by Mitch Rosenwald of Barry University as “a fresh and necessary tome to challenge and inspire all of us to reconsider the positive role and utility of anger in our lives.”

Few people imagine that anger might be part of the aging experience. Indeed, older adults are expected to be “wise,” which means they aren’t expected to experience passions like love or anger. In fact, we tend to make fun of their age, calling them “grumpy old men” and the like. Barusch argues that anger is a common experience for older adults in our ageist society.  

Reflecting on her surveys of older Americans, Barusch explains, “In a way, it was comforting to learn how many other people were experiencing anger in their later years. But in another way, it just compounded my frustration.”  

Barusch was especially surprised to learn how many people over 60 commit mass murder. Apart from the widespread availability of automatic weapons, she attributes this phenomenon to our failure to take late-life anger seriously. “These killers’ anger made my rage look like child’s play,” says Barusch. “But the basic emotion is familiar.”

“Most of us know how to address our anger but, due in part to the violence in our society, we are afraid of it. So instead of listening to our rage, we suppress it until we no longer can. Then we do things we regret.”

Barusch argues that late life is an excellent time to “turn towards our anger and tease out its root cause, whether it’s a mistaken belief or a social injustice.” The book closes with case studies of late-life activists who have channeled their anger. It offers a new perspective, arguing that anger is “the eye of the heart.”

One-Sheet

Aging Angry

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Title: Aging Angry: Making Peace With Rage

Author: Amanda Barusch

Category: Aging, Parenting & Relationships

ISBN: 9780197584644

Formats: Hardback

Trim size: 6 1/8 x 9 1/4 inches

Pages: 240 Pages | 10 b/w illustrations

Price: $90

Publication date: January 2024

Available from: Oxford University Press

Contact: amanda@amandabarusch.com

Aging Angry

Making Peace with Rage

Fear of anger can ultimately be as destructive as expressed rage, fomenting social isolation, injustice, and misunderstanding. In rich and insightful prose, Aging Angry draws upon the experiences of hundreds of older adults and a wealth of literary and academic sources to empower readers with a new understanding of anger’s sources, dynamics, and possibilities. The book unearths the deeper meaning of these angry times and urges readers to take anger seriously; to harness its energy and wisdom for personal and social change. 

Selling Points

• Written by a distinguished gerontologist

• Based on original research with hundreds of older adults

• Debunks common myths about aging and anger

Endorsements

“Barusch’s fascinating interviews with ‘grumpy, cantankerous, and obstreperous elders’ deepen our interest in using this primary emotion effectively to heal our nations of the common curse of ageism and improve the world.”

—Margaret Morganroth Gullette, author of Ending Ageism, or How Not to Shoot Old People

“Superbly researched with stories interwoven to amplify our understanding of anger through multiple lenses: historical, cultural, psychological, and philosophical.

—Constance Corley, Emeritus Professor, Cal State Los Angeles Source

Contact

Amanda Barusch
amanda@amandabarusch.com
+1-385-429-0104

About the Author

An aficionado of narrative, Amanda strives to harness the power of stories to explore deep truths about the human experience. She received her Ph.D. in social welfare at the University of California, Berkeley, and her MFA at the University of Utah. She now teaches writing in various universities and correctional facilities.

Q&A

Aging Angry

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Q&A: Amanda Barusch, Author of Aging Angry

01 What inspired you to write this book?

The short story is that after working for a university for 32 years, I  was pushed out of my job. The whole process took about two years. You see, I was a tenured professor. They couldn’t just fire me. So when a new dean was hired, he set out to make my life miserable. I’m surprised at how effective his tactics were. By the end, even I was sometimes persuaded that I was too old to do my job. I was angry, sure, but I was also tremendously unsure. The gaslighting worked. After I retired, I found that I was still angry. I needed an outlet, and I needed to learn about anger. So, what does a recovering academic do? I started a research project and wrote a book. 

02 Tell me about the gaslighting.

Before I do, I have to acknowledge that I was tremendously privileged. I held a leadership position running the master’s program. The dean I worked for was completely supportive. I felt confident and capable. I wanted to give back to the college and make a difference in my last act. When “my” dean retired, the University decided it was time to trim the fat. A colleague sent me the recruiting email they sent out. It specifically mentioned unproductive senior faculty as a problem. Sadly, I figured that message didn’t apply to me and deleted it. 

Anyway, the gaslighting. The first rule was that I could do nothing right. I wasn’t doing anything differently, but the new dean criticized everything I did. Everything. At first, I thought I was resisting change. But then I realized that most of the changes involved taking away the most meaningful and enjoyable parts of my job - like student advising - and assigning them elsewhere. For me, the coup de gras came when he would - at random moments, like in a hallway or after a meeting - compliment me on my appearance. This was just plain strange, and the incongruence between that and the way he treated me in public added to my confusion. 

I interviewed several academics for my book who have had similar experiences with their jobs being re-shaped. I’ve since learned that this is one of the concerns in the Hollywood writer’s strike. It’s called “tiered work.” A job is broken into smaller parts and divided among people who are less well-paid. 

03 What was the biggest surprise that came from your research? 

I was surprised that so many people genuinely believed that anger is bad for your health. I knew anger could be frightening, but  I never thought of it that way. But that was the most common belief about anger that respondents to my internet survey reported.

04 What did you learn about your own anger? 

How much of it there was! Really, once I started paying attention, I realized how often little things made me frustrated or angry. Then, when I interrogated the source of my frustration, I often realized that I could just let it go. Sometimes I needed to take action, make change. 

I also learned how important it is (and sometimes how hard) to talk with the person who has made me angry. These can be tricky conversations, but they are incredibly valuable. You know, we can’t hide our anger as well as we might imagine. I found that my loved ones were reacting on an instinctive level already. Getting things out in the open tended to defuse the anger and make room for things like...humor and fun. 

05 What do you hope readers will take away from this book? 

I imagine that each reader will take away something different. For some, the story of Medusa might resonate deeply. Others might be most moved by the arguments of men’s rights activists. The book has a lot of content, and I hope each person will draw what they need from it. 

I do hope that readers will take on the knowledge that there’s a cost when we suppress our anger. It may take a toll on our bodies and interfere with our sleep. But it also is an opportunity missed. Once we accept that anger can be a positive force in our lives, we can turn to it and learn what it has to teach us. We can use the energy to accomplish our goals. 

06 What do older adults have to be angry about? 

I hate to compare generations in terms of who has a greater right to be angry. We all have a right to our anger - even two-year-olds. And older adults are hugely privileged in this country with access to Medicare and Social Security. Again, I think everyone should have access to health insurance and income security. That said, our culture is brutal to those it perceives as old. Older women become invisible. Older men are deprived of the power they once enjoyed. Then our labor practices are simply abysmal when it comes to aging. A person who loses their job in their 50s will - if they’re lucky enough to even get a new job - probably make about a third of what they did before. You might say that’s because the world is changing rapidly and their skills are obsolete. But talented, productive people are pushed out of their jobs simply because they look old. Lisa LaFlame, a Canadian newscaster, is the most vivid example. She was fired when she stopped dying her grey hair.

I find it especially galling when employers complain about a labor shortage. They’re pushing baby boomers out of jobs and then they look around and find that the millennials just aren’t interested. Our educational system needs to adjust to demographic realities. Quit complaining that there aren’t enough students and consider helping my generation retool. Most of us haven’t saved enough to retire comfortably. We’re eager to stay engaged. But we can’t wait for employers to catch on.

07 But are older adults really angry about these macro issues on a day-to-day basis? 

Great point! No. In my Internet survey, I asked people to describe a time lately when they had been really angry. Their responses were so interesting. I expected them to say, “COVID.” A few did, but by far the greatest source of anger and frustration for this sample was family. Road rage came in a distant second, followed by US politics and then work. COVID was way down the list. It was mentioned by only 4 percent. 

08 Some of the material in your book could be true at any age. What’s unique about anger in late life? 

Late life is when all of our habits come home to roost. Because our bodies are more vulnerable, our immune systems less effective the effects of suppressing anger can be more damaging. Also, because of social aging, we are now subject to norms and stereotypes that didn’t affect us when we were younger. So the pressures on us to be “wise,” which means calm and peaceful, are enormous. People tend to dismiss our anger - which only makes us more angry.

But apart from these negative dynamics, older adults bring the skills of a lifetime to the equation. Those of us who are retired also have more freedom than when we were young. So, once we get a handle on things, we are well-equipped to channel our anger in ways that are creative and productive.

09 What is social aging? 

Social aging happens when we start to look old to others. Their responses to us change and, in our interactions with them, we get messages and prohibitions we weren’t exposed to before. Social aging happens whenever someone tells us we’re “too old” to do something and we accept it. That’s the dangerous part—when we internalize it and start reshaping our lives around what others expect of us. 

10 Why do you say repressed anger is dangerous? 

There’s been some research on this topic. Multiple studies have found an association between internalized anger (they call it “anger-in”) and cardiovascular vulnerabilities (like increased blood pressure). In a related finding, Laura Glynn at UC Irvine found that rumination is also associated with elevated blood pressure (“allostatic load”). To me, this emphasizes the importance of dealing with it and letting it go. Then,  In 2012 Jameson Hirsch (Tennessee State) found that suppressed anger was associated with an increased risk of self-harm.

11 What led you to write about mass murderers? 

Mass murder is the ultimate expression of rage and despair. It’s scary and, at least in the US, it’s a growing epidemic. I think the extreme violence of our times makes us frightened - rightly so. When I’m afraid of something, my response is first to freeze and then to look at it very carefully. In this chapter, I look at mass murder by older adults very carefully. . And I was surprised to learn that the biggest mass murder (so far) in US history was committed by a man in his 60s. (Las Vegas, October 2017, Stephen Paddock, left 60 dead and over 400 wounded.)

12 You published a book about love a few years ago. Is this book a sequel?

Ha! I didn’t think of it that way when I was writing it, but this book is similar. Both focus on emotions that we don’t ordinarily expect in later life, both draw from surveys and interviews, and both draw upon my own experiences. So yes. I guess it is a sort of a sequel. I like to think it’s better. 

Sell Sheet

Aging Angry

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---

Title: Aging Angry: Making Peace With Rage

Author: Amanda Barusch

Category: Aging, Parenting & Relationships

ISBN: 9780197584644

Formats: Hardback

Trim size: 6 1/8 x 9 1/4 inches

Pages: 240 Pages | 10 b/w illustrations

Price: $90

Publication date: January 2024

Available from: Oxford University Press

Contact: amanda@amandabarusch.com

Aging Angry

Making Peace with Rage

Fear of anger can ultimately be as destructive as expressed rage, fomenting social isolation, injustice, and misunderstanding. In rich and insightful prose, Aging Angry draws upon the experiences of hundreds of older adults and a wealth of literary and academic sources to empower readers with a new understanding of anger’s sources, dynamics, and possibilities. The book unearths the deeper meaning of these angry times and urges readers to take anger seriously; to harness its energy and wisdom for personal and social change. 

Selling Points

• Written by a distinguished gerontologist

• Based on original research with hundreds of older adults

• Debunks common myths about aging and anger

Endorsements

“Barusch’s fascinating interviews with “grumpy, cantankerous, and obstreperous elders” deepen our interest in using this primary emotion effectively to heal our nations of the common curse of ageism and improve the world.”

—Margaret Morganroth Gullette, author of Ending Ageism, or How Not to Shoot Old People

“Superbly researched with stories interwoven to amplify our understanding of anger through multiple lenses: historical, cultural, psychological, and philosophical.

—Constance Corley, Emeritus Professor, Cal State Los Angeles Source

Contact

Amanda Barusch
amandabarusch.com
amanda@amandabarusch.com
+1-385-429-0104

About the Author

An aficionado of narrative, Amanda strives to harness the power of stories to explore deep truths about the human experience. She received her Ph.D. in social welfare at the University of California, Berkeley, and her MFA at the University of Utah. She now teaches writing in various universities and correctional facilities.

Suggested Interview Questions

Aging Angry

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Suggested Interview Questions for Amanda Barusch, Author of Aging Angry

1. What inspired you to write this book?

2. Tell me about the gaslighting.

3. What was the biggest surprise that came from your research? 

4. What did you learn about your own anger? 

5. What do you hope readers will take away from this book? 

6. What do older adults have to be angry about? 

7. But are older adults really angry about these macro issues on a day-to-day basis? 

8. Some of the material in your book could be true at any age. What's unique about anger in late life? 

9. What is social aging? 

10. Why do you say repressed anger is dangerous? 

11. What led you to write about mass murderers? 

12. You published a book about love a few years ago. Is this book a sequel?

Table of Contents

Aging Angry

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Preface: Who’s Angry Now?

Chapter 1 Aging While Angry

• What’s Anger?

• Simple Truths vs. Scientific Proofs

• Death by a Thousand Cuts

• They’re Just Going to Die Anyway

• Ageism at Work

• Family Matters

• Mad as Hell

• Don’t Put a Lid on It

• Anger Unbound

Chapter 2 Speaking of Anger

• Telling It Slant

• I Just Exploded

• Disgusting Idioms

• Metaphors from Other Lands

• Hold Your Tongue

• Cantankerous, Crotchety, and Grumpy

Chapter 3 Anger through the Ages

• Contemplating Aristotle

• If a Thing Is Bad

• Vengeance Is Mine

• Was Jesus Angry?

• Is Anger a Sin?

• My Nightmare

Chapter 4 Angry Bodies

• Inside the Lizard Brain

• The Survival Circuit

• Late Life Variability

• Bad for Us or Just Plain Bad?

• Context Matters

Chapter 5 Women Cry / Men Rage

• Anger Makes You Ugly

• Real Men Don’t

• I Need Another Happy Pill

• A Lot to Be Angry About

• Are Men Really More Angry?

• A Gender Paradox

Chapter 6 Race & Anger in Later Life

• Angry Times in American Streets

• Of Life and Time

• The Tiresomeness of It All

• A Legacy for the Grandchildren

• Anger Builds Character

Chapter 7 Elders on Social Media

• The Rage Contagion

• Cyber Space for Rants

• A Duty to Die?

• Seniors Trapped in YouTube

• Meanwhile, Back in the U.S.A.

• The Anger Project Online

Chapter 8 Lessons on Anger & Love

• Homes Full of Anger

• A Panoply of Family Anger

• The Lover’s Quarrel

• The Sulk

• Serpents’ Teeth

• Kick the Dog Syndrome

Chapter 9 Aging, Angry, and Armed to the Teeth

• A Very Big Year

• Yeah, It Fits

• What Was Wrong with This Man?

• That Nagging Sense of Unfairness

• Rageonomics

• Not Again

• Beyond Disgruntled

Chapter 10 Taming the Rage

• Intermittent Explosive Disorder (IED)

• Helping People Manage Anger

• Stop Dictating to Us

• Destroy That Monster

• Sometimes Therapy Works

• Time’s Passage

Chapter 11 Embracing the Anger

• Chemical Restraint

• A Dose of Hope

• American Cool

• A Word from the Wise

• Turning towards Anger

Chapter 12 Changing the World

• Anger Constrained?

• Great Old Broads and Raging Grannies

• Choosing Anger

• Striking a Light

• Conclusion: The Eye of the Heart

Bibliography

Appendices

• Appendix 1 The Anger Project

• Appendix 2 The Interview Protocol

• Appendix 3 The Internet Survey

Where to Buy

Aging Angry

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Amazon

• Hardback

Barnes & Noble

• Hardback

Oxford University Press

• Hardback