Aging Angry

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