Main description:

We live in a time of change, an era where old men can be celebrated as elders who are valued but who are not demeaned if they become ill and dependent. Where we aim to maintain health but find dignity in frailty. Old Man Country helps readers see and imagine this change for themselves. The book follows the journey of a writer in search of wisdom, as he narrates encounters with twelve distinguished American men over 80 - including Paul Volcker, the former
head of the Federal Reserve, and Denton Cooley, the world's most famous heart surgeon. In these and other intimate conversations, the book explores and honors the particular way that each man faces four challenges of living a good old age: Am I Still a Man? Do I Still Matter? What is the Meaning of My Life?
Am I Loved? Readers will come to see how each man - even the most famous - faces challenges that are every man's challenges. Personal yet universal stories about work, love, sexuality, and hope mingle with stories about illness, loss and death. These stories will strengthen each of us as we anticipate and navigate our way through the passages of old age.

Contents:

Chapter One: What My Fathers Couldn't Find
Chapter Two: Setting Out on Life's Journey

PART ONE: AM I STILL A MAN?
Chapter Three: George Vaillant and American Manhood
Chapter Four: Red Duke, the Cowboy Surgeon
Chapter Five: Sherwin Nuland: The Old Man Who Was Young and Strong

PART TWO: DO I STILL MATTER?
Chapter Six: The Moral World of Paul Volcker
Chapter Seven: Denton Cooley and the Legacy of 100,000 Hearts
Chapter Eight: John Harper Gets by with a little Help from his Friends

PART THREE: WHAT IS THE MEANING OF MY LIFE?
Chapter Nine: Hugh Downs: TV Broadcaster as Modern Day Cicero
Chapter Ten: Sam Karff and the Power of Stories
Chapter Eleven: James Forbes: Old Man by the Riverside

PART FOUR: AM I LOVED?
Chapter Twelve: Dan Callahan: Love in the Old Age of Ethics
Chapter Thirteen: Walter Wink: Nonviolent Resistance and Dementia
Chapter Fourteen: Ram Dass and Me

INTERLUDE: WHO DO YOU THINK YOU ARE?
Chapter Fifteen: Gleanings for the Path Ahead

References