Losing It; In which an Aging Professor laments his shrinking Brain...

by William Ian Miller

• ISBN13: 9780300171013
• ISBN10: 0300171013
• Format: Trade Book
• Copyright: 2011-10-25
• Publisher: Yale University Press

Summary

In Losing It,William Ian Miller brings his inimitable wit and learning to the subject of growing old: too old to matter, of either rightly losing your confidence or wrongly maintaining it, culpably refusing to face the fact that you are losing it.The "it" in Miller's "losing it" refers mainly to mental facultiesmemory, processing speed, sensory acuity, the capacity to focus. But it includes other evidence as wellsags and flaccidities, aches and pains, failing joints and organs. What are we to make of these tell-tale signs? Does growing old gracefully mean more than simply refusing unseemly cosmetic surgeries? How do we face decline and the final drawing of the blinds? Will we know if and when we have lingered too long? Drawing on a lifetime of deep study and anxious observation, Miller enlists the wisdom of the ancients to confront these vexed questions head on. Debunking the glossy new image of old age that has accompanied the graying of the Baby Boomers, he conjures a lost world of aging ritualscomplaints, taking to bed, resentments of one's heirs, schemes for taking it with you or settling up accounts and scoresto remind us of the ongoing dilemmas of old age. Darkly intelligent and sublimely written, this exhilarating and eccentric book will raise the spirits of readers, young and old.

Author Biography

William Ian Miller is Thomas G. Long Professor of Law, University of Michigan Law School. He is the author of seven previous books, including The Anatomy of Disgust, which was named 1997 best book in anthropology/sociology by the Association of American Publishers. He lives in Ann Arbor, MI.

Table of Contents

Introduction: Striking Out	p. 1
The Horror
The You behind Your Eyes Is Out of Date	p. 13
Can You Recall What You Had for Dinner, Cronus?	p. 22
Shrink-Wrap	p. 31
Old Views of Old Age	p. 38
Wisdom
Older, Yes, but Wiser?	p. 49
The Dark Side of Wisdom	p. 63
complaining
Homo Querelus (Man the Complainer)	p. 79
Old Saints, Old Killers, and More Complaints	p. 95
Complaining against the Most High	p. 107
Retirement, Revenge, And Taking It With You
Giving Up Smoting for Good	p. 127
Paralysis of the Spirit	p. 141
Yes, You Can Take It with You	p. 155
Sentiments
Owing the Dead	p. 177
Going Soft	p. 187
Little Things; or, What If?	p. 200
Defying Augury	p. 210
Frankly, I Do Give a Damn	p. 222
Redemption From The Pasture?
Going through All These Things Twice	p. 231
Do Not Go Gentle: A Valediction	p. 249
Addendum: $$$ "Always Look on the Bright Side of Life"	p. 263
Acknowledgments	p. 267
Notes	p. 269
Bibliography	p. 301
Index	p. 317
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