Composing a Further Life

Bateson's book, a sequel to her classic COMPOSING A LIFE, encourages elders to reflect on their lives and dreams and then move ahead with anticipation and joy for a later life full of learning and new experiences. With imagination and creativity, many people can create this phase of life--dubbed Adulthood II--as the natural next phase of their past experiences or as the beginning of something quite different. The book is drawn from Bateson's life and from the experiences of six individuals she selected for their varied background and interests. Sevanne Kassarjian, Bateson's daughter and a professional actor, is an earnest and engaged narrator. In the interview sections of the book, she creates voices that reflect the personalities and passions of the speakers. J.E.M. (c) AudioFile 2010, Portland, Maine

July 26, 2010
Picking up where she left off in Composing a Life (1991), anthropologist Bateson interviews six older individuals, from a retired Maine boatyard worker to Jane Fonda, who have accomplished most of their life goals but actively seek new and satisfying ways to live robust lives. Adulthood II, as Bateson call this period, is characterized by the wisdom culled from long lives and rich experience combined with freedom from the day-to-day responsibilities of work and raising children. Life in this stage is an "improvisational art form calling for imagination and the willingness to learn." Bateson follows Hank Lawson, a former boatyard metalworker, and his wife, Jane, from Maine to their retirement in Tucson, Ariz. There Hank turned his knowledge of tools and metal to making jewelry from precious metals and semiprecious stones. Liberated by the move from the ocean to the mountains, the Lawsons are flourishing, continually learning new things and refashioning their lives in a new place. Because Bateson lets various people retell their own stories of grappling with the challenges and the freedom of Adulthood II, her book is a deep meditation on the value of longevity and an inspiring testimony to the power and possibilities that come with growing older.