Description
Book SynopsisDrawing on in-depth interviews with recent movers in over a hundred diverse U.S. households, David Ekerdt analyzes the downsizing process and what it says about the meaning and management of possessions. He details how households approach and accomplish downsizing, exploring the decision-making process and the effectiveness of different strategies.
Trade ReviewDownsizing is a must-read; chock-full of wisdom gleaned from interviews with hundreds of older adults who have gifted, donated, or sold their “stuff” before relocating to a smaller home. Ekerdt’s masterful writing poignantly reveals why parting with cherished possessions is such a meaningful life transition. -- Deborah Carr, author of
Golden Years? Social Inequality in Later LifeWith
Downsizing, Ekerdt fills a significant gap in our understanding of how elders think about their lifelong accumulation of dwelling possessions and their willingness and strategies to let go of their material worlds. This book should be on the reading lists of all senior care professionals seeking in-depth understanding of what aging in the right place really means to today’s seniors. -- Stephen M. Golant, author of
Aging in the Right PlaceA fascinating and humane book that speaks to all of us through its exploration of our relationship with material possessions and the paradoxes they present as we grow older. It offers an original and groundbreaking analysis that addresses the materiality of later years in an accessible and beautifully written way. -- Julia Twigg, University of Kent
Downsizing is a good read that advances the notion that the life course within social gerontology needs to take a material turn. It is hard to imagine a reader who could not relate to this book. -- Renée Beard, College of the Holy Cross
With sociological tools and gerontological insight, David Ekerdt tackles the vexing challenge of household downsizing. Through a thoughtful mixed-methods analysis, he explains how we accumulate and deal with our material convoy—the belongings we acquire—as we age. This book will resonate with anyone who has ever wondered why they have so much stuff and what they are going to do with it. -- Janet Wilmoth, coeditor of
Gerontology: Perspectives and IssuesTable of ContentsIntroduction: Not Forever
1. A Convoy of Possessions Across the Life Course
2. With Aging, How Large a Convoy?
3. Moving Calls the Question
4. Contours of Household Disbandment
5. Gifts to Others
6. Selling Possessions
7. Donations and Discards
8. Emotion and Evaluation
9. Advice
Appendix
Notes
References
Index
