This Chair Rocks: A Manifesto Against Ageism

By Ashton Applewhite

Book Overview

Author, activist, and TED speaker Ashton Applewhite has written a rousing manifesto calling for an end to discrimination and prejudice on the basis of age.

In our youth obsessed culture, we're bombarded by media images and messages about the despairs and declines of our later years. Beauty and pharmaceutical companies work overtime to convince people to purchase products that will retain their youthful appearance and vitality. Wrinkles are embarrassing. Gray hair should be colored and bald heads covered with implants. Older minds and bodies are too frail to keep up with the pace of the modern working world and olders should just step aside for the new generation.

Ashton Applewhite once held these beliefs too until she realized where this prejudice comes from and the damage it does. Lively, funny, and deeply researched, This Chair Rocks traces her journey from apprehensive boomer to pro-aging radical, and in the process debunks myth after myth about late life. Explaining the roots of ageism in history and how it divides and debases, Applewhite examines how ageist stereotypes cripple the way our brains and bodies function, looks at ageism in the workplace and the bedroom, exposes the cost of the all-American myth of independence, critiques the portrayal of elders as burdens to society, describes what an all-age-friendly world would look like, and offers a rousing call to action.

It's time to create a world of age equality by making discrimination on the basis of age as unacceptable as any other kind of bias. Whether you're older or hoping to get there, this book will shake you by the shoulders, cheer you up, make you mad, and change the way you see the rest of your life. Age pride!

"Wow. This book totally rocks. It arrived on a day when I was in deep confusion and sadness about my age. Everything about it, from my invisibility to my neck. Within four or five wise, passionate pages, I had found insight, illumination, and inspiration. I never use the word empower, but this book has empowered me."
--Anne Lamott, New York Times bestselling author

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1250311489
• ISBN13: 9781250311481
• Release Date: March 2019
• Publisher: Celadon Books
• Length: 304 Pages
• Weight: 1.14 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.1" x 6.4" x 9.3"

Customer Reviews

An Insightful Deconstruction of Ageist Beliefs

If you are 20 years old, you have a 50% chance of living to more than 100; if you are 40, you have an even chance of reaching 95; if you are 60, you have a 50% chance of making 90 or more. Think about that for a moment. For this reason, Ashton Applewhite's "This Chair Rocks: A Manifesto Against Ageism" is a mandatory read as it compels us to rethink aging. Applewhite addresses a significant gap in the conversation around aging, challenging the relentless focus on anti-aging and youth extension. While supporting longevity, she emphasizes the critical need to discuss how we will live meaningfully during these extended years. Life's daily struggles can make the thought of more years daunting, yet Applewhite highlights the potential for these decades to leverage our successes, address failures, and embark on profound personal transformation. This book calls to shift our mindset, advocating for a healthier, more vibrant perspective on aging. This book is a refreshing exploration of a world where many live MUCH longer and hopefully fuller lives. Free of the “bro-science” surrounding “anti-aging,” this is an insightful deconstruction of ageist beliefs.