The Big Shift Lib/E: Midlife Opportunity and the Transition to a New Stage of Life

Marc Freedman, hailed by the New York Times as "the voice of aging baby boomers [seeking] meaningful and sustaining work later in life," makes an impassioned call to accept the decades opening up between midlife and anything approximating old age for what they really are - an entirely new stage of life, which he dubs the encore years. In The Big Shift, Freedman bemoans the fact that the discussion about longer lives in America has been entirely about the staggering economic costs of a dramatically aging society when, in reality, most of the nation's 78 million boomers are not getting old ... at least not yet. The whole 60- to 80-year-old period is simply new territory, he writes, and the people in this period constitute a whole new phenomenon in the 21st century. The Big Shift is animated by a simple premise: that the challenge of transitioning to and making the most of this new stage--while deeply personal--is much more than an individual problem; it's an urgent social imperative, one affecting all generations. By embracing this time as a unique period of life - and providing guidance, training, education and support to the millions who are in it - Freedman says that we can make a monument out of what so many think of as the leftover years. The result could be a windfall of talent that will carry us toward a new generation of solutions for growing problems in areas like education, the environment, and health care.

About the Author :
Marc Freedman is founder and CEO of Encore.org. An award-winning social entrepreneur, frequent media commentator, and author, Freedman is widely published in the national media and has been honored with numerous awards and fellowships, including the Eisner Prize for Intergenerational Excellence. Originator of the encore career idea linking second acts to the greater good, Freedman helped create Experience Corps, the Purpose Prize, and Encore Fellowships. Walter Dixon is a broadcast media veteran of more than twenty years' experience with a background in theater and performing arts and voice work for commercials. After a career in public radio, he is now a full-time narrator with more than fifty audiobooks recorded in genres ranging from religion and politics to children's stories.

Review :
"Freedman is a natural storyteller, a deep researcher, and a forward thinker...Freedman's passion for this emerging stage of aging is palpable." -- "USA Today" "If you're hitting the sweet spot between middle age and retirement, you need to read this book. Freedman is a master at defining what could be done to make your life meaningful while living the best part of your life." -- "Reuters" "Invaluable and inspiring reading." -- "Wall Street Journal" "Reading this book is like a good conversation at a dinner part...The animating ideas often sparkle in their relevance. The result is an imaginative work with the potential to affect our individual lives and our collective future." -- "New York Times"