Passages

Predictable Crises of Adult Life

By: Gail Sheehy

Narrated by: Carrington MacDuffie, Gail Sheehy

Gail Sheehy’s classic bestseller, Passages: Predictable Crises of Adult Life, is available with a new introduction.

For decades, Gail Sheehy’s landmark bestseller Passages has been inspiring audiences to see the predictable crises of adult life as opportunities for growth. She charts the stages between 18 and 50 as unfolding in a pattern of adult development: once recognized, more easily managed. Passages is an insightful road map of adulthood that illustrates with vivid stories our continuing personality and sexual changes throughout the “Trying 20s,” “Catch 30s,” “Forlorn 40s,” and “Refreshed (or Resigned) 50s.” One comment is continuously repeated by men, women, singles, couples, and people who recover from a midlife crisis: “This book changed my life.”

©1976, 2019 by Gail Sheehy. (P)2019 Brilliance Publishing, Inc., all rights reserved.

A must read for all ages!

Gave me guidance, hope, and inspiration thru one of the darkest times of my own passage. Thank You Gail!

A mirror for aspiring grown-ups.

Here me out: I hated this book. It threatened aspects of how I saw my life; I was uncomfortable at best and insulted at times. A few of her ideas set me into a despair that lasted days. I’m forty-five. I’m entering midlife (or so I thought) and wanted someone to tell me everything is fine. This is not that kind of book.

Sheehy presents several mirrors, in the form of interviews of other peoples’ lives, so we can look at ourselves. I’d doubt most of us would be happy with what we see. But I think that’s the point. We should see how it is and not how we wish it is. Only then can we assess ourselves and make any changes we need to make. Or, in my case, to try to accept that my youthful choices are now unchangeable while prodding me to make some choices I’d been putting off ‘until I’m older.’

If you want a comfort book on getting older this isn’t for you - not yet. Otherwise, I recommend it.

This book came as a recommendation

This book came as a recommendation from a friend that read it when it was new. When I realized that it was new in 1977 I questioned its relevance. Now I’m amazed that my friend was intrigued in her 20’s to read it and how much I’ve enjoyed it in my 60’s. The many stories allowed me to reflect on so many aspects of my life as well as others in a way I never imagined. So much has changed in 40 years, while the concepts of transitions through life’s passages and conflict resolution can adjust with time. It’s a great book to read and discuss together or with a friend to discuss as you progress vs. trying to discuss in its entirety.

Virtually ignored later life passages…

I received an audiobook that failed to include virtually any passages from post-fifties, and all passages beyond the fifties were glossed over. Since I am past middle age I found this incredibly disappointing. More importantly I had read this book whilst in my 20’s and was looking forward to a re-read from my more mature perspective. Imagine my surprise when the narrator just awkwardly tied off several decades of human existence by distilling it into a few paragraphs. Be forewarned that if you are interested in learning of any passages for older Americans you aren’t going to learn about them here. I wish that I can ask for a refund! Apparently there are works that discuss the later years, but this was anything but clear.