On Women Turning 50: Celebrating Mid-Life Discoveries

by Cathleen Rountree

On Women Turning Fifty honors the new faces of aging with powerful, positive images of fiftysomething women who share stories of mid-life discovery. Accomplished by beautiful photographs, these candid and engaging interviews reveal women whose challenges, conflicts, and triumphs are reshaping our attitudes toward work, relationships, and personal growth. From Gloria Steinem, Isabel Allende, Ellen Burstyn, and Mary Ellen Mark to single-parent school teacher Deanne Burke and breast cancer survivor Barbara Eddy, the diverse voices in On Women Turning Fifty offer exhilarating models of confidence, courage, and celebration.

Genres: Womens

224 pages, Paperback

First published March 28, 1993

Reviews

[Diana Skelton · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful to hear from a diversity of women about what they make of their lives after age 50.

Claire Braz-Valentine: "I work with male felons. We are writers. Everything else goes away. I forget where I am and they forget where they are, thank God. I'm made to wear an alarm box, and if something happens, I'm supposed to press the box. I tease them sometimes and say, 'If you read me a bad poem, I'll press the alarm.' They say the box is to protect them from my critique--if I get too tough, they'll press the alarm to have themselves removed. […] Somehow I need to find a way to work with parolees. We pop people out into society after prison, and most people have no concept of what is happening in prison and to those lives when they get out. I work with writers in prison who want to write after they are released; often they are without friends, without support of family or friends."

Charlayne Hunter-Gault: "I hadn't done any television work to speak of, so I took a few voice lessons. But then I thought, 'This is not for me. I don't want to be like everybody else.' I am different. I'm black; I'm a woman; I'm southern. And I happen to think that's how you get really good journalism, bu having a variety of different personalities, backgrounds, colors, and creeds interact. […] If I had not been given to fantasy, I never could have imagined myself doing something like that because there were roles set up for us, women like me, we 'knew our place.' Our place was teaching or nursing. Nothing wrong with that; it just wasn't what I wanted to do."

Dolores Huerta: "Many years ago, I organized the first grape boycott, but nobody ever says I did. Then I came back and wrote and negotiated the contracts. Later some young lawyers came in and wanted to change the history to his-story. You are not only unrecognized for what you do, but you are denigrated for it. […] When my daughter Juanita was 3 years old, she was walking in and out of the room where I was holding a boycott training session. Later she was talking on her toy phone. I said, 'Juanita, what do you talk about when you call people? Are you telling them to come picket?' And she said, 'They're not ready for picketing. I'm just asking them to leaflet.' At three years old, she was able to understand that you have to bring people along at different levels."

[Sherrill Watson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Now that I'm 75 (in 2020) I think I can let this book go. Mid life? Well, maybe. It is a little dated, but still relevant for women barely on either side of 50. See Karen's review.

[Karen · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book contains profiles of eighteen poweful, confident, successful woman who are 50 or older. Most of the women were activists, educators, writers and artists. Honestly , I only recognized four names: Ellen Burstyn, Gloria Steinem, Dr. Lorraine Hale and Isabel Allende. I don't know if the other women how well-known the other women are in current day terms.
When I bought the book, I didn't notice that it was published in 1993. I thought the introduction was a little bleak, focusing on women's fears of aging and living alone. Some of the profiles were a little dated, but sadly not too dated. These women's struggles against inequality, poverty, sexism and discrimination still exist. They all appeared to have come to terms with the choices they have made in their lives. At 50 or beyond, they were all continuing to pursue their creative dreams.
I would be interested in reading about these women now that they are approaching 80 and I would love to read a book about women who are turning 50 now, 25 years later. I tried not to rush through this book so that I could appreciate each woman's story individually.

[Lara · Rating 2 out of 5]

I've been reading this book a few pages at a time for months. It's very suitable for bedtime reading because it isn't especially well-written or riveting. In fact, it's often slightly boring. Occasionally, I'd hit upon a bit of wisdom to mull over as I fell asleep.

A relic from the 1990s, this book feels a bit dated. The women celebrating their mid-life discoveries are Baby Boomers, and from my perspective their thoughts about their lives are historically interesting. In general, they come off sounding quite selfish, and speak proudly of sacrificing marriages and children at the altar of their personal growth. The tone is all just a little bit too self-congratulatory for my comfort, but I do understand that they saw themselves (perhaps rightly so) as the vanguard of a revolution.

At its best, this book provides generative and meaningful ways of understanding ones own aging. At worst, affluent women brag about their divorces. Worth the effort? Each reader will have to decide for herself.

[Susanne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Though I don’t agree with all the viewpoints expressed, I respect the journeys, growth & strength of the featured women.

One issue with the book: The author should have made the font larger. I started wearing reading glasses at age 40 and, even with them, the type was too small. Considering your audience, LARGER FONT PLEASE!

[Lulu Cares · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very thought provoking.
Thank you Cathleen Rountree

[Judy · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a good treadmill book. Interesting, but if I skipped every fourth sentence it did not seem to make a difference.

[Jessie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Enjoyed most of the stories, such as Ellen Burstyn, Gloria Alfred, Gloria Steinem, Charlayne Hunter-Gault, Dr. Jean Shinoda Bolen, Dr. Lorraine Hale., etc. But a few were a bit depressing when talking of especially their fear of growing old as though it in and of itself were a disease rather that a stage of life to prepare for and embrace. After all, people of all ages live, die, get diseases, and even some young kids and young adults dread their next birthday.

Overall, I truly enjoyed the stories, and did not find any of them "dated". These women shared their lives, which are a piece of history. History helps us understand where we are today and how we arrived here.

[Sharon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Having turned 50 a couple of times, I've also read the book a couple of times. It's a good grouping of interviews with some women I'd not have known of otherwise. It's diverse, inclusive, interesting & at a short chapter per interview, quite easy to make it through the book. It's chock full of wisps of wisdom, firsts of many venues, joys, trials, sadness, insights. There are a myriad of subjects & a fair cross-section of demographics. I'd recommend it to people under 50 to have a taste of how far we've come & at the same time how far we've yet to go.