Margaret Cruikshank's Fierce with Reality offers a necessary and welcome corrective to the view of aging as solely a process of illness and loss. Drawing on cultures from around the world and ranging from polemic to poetry, the book portrays growing older in all of its glorious complexity, ambiguity and diversity-and it's a delight to read. -- Ashton Applewhite, author of This Chair Rocks: a Manifesto Against Ageism The richness of this volume mirrors the richness of aging here and around the world. Cruikshank has skillfully woven together glimpses of what it is like to grow old. The uniqueness of this text is its diversity. International perspectives combine with work by a variety of U.S. writers. Cruikshank reclaims the word "old" as an honorable one. -- Jean Quam, Dean of the School of Education and Human Development, University of Minnesota Open to any page and find a gem on aging. -- Glenda Martin, Minnesota Women's Press Such a sharing of the nonlinear nature of time may liberate people of all ages and broaden the understanding of those privileged to serve the old. -- Jean Gould, editor of Season of Adventure: Traveling Tales and Outdoor of Women over Fifty