Come of Age
The Case for Elderhood in a Time of Trouble
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Come of Age
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Narrated by:
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Stephen Jenkinson
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Written by:
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Stephen Jenkinson
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Charles Eisenstein - foreword
About this listen
In his landmark provocative style, Stephen Jenkinson makes the case that we must birth a new generation of elders, one poised and willing to be true stewards of the planet and its species.
Come of Age does not offer tips on how to be a better senior citizen or how to be kinder to our elders. Rather, with lyrical prose and incisive insight, Stephen Jenkinson explores the great paradox of elderhood in North America: how we are awash in the aged and yet somehow lacking in wisdom; how we relegate senior citizens to the corner of the house while simultaneously heralding them as sage elders simply by virtue of their age. Our own unreconciled relationship with what it means to be an elder has yielded a culture nearly bereft of them. Meanwhile, the planet boils, and the younger generation boils with anger over being left an environment and sociopolitical landscape deeply scarred and broken.
Taking on the sacred cow of the family, Jenkinson argues that elderhood is a function rather than an identity - it is not a position earned simply by the number of years on the planet or the title “parent” or “grandparent”. As with his seminal book Die Wise, Jenkinson interweaves rich personal stories with iconoclastic observations that will leave listeners radically rethinking their concept of what it takes to be an elder and the risks of doing otherwise. Part critique, part call to action, Come of Age is a love song inviting us - imploring us - to elderhood in this time of trouble. That time is now. We’re an hour before dawn, and first light will show the carnage, or the courage, we bequeath to the generations to come.
©2018 Stephen Jenkinson (P)2018 Stephen JenkinsonWhat the critics say
“This isn’t a book, it’s an agitation. A glorious rumination that gets inside words themselves and tugs adroitly at their root system, part of a wider exfoliation that holds subtle ideas close, lest they disappear in all this mud, smoke, and darkness. This isn’t a book, it’s a kind of divining, the rare breed that can leave the scriber harrowed and the reader blessed. This isn’t a book, it’s a murmuration, erudite wonderings that have wingspan and wit, turning suddenly and with elegance over the trembling acreage of our lives.” (Dr. Martin Shaw, author of Scatterlings: Getting Claimed in the Age of Amnesia)
“Jenkinson does not blame, indict, nor traffic in solution, rather he elders - with an immense love of life and the world - the long redemptive road where young and old might yet recognize each other and decide to take a little walk. Come of Age has so much respect for your willingness to pick it up that it will ask more of you than you ever thought possible; an unlikely and precious gift that may just change everything.” (Sean Aiken, author of The One-Week Job Project)
“We live in deeply troubled times. The biosphere is collapsing, the economy sputtering, and the mania for the ever-new continues its siren song. To whom and to what can young people turn that might still yet stand in the face of the storm? Enter Come of Age - a raucous and grief-soaked tangle through the annals of history, language, etymology, and, above all, a deep love of life. With fierce prose and unrelenting compassion, Stephen Jenkinson makes the case for elderhood in a time desperate for the wisdom that accrues to those willing to be aged, who are willing to know limitation and deep service to the ending of days.” (Ian MacKenzie, filmmaker, Occupy Love and Amplify Her)
What listeners say about Come of Age
Average Customer RatingsReviews - Please select the tabs below to change the source of reviews.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Teagu
- 2022-08-01
Stunning
He broke my heart and put it back together many times. An artist, an Elder a Warrrior with words and speech. This book is a priceless gift humanity desperately needs.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Amazon Customer
- 2019-10-05
Blessing and grace
This book is a beautiful and poetic reflection on elderhood. Jenkinson's voice is resonant with truth and wisdom and takes the listener on a somewhat hypnotic jourmey. He doesn't give you the answers about elderhood but takes you on a journey to find your own truths. I feel privileged to have found such a gem of a book that I know I will listen to again and again.
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Anonymous User
- 2020-01-10
timely wisdom
An inquiry into what it truly means to be and become an elder. Deeply insightful and a call to the aged step into sharing their wisdom, for those with ears to hear it. Elders in the making...
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1 person found this helpful
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Overall5 out of 5 stars
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Performance5 out of 5 stars
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Story5 out of 5 stars
- Wes_Greenwood
- 2021-01-20
A plea for elders
I’m not sure whether I’m scared at the reality we are in and the seeming lack of elders leading us through these times. Or if I’m really excited about the fact that this book draws light on our current predicaments globally and possible solution, extraction of ancient wisdom from those still alive via the life stories they contain, both from lived experience and the shared life experience told to them from their elders.
I’ll have to listen to this book more then once for the depth of knowledge to really land. Its so dense and heavy at times that I felt like I was drowning in a reality check.
But I suppose that’s the intention of this book and I honour that deeply.
Relax into the rapids as we make our way to calmer waters.
I know I’ll be asking more of the aged around me from now on. And I hope that anyone reading this book does too. And yes, that means those younger then me are open to demanding more of me as well.
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