The Retired (Try To) Strike Back: A Novel In Episodes

Four senior couples strain to prove they're still vital--and in the process discover that they have attributes a polarized nation desperately needs. They decide to make a video to help seniors living alone meet and deal with such issues as health, money, sex, loneliness, the fear of death--and the belief that society would prefer that they just disappear. As the movie progresses, the couples realize that seniors possess certain qualities--a need to make change happen soon, get their last acts right, and willingness to cooperate because they now accept that no group has all the answers for society. And they wonder if seniors can become a source of unifying leadership for their divided society. They begin a march, led by senior women who are especially seen as nurturers. The march for senior leadership spreads. But then an angry backlash arises, led by many public officials, who feel they are being blamed, and others who see the senior marches as one more group trying to advance itself. The original march organizers question if it's really best for society, and seniors, to end the marches. To honestly accept that now is the time to leave center stage and accept being on the sidelines. This book is based on an acclaimed weekly newspaper column that appeared for a year. The columns have been rewritten to produce linked, fact-based fictional episodes that can become a vision book for the fastest growing part of the population, and a story to challenge the nation's worrisome political divisions.