Birren has conducted more than twenty-five years of autobiography groups, where participants recall, write, and share their life stories. He offers "how-to" tips for organizing, complementing, and understanding oral history works. He finds that the exercise is rewarding for adults entering periods of transitions, such as the elderly population, and encourages the sharing of experiences with others on the same journey.

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From Simon & Schuster, Where to Go From Here is a guide to discovering your own life's wisdom in the second half of your life. Cautioning that there is no magic carpet ride to a blissful elderhood, Jim Birren offers readers the ability to let go of the fears from the past, to understand and be themselves, and to see the future as a wonderful adventure. The result is living longer better.

Beginning with an overview of the changing world of aging, this book goes on to address practical principles and guidelines for group work.

Telling the Stories of Life through Guided Autobiography Groups, based on James Birren's 25 years of conducting autobiography groups, discusses all the topics an organizer faces while developing a program for adults who want to recall and write down their life histories. This book is ideal for adult education programs, church groups, social workers, psychologists, gerontologists, and others who work with adults who might be interested in exploring, recording, or sharing their personal histories. It helps professionals and trained workshop leaders at community centers, senior centers, schools and other settings guide group participants in exploring major themes of their lives so that they can organize and write their stories and share them in a group with others on the same journey. This exercise is rewarding for adults of any age in a period of transition or with interest in gaining insight from their own stories. Personal development and a feeling of connection to other participants and their stories is a natural outcome of this process. This book provides background material and detailed lesson plans for those who wish to develop and lead an autobiography group. The authors explain the concept of guided autobiography, discuss the benefits to the group participants, and provide logistical information on how to plan, organize, and set up a group. An appendix provides exercises, handouts, and suggested adaptations for specific groups. The book also explains a systematic method of priming memories, including the history of family and of one's life work, the role of money, health and the body, and ideas about death. At a time when rapid change has created a widespread yearning to write down and exchange personal accounts, sharing life stories can reveal a great deal about how we have come to be the persons we are. Telling the Stories of Life through Guided Autobiography Groups shows how to organize, record, and share life experiences through a proven and effective technique.

From Kristin Hannah, the #1 New York Times bestselling author of the smash-hit novels Firefly Lane, The Nightingale, and The Four Winds comes a novel about how one reckless night destroys the lives of three teenagers and their families. For eighteen years, Jude Farraday has put her children's needs above her own, and it shows—her twins, Mia and Zach, are bright and happy teenagers. When Lexi Baill moves into their small, close-knit community, no one is more welcoming than Jude. Lexi, a former foster child with a dark past, quickly becomes Mia's best friend. Then Zach falls in love with Lexi and the three become inseparable. Jude does everything to keep her kids out of harm's way. But senior year of high school tests them all. It's a dangerous, explosive season of drinking, driving, parties, and kids who want to let loose. And then on a hot summer's night, one bad decision is made. In the blink of an eye, the Farraday family will be torn apart and Lexi will lose everything. In the years that follow, each must face the consequences of that single night and find a way to forget...or the courage to forgive. Vivid, universal, and emotionally complex, Night Road raises profound questions about motherhood, identity, love, and forgiveness. It is a luminous, heartbreaking novel that captures both the exquisite pain of loss and the stunning power of hope. This is Kristin Hannah at her very best, telling an unforgettable story about the longing for family, the resilience of the human heart, and the courage it takes to forgive the people we love. "You cannot read Night Road and not be affected by the story and the characters. The total impact of the book will stay with you for days to come after it is finished." —The Huffington Post

"Guided autobiography," write the authors, "is ideally suited to foster in the older adult a belief that his or her life is meaningful and something of which to be proud." This book helps professionals—at senior centers, community centers, and other service facilities—guide older adults and others in preparing their autobiographies. Many older adults, the authors explain, have limited social networks. Widowhood, retirement, and other "involuntary transitions" create a loss of roles, which can damage the older adult's sense of identity and self-worth. Guided autobiography can be used very effectively with such persons—to promote their general well- being, develop friendships, and create increased feelings of self-sufficiency. The book's chapters treat such topics as eliciting themes from people's lives, promoting creative thinking, facilitating group interaction, and mastering obstacles in the group process. Based on the authors' fourteen years of experience leading groups in guided autobiography, this book will be of special interest to gerontologists, psychologists, social workers, and other professionals who conduct activity programs for older people.

From "No Use Denying It" to "Keeping the Spirit Renewed," Dick Morgan here offers six themes right on target for older adults. The sixty-two meditations in No Wrinkles on the Soul are ideal for individual or small-group devotions. Each meditation presents a suggested Scripture reading, a printed Bible verse, and a reading for reflection. These meditations relate honestly to the variety of situations in which older adults may find themselves living--in their own home, in a retirement center, in a nursing home, or in the home of a relative.

C.1 COUNTY FUNDS. B & T. 12-18-2006. $23.95.

Conducting Wellness Groups for Veterans and Older Adults: The Legacy Model offers an innovative wellness group model for mental health practitioners. Two curricula developed by the authors are explored, the Process-Focused Legacy Group curriculum for members who are high functioning and motivated adults, and the Activity-Based Legacy Group curriculum tailored for persons with disabilities and/or cognitive impairments. Detailed steps, prompts, and legacy activities are provided for each stage for both curriculum formats. This book provides clinical examples from the facilitator’s group experiences using the Legacy Model. The appendices provide further detailed resource materials that include descriptions of potential legacy projects and a vast assortment of legacy activities. This book is essential for mental health practitioners: mental health counselors, marriage and family therapists, social workers, and psychologists interested in conducting Legacy Groups with veterans and older adults.