by Laura Katz Olson Vine Leaves Press 7/23/2024, paperback SKU: 9783988320759 Now 80 years old, retirement and advanced age have dissipated the spirit of six college radicals of the 1960s, who jointly had participated in civil rights campaigns and anti-war protests. Having engaged in only periodic communication over the decades, they suddenly receive an invitation to reunite for an extended weekend. Struggling with whether to go, each of them has divergent qualms and expectations for the proposed gathering. During their three days together, they confront their inner demons, each other, and their future. Does Rebecca, the prime mover of the event, find solace after losing her wife and career? Can Malaika regain her sense of self after stepping down from her successful law practice? Mourning the loss of her youthful athletic prowess and attractiveness, what happens when Deanna faces her old friends? Struggling with two divorces and a failing marriage, can Russell attain peace of mind? How will Max, an expat living in Canada, manage with his incipient dementia? Will the demoralized Keith recover his idealism? Wrinkled Rebels is a story of how six people achieve meaningful lives through the struggle for social justice. It is also a tale of love, the bonds of friendship, and growing old positively. Reviews: "Laura Olson has succeeded in capturing the true history of our rebellious cohort as well as our living spirit. What a blessing she has given her readers by reminding us that it ain't over." -- Mark Rudd, political organizer, anti-war activist, lecturer, and author "In this poignant narrative of three men and three women, now eighty years old, Olson deftly captures not only their ongoing commitment, struggles and setbacks as they reach retirement and old age but the power of abiding friendship to heal each other's tired spirits." -- Jo Freeman, civil rights activist, a founding member of the feminist movement, author "Capture[s] many of the personal nuances and life complications confronting those who sought so urgently to save the world." -- Paul Buhle, founding editor of the SDS journal Radical America, retired Senior Lecturer, Brown University "These badass activists reject the temptation to wallow in recitations of an old despond, or any nostalgia for a ship that's already left the shore." -- Bill Ayers, political organizer, anti-war activist, author of Fugitive Days: Memoirs of an Anti-War Activist About the Author: Laura Katz Olson is AGF Distinguished Professor of Political Science at Lehigh University. To date, she has published nine nonfiction books on the U.S. health system and long-term care politics and policy. Elder Care Journey, which relates her personal experiences as a caregiver for her mother, won a Gold Medal in the 2017 Living Now Book award competition. Olson has served on the American Political Science Council and is on the editorial board of the Journal of Critical Political Science. In 2009, she received the Charles A. McCoy Lifetime Achievement Award.
