Downsizing

Downsizing is a must-read; chock-full of wisdom gleaned from interviews with hundreds of older adults who have gifted, donated, or sold their "stuff" before relocating to a smaller home. Ekerdt's masterful writing poignantly reveals why parting with cherished possessions is such a meaningful life transition. -- Deborah Carr, author of Golden Years? Social Inequality in Later Life
With Downsizing, Ekerdt fills a significant gap in our understanding of how elders think about their lifelong accumulation of dwelling possessions and their willingness and strategies to let go of their material worlds. This book should be on the reading lists of all senior care professionals seeking in-depth understanding of what aging in the right place really means to today's seniors. -- Stephen M. Golant, author of Aging in the Right Place
A fascinating and humane book that speaks to all of us through its exploration of our relationship with material possessions and the paradoxes they present as we grow older. It offers an original and groundbreaking analysis that addresses the materiality of later years in an accessible and beautifully written way. -- Julia Twigg, University of Kent
Downsizing is a good read that advances the notion that the life course within social gerontology needs to take a material turn. It is hard to imagine a reader who could not relate to this book. -- Renee Beard, College of the Holy Cross
With sociological tools and gerontological insight, David Ekerdt tackles the vexing challenge of household downsizing. Through a thoughtful mixed-methods analysis, he explains how we accumulate and deal with our material convoy-the belongings we acquire-as we age. This book will resonate with anyone who has ever wondered why they have so much stuff and what they are going to do with it. -- Janet Wilmoth, coeditor of Gerontology: Perspectives and Issues