Review by Library Journal Review
According to the research model developed by Umberson (sociology, Univ. of Texas, Austin), loss of a parent at midlife is a predictable yet transformative experience. Umberson, who has published widely in the areas of family relationships and health, analyzes in serviceable prose how such a loss affects an adult child's physical and psychological health as well as his or her relationships with siblings, surviving parents, and children. Drawing on extensive research (sponsored by the National Institute on Aging) and interviews with a representative national sample of research respondents in 1986, 1989, and 1994, Umberson comes to some truly illuminating conclusions, shedding light on such issues as how a loss can negatively affect survivors or "liberate" them and improve their long-term health, depending on the social context, and why adult children become more like their parents after they die. She also includes coping strategies. This clear, insightful study provides a unique combination of research-based self-help and scholarly enterprise. Highly recommended for large public libraries and academic social science collections.-Antoinette Brinkman, M.L.S., Evansville, IN (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Library Journal Review