Good deeds in old age : volunteering by the new leisure class /

Chambre's work is a secondary analysis of the 1981 Harris survey data of older people sponsored by the National Council on the Aging. Using this database and a large body of other social science references, Chambre examines volunteering among older people and its impact on role loss in old age. She also examines differential patterns of social and leisure activities, life satisfaction, and a broad range of social characteristics, attitudes, and psychological attributes. Chambre (Baruch College) exhibits an excellent grasp of the volunteer literature in the social sciences in assessing the propensity of different aging populations to volunteer. By using the Harris data with its different age and sex groups, Chambre bases her conclusions on cross-sectional analysis. Previously, most volunteer literature typically examined only one socioeconomic group: upper-middle-class females. The author could have placed less emphasis on volunteering as a late-life role substitute, perhaps speculating more on this activity as a late-life developmental stage. The work is well written, covers the major socioeconomic correlates of volunteering, and offers practical recommendations to expand participation in voluntary activities. Chapter notes; one appendix. Undergraduate libraries.-L.A. Baumhover, University of Alabama