cover image The Women We Become: Myths, Folktales, and Stories about Growing Older

The Women We Become: Myths, Folktales, and Stories about Growing Older

Ann Thomas. Prima Lifestyles, $23 (304pp) ISBN 978-0-7615-0654-6

This latest in the rapidly growing field of self-help books for the aging woman takes a unique approach. The author, a California psychotherapist and storyteller, recounts compelling myths and folktales from a variety of cultures, many with female protagonists, then explains their hidden symbolism. Most of these tales will be unfamiliar to readers, for example, the Japanese story of an old woman who chased a rice cake or the British tale of the old woman in a vinegar bottle. According to Thomas, traditional stories contain messages passed down from one generation to another that hold valuable lessons on how to deal with growing older. She includes tales about facing mortality, accepting limitations and getting in touch with the ""masculine within"" and the ""dark feminine,"" two parts of every woman that, the author believes, may be buried deep in the unconscious. Thomas advocates self-knowledge as the path to aging creatively and happily, but her method for achieving this personal enlightenment is based heavily on a Jungian interpretation of ancient stories, and will be of interest primarily to women already conversant with Jungian psychology. (Dec.)