The Adult Years: Mastering the Art of Self-Renewal

by Frederic M. Hudson

The most compelling book ever written on personal transition and transformation.
--James M. Kouzes, coauthor of The Leadership Challenge Designed for adults who wish to establish a life course, manage changes, and engage in lifelong learning, The Adult Years is an important guide for self-renewal and reorientation. Frederic Hudson's study is a fresh and thoughful approach to adult life. It explores how adults can design meaningful lives that flow, with intelligence and flexibility, through these changing and uncertain times.

Genres: Leadership

304 pages, Hardcover

First published September 15, 1991

Reviews

[Siobhan Markwell · Rating 2 out of 5]

Maybe I was overtired while reading this book but I found it a bit repetitive, too American, slightly dated and almost "corporate does non-corporate" sounding. It's well-written, and parts are very interesting, but only small parts. It was on a list of reading from some extended CPD I did. All the other recommendations were much better for my money. I think Brene Brown has a similar slant, without the focus on the ageing process, but with a much more up-to-date feel.

[Tiffany · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great resource for those in the coaching field, this book has so many great lessons. One of my favorite parts begins on page 216:
Frederic Hudson writes: "Longevity means to be as well and active as you can, for as long as you can. To stay engaged with life, to take responsibility for designing the future you want, to stay vitally connected to friends and loved ones and to the society at large. Some of the key ideas: The sooner you commit to living to one hundred, the sooner you commit to having a vision and a plan for the rest of your life! There is a difference between aging and getting old. Don't blame your genes; invest in your best choices. Keep up, mentally, with your fields of expertise, with new knowledge and skills, with areas of emerging interest. Maintain as high a level of physical fitness as you can. Develop mental attitudes that promote positive aging. Longevity depends on how well you handle stress. Continuous learning tops the list of factors that scientists have found to promote longevity and retention of mental acuity. Invest in your relationships with family and friends.
Maintain several task areas in parallel- areas of commitment and rewards for your life. Live on the edge of your possibilities, but be able to lose and adapt. Keep up with longevity research."

[Tiffany · Rating 4 out of 5]

The premise of this book is that as adults learn to master the change process within their own lives the will find new ways to renew their families, workplaces and culture. The author asserts that personal mastery of change is critical to the renewal process, and that we are in a constant state of renewal cycles (personally, culturally, in our workplace, in human systems). This book identifies skill and competencies that empower adults throughout the life cycle. I definitely saw myself in the book, and was able to relate to the phase I'm heading toward quite easily. I grabbed some helpful nuggets along the way. There are many case studies to outline the framework for how adults can proceed vitally from 20s through 100s. The only thing stopping me from giving 5 stars is that there are some repetitive parts, but overall I found this book very useful.

[Jeff Lampson]

An excellent introduction to Hudson's cycle of renewal and the stages of adult development. Highly recommneded for coaching and learning professionals.

[Noura · Rating 5 out of 5]

I just couldn't take it off my hands until i finished it...very well written!