Historian Jesse F. Ballenger traces the emergence of senility as a cultural category from the late nineteenth century to the 1980s, a period in which Alzheimer's disease became increasingly associated with the terrifying prospect of losing one's self. Changes in American society and culture have complicated the notion of selfhood, Ballenger finds. No longer an ascribed status, selfhood must be carefully and willfully constructed. Thus, losing one's ability to sustain a coherent self-narrative is considered one of life's most dreadful losses. As Ballenger writes "senility haunts the landscape of the self-made man." Stereotypes of senility and Alzheimer's disease are related to anxiety about the coherence, stability, and agency of the self—stereotypes that are transforming perceptions of old age in modern America. Drawing on scientific, clinical, policy, and popular discourses on aging and dementia, Ballenger explores early twentieth-century concepts of aging and the emergence of gerontology to understand and distinguish normal aging from disease. In addition, he examines American psychiatry's approaches to the treatment of senility and scientific attempts to understand the brain pathology of dementia. Ballenger's work contributes to our understanding of the emergence and significance of dementia as a major health issue.

"They say the world used to turn. They say that night would follow day in an endless dance. They say that dawn rose, dusk fell, and we worshiped both sun and stars. That was a long time ago..." The Moth Saga, a bestselling fantasy series, tells the story of Moth, a world torn in two--its one half always in sunlight, the other cloaked in endless night. This bundle includes the first three novels in the series: Moth, Empires of Moth, and Secrets of Moth. Many eras ago, the world of Moth fell still, leaving one side in perpetual daylight, the other in darkness. Torin and Bailey have spent their lives in the light, but now they're about to venture into the dark . . . and discover a world of danger, secrets, and wonder.

Indexes the Methodist Hymnal. Useful in finding the complete context for partly remembered phrases and for locating quotations.

LSL - Lone Star Library Includes bibliographical references and index.