Writer Sara Davidson Describes "The Narrows"

"I'm at home with no kids and no work. After 24 years and several award nominations, I can't get hired to write for television. ... At the same time, my partner of seven years takes off with no discussion, and my children, who've occupied my first thoughts on waking and my last before falling asleep, are off at college. ...My kids, my lover and my livelihood are being yanked from me at once and there's nothing I can do.

... What am I supposed to do for the next 30 years? I've raised my kids, written best sellers, had deep love ... Why am I still here?

This was the beginning of a period I later came to call "the narrows," the rough passage to the next part of life. In the narrows, you're in the dark, stripped of what you thought was your identity, and must grapple with questions like: What do you really want to do with the time left? What will make you feel most alive? That your being here has mattered?

I found, after several years of research, that everyone—no matter how much money or achievement you've attained or not attained—must go through the narrows. You may do it in your late 40s, you may not do it till your 70s, but if you don't do it voluntarily, the world or your body will force you to. Maybe your hips or knees wear down, or you can't drink as much and stay out as late without paying. You're compelled to shift gears, and you won't come out unchanged."

-- Sara Davidson, author of the forthcoming book "Leap! What Will We Do With The Rest of Our Lives?" in Newsweek. It's subtitled "Reflections from the Boomer Generation."

Davidson previously wrote the 1977 bestseller "Loose Change," which tracked the real-life stories of three young women as they navigated the 1960s. The publisher claims over a million copies have sold, and it's still in print.

For the new book, Davidson talked to Tom Hayden, Carly Simon, Dr. Andrew Weil, Bebe Moore Campbell, and others about their experiences with what might be called late midlife crises, and what changes they made during that journey. She concludes "While there's no single route through the narrows, I can tell you that there's sunlight and air at the other side."

Publishers Weekly says "her engaging and provocative anecdotes will inspire hope and creative thinking about the future in many readers."

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Update: Please also see our interview with Sarah Davidson.

We excerpted some Amazon reviews here.