What people said about the first edition of Fierce with Reality: "The richness of this volume mirrors the richness of aging here and around the world. Cruikshank has skillfully woven together glimpses of what it is like to grow old. The uniqueness of this text is its diversity. International perspectives combine with work by a variety of U.S. writers. Cruikshank reclaims the word "old" as an honorable one." Jean K. Quam, Ph.D. Professor and Director, School of Social Work University of Minnesota " . such a sharing of the nonlinear nature of time may liberate people of all ages. Particularly, it may broaden the understanding of those who are privileged to serve the old in their final years. Jean Gould, Editor of Season of Adventure: Traveling Tales and Outdoor Journeys of Women over Fifty "Open to any page and find a gem on aging, about 80 percent by women. Women from diverse cultures and lifestyles. Some names recognizable, some new to writing." Glenda Martin, Minnesota Women"s Press About the Editor: Margaret Cruikshank has been teaching and writing about women"s issues since 1975. She taught English for many years at City College of San Francisco and now teaches women"s studies at the University of Maine and occasionally at the University of Southern Maine. Her book Learning to be Old: gender, culture, and aging, was published in 2003. She lives in Corea, Maine, a small village on the Gouldsboro Peninsula.