A Place Called Canterbury: Tales of the New Old Age in America

Cultural Programs of the National Academy of Sciences Podcast

In 1994, New York Times writer Dudley Clendinen's mother followed the example of her generational compatriots: she sold her home and moved into an all-amenities-included geriatric apartment building: Canterbury Tower in Tampa Bay. Wealthy, poor, Christian, Jewish, widowed, married-all of Canterbury's residents had come together, at the average age of 86, in search of a last place to live and die. Clendinen's curiosity about this final phase of human life in the 21st century led him to spend 400 days and nights living at Canterbury, during which he became intimately involved in the lives of its residents and staff. With A PLACE CALLED CANTERBURY: Tales of the New Old Age in America (Viking), Clendinen offers a beautifully written, hilarious and deeply moving look at old age in the new millennium.