Men at midlife - John Clay

Most men, at some point between the ages of 35 and 50, start to analyze their lives to date and decide what they want from the future. Triggers, such as the death of parents, marital breakdown, redundancy or sudden changes at work, or even just the realization that children are growing up, can lead to a so-called "midlife crisis", but often it is a less dramatic process. For no obvious reason, some men can feel suddenly cast adrift, uncertain of the future and even less sure of the past and its fragile achievements. They make a desperate bid to defy time by having an affair with a younger woman, gambling or drinking. For others, the realization that they have reached midlife may be the push they needed to change career, start a novel or pursue some long-held but not precisely acted upon ambition.;John Clay has spent several years researching the subject through his work in a London psychotherapy clinic and through the interviews he has conducted for this book.;Many of the stories these men relate are inspirational such as the example of Tim Waterstone who founded a successful chain of bookshops at the age of 42 after being made redundant from his old job. Others are moving descriptions of the dangers of illicit affairs, and the trauma of marital breakup.;The author gives positive suggestions for dealing with the midlife transition. He shows how midlife can be seen as a constructive, creative period in which you can begin to fulfill your true potential and take steps to change the entire fabric of your life for the better.;John Clay has written one previous book, a biography of the contract bridge supremo Ely Cuthbertson.