Mary Pipher, "Women Rowing North"

Mary Pipher discusses her book, "Women Rowing North", at Politics and Prose.

Pipher gained national recognition in 1994 with her now classic Reviving Ophelia, which challenged assumptions about teenage girls. Now the psychologist who earned the title “cultural therapist” to a generation examines the myriad issues people face as they age. Addressed primarily, but not exclusively, to women, Pipher focuses on cultural and developmental challenges ranging from misogyny and ageism to illness and mortality. With insightful stories drawn from her experience as a mother, daughter, and caregiver and from her long clinical practice, she illustrates how to accommodate change by cultivating new interests; how to avoid isolation by joining groups and focusing on friendships; and how to reframe even loss as a positive experience by letting go of the “false selves” that have inhibited joy and authenticity in the past.

Founded by Carla Cohen and Barbara Meade in 1984, Politics and Prose Bookstore is Washington, D.C.'s premier independent bookstore and cultural hub, a gathering place for people interested in reading and discussing books. Politics and Prose offers superior service, unusual book choices, and a haven for book lovers in the store and online. Visit them on the web at

Produced by Tom Warren