Surely you recall that back in January, I told you about Tribes of Eden, a new novel from geriatrician Bill Thomas – a giant among elder advocates and one of my few heroes.
As he explains, the book is a classic thriller
”…set in the near future after the collapse of society. It follows a mother and her two children as they find refuge in an isolated community hidden from ‘The GRID,’ a totalitarian power that restored order with an iron fist.
“As The GRID’s virtual new world order begins to threaten the community, a young girl must lead an alliance of the young and old to restore humanity.”
Although the book has been available in several electronic formats for a few weeks, yesterday the paperback edition had its official release.
To celebrate, Bill is holding a live, virtual book launch party that everyone can attend online at the Tribes of Eden website. It will take place tomorrow, Wednesday 4 April, beginning at 3PM eastern U.S. time so mark your computer calendar.
Bill’s book is a terrific read that can be enjoyed simply for the sake of a good story. But there is more to it than that. For those of you who are not familiar with Dr. Thomas and his work, let me quote the book’s press release which is more succinct than I can be on my own:
”…the novel introduces a new vision of old age that [Bill] hopes will counter what he sees as widespread ageism in our society that has been detrimental to efforts to improve the care of older adults.
“’As a culture, we fear, loathe and deny the realities of aging,’ Thomas said. ‘We worship youth and blind ourselves to the plight of millions of people who are institutionalized against their will in nursing homes for the sole crime of frailty.’”
“For two decades, Thomas has been a leader in an international movement to de-institutionalize nursing homes through The Eden Alternative, a philosophy to create long term care environments that provide a ‘pathway to a life worth living’ by promoting relationships and meaningful interactions.
“Thomas said he used a post-apocalyptic scenario [in Tribes of Eden] to create a dystopian environment in which everyone is stripped of safety, security and independence and put into the power of an authoritarian regime.
“In other words, they experience what it’s like to be placed in a nursing home against their will,’ he said.”
Bill has dedicated the book to the thousands of people worldwide who are part of The Eden Alternative project and 100 percent of the proceeds from sales go to that organization.
To help get the book off to a great start, Bill has provided three copies of Tribes of Eden for me to give away to Time Goes By readers.
To enter the contest, leave a message in the comments section below (no emails). That’s it. If you have something to say about Bill Thomas, his book, The Eden Alternative, nursing homes or anything else related, that’s good, but not required.
The only requirement is that you state your interest in winning one of the books. Like last time we did this kind of contest, typing “Me, me, me” will do it, too. I’m not fussy.
The contest will close tonight, 3 April 2012, at midnight U.S. Pacific Coast time. The three winners will be chosen in a random, electronic drawing and announced here on this blog on Friday 6 April 2012.
Don’t forget tomorrow’s online book launch at the Tribes of Eden website.
At The Elder Storytelling Place today, Sharon Ostrow: A Muse
