A grey tsunami is sweeping the land, wreaking social and financial havoc in its wake. Sound familiar? This myth about aging, along with twenty-eight others, is the focus of Getting Wise about Getting Old, which paints a far more accurate and nuanced portrait of old age. In it, experts debunk myths and persistent stereotypes about aging on a broad array of social issues – from retirement (seniors are low-performance workers) to housing (most older adults live in long-term care accommodation), and violence (senior women are not victims of sexual assault) to political participation (seniors are conservative and resistant to change) – deconstructing and countering them with the latest findings. The work of two leading research groups in Quebec, the short and accessible chapters of this vitally important book contribute to a better understanding of the social challenges, as well as the advantages, of an aging society.

Véronique Billette is the coordinator of the VIES research team (Vieillissements, exclusions sociales et solidarités / aging, social exclusion and solidarity), a group of researchers working on social issues of aging. She is a co-editor of Vieillir au pluriel: Perspectives sociales – the first reference book in French on social gerontology. She has many years of experience working in the intervention and prevention of violence against women and in mental health.

Patrik Marier is a professor in the Department of Political Science at Concordia University, where he is the chair of Research on Aging and Public Policy and the lead researcher of Équipe VIES. He is the scientific director of the Centre for Research and Expertise in Social Gerontology (CREGÉS) at the Integrated University Health and Social Services Centre (CIUSSS). He is well known for his work on social policy, public administration, and retirement.

Anne-Marie Séguin is a professor at the Centre Urbanisation Culture Société of the Institut national de la recherche scientifique and was formerly the lead researcher of Équipe VIES. She is renowned for her work in environmental justice, poverty, socio-spatial aspects of aging, and urban social policies.

A thoughtful collection calling attention to what is said (and unsaid) about older people, the places they live, and the roles they occupy. Each chapter unearths existing assumptions, raises questions for debate, and presents new possibilities for reflection and social change.