Coming of Age (1972)
"Society cares about the individual only in so far as he is profitable. The young know this. Their anxiety as they enter in upon social life matches the anguish of the old as they are excluded from it."
This 572-page Coming of Age proof copy by Simone de Beauvoir is an analysis on "society's secret shame," the mistreatment of the elderly. The proof corrections marked in pencil are minimal, including question marks next to prices and checkmarks in the margins. The book is an in-depth examination of old age through biological, cultural, philosophical, historical, and contemporary lenses. She explores how society and culture views the elderly, and then she features interviews and personal experiences of older individuals. de Beauvoir, who wrote the book at age 66, concludes that elderly people are marginalized and dehumanized in modern capitalist societies, and their mistreatment reflects society's misplaced values and priorities.