Studying the interaction of gender, class, race/ethnicity, and aging in the depression experience of older women provides a unique opportunity to understand how aging plays a significant role in shaping conceptions of self and emotional health trajectories for women. Based on author interviews with mostly working-class, depressed, elderly women, this book contributes to the theoretical understanding of femininity and aging and the practical implications for policy and effective health care treatment. Cultivating an "alternative self" can reduce older women’s suffering and provide the...