Keith Whitfield and Tamara Baker (eds.) (2014). Handbook of Minority Aging. New York: Springer Publishing, 592 pp. ISBN 978 0 82610 963 7 (paperback)

Abstract

Whitfield and Baker have done an outstanding job in bringing together an excellent group of scholars to both review and critique the current state of knowledge about aging among various ethnic minority groups in the United States. Despite its singular focus on the United States, it provides scholars and practitioners with up-to-date work, both quantitative and qualitative, in various fields of aging, as well as recommends much future work to be done. This comprehensive review covers four parts: Psychology of Minority Aging; Public Health/Biology of Minority Aging; Social Work and Minority Aging; and Sociology of Minority Aging. The 33 chapters, written by 69 authors, address a variety of topics ranging from stress and coping, to religion and spirituality, to genetics, to caregiving, to aging in place and public policy. The inclusion of both established and emerging scholars is a good model for approaches to this field. We need both experienced and new perspectives on the experiences of aging among minority groups. There are many strengths to this compendium. The intersectional approach is key, and the recommendation to disentangle the constructs of minority group, race, ethnicity and culture is critical to the field as these