Freeman, Phyllis R., and Jan Zlotnik Schmidt, eds. Wise Women: Reflections of Teachers at Midlife. New York: Routledge, 2000. 273 pp.

by Stephanie Vandrick

As a "midlife" teacher myself, I was very pleased to discover Phyllis R. Freeman and Jan Zlotnik Schmidt's Wise Women: Reflections of Teachers at Midlife, a collection of thoughtful essays by fellow "fifty-ish" women educators. These contributors evaluate—or re-evaluate— their lives, careers, goals, achievements, disappointments, and realizations at the midpoint (or later) of their teaching lives. We generally think of younger people, early in their careers, looking for role models and mentors. Yet those of us who are mid- or late-career academics are also looking for role models, examples, companions in making the transition into middle age and beyond; this volume provides such models and companions.