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Gail Sheehy

ゲイル・シーヒー

Geiru Shīhī

Profile

Gender
Female
Born
1936-11-27 （Mamaroneck, New York, U.S.）
Died
2020-08-24 （Southampton, New York, U.S.） age 83
Nationality
United States
Languages
English
Residence History
Mamaroneck, New York → East Village, New York City → San Francisco Bay Area, California → Southampton, New York

Career

Occupations
journalist, author, lecturer
Active Years
1960-2020
Affiliations
Women's Institute for Freedom of the Press (WIFP), AARP (Caregiving Ambassador), National Osteoporosis Foundation
Influenced By
Margaret Mead, Tom Wolfe (New Journalism)
Influenced

Education

University of Vermont
English & Home Economics
Degree: BA
Period: 1954-1958
Year of Graduation: 1958
Country: United States
Columbia University, Graduate School of Journalism
Journalism
Degree: MA
Period: 1969-1970
Year of Graduation: 1970
Country: United States
Attended on a Rockefeller Foundation fellowship; studied under Margaret Mead

Awards

New York Newswomen's Club Front Page Award
Organization: New York Newswomen's Club
Result: 複数回受賞（7回）
National Magazine Award (Report Excellence)
1973
Category: 報告
Organization: National Magazine Awards
Result: 受賞
Penney-Missouri Award
1975
Organization: Missouri Lifestyle Journalism Awards
Result: 受賞
Anisfield-Wolf Book Award
1987
Work: Spirit of Survival
Organization: Anisfield-Wolf Book Awards
Result: 受賞
Honorary Doctorate of Humane Letters (Dartmouth)
1994
Organization: Dartmouth College
Result: 授与
American Psychological Association Presidential Citation
2002
Organization: American Psychological Association
Result: 授与
American Society on Aging Leadership Award
2011
Organization: American Society on Aging
Result: 受賞
Passages: Selected by the Library of Congress as one of the most influential books
Work: Passages
Organization: Library of Congress
Result: 選出

Awards & Nominations

Works

Major Works

Passages: Predictable Crises of Adult Life

1976 Non-fiction (self-help / cultural sociology)

A study of predictable crises and transitions in adult life; introduced the idea of "Second Adulthood." A long-running New York Times bestseller and one of Sheehy's most influential books.

life stagesmidlife crisisself-transformation

Hustling: Prostitution in Our Wide Open Society

1973 Non-fiction (investigative reportage)

An investigative work based on a series of articles about prostitution, using interviews and first-hand reporting to portray prostitution as a social issue.

social issuessex industryurban culture
Adaptations
  • [TV movie] Hustling (TV movie) (1975)

Spirit of Survival

1987 Non-fiction (reportage / documentary)

A book documenting Cambodian refugees and stories of survival; includes Sheehy's own experience adopting a Cambodian child.

refugeessurvivalhumanitarianism

Lovesounds

1970 Novel (psychological novel)

A psychological novel about the dissolution of a marriage, told in alternating perspectives.

marriageidentityrelationships

Daring: My Passages

2014 Memoir

A memoir in which Sheehy reflects on her life and career, including perspectives developed since Passages and personal experiences.

memoirlife transitionscaregiving

Bibliography

  • Speed is of the Essence (1971)
  • Panthermania: The Clash of Black Against Black in One American City (1971)
  • Lovesounds (1970)
  • Hustling: Prostitution in Our Wide Open Society (1973)
  • Passages: Predictable Crises of Adult Life (1976)
  • Pathfinders: Overcoming the Crises of Adult Life (1983)
  • Spirit of Survival (1987)
  • Character: America's Search for Leadership (1991)
  • The Man Who Changed the World: The Lives of Mikhail S. Gorbachev (1991)
  • The Silent Passage: Menopause (1993)
  • New Passages: Mapping Your Life Across Time (1995)
  • Understanding Men's Passages (1998)
  • Hillary's Choice (1999)
  • Middletown, America: One Town's Passage from Trauma to Hope (2003)
  • Sex and the Seasoned Woman: Pursuing the Passionate Life (2007)
  • Passages in Caregiving: Turning Chaos into Confidence (2010)
  • Daring: My Passages: A Memoir (2014)

Adaptations

  • Grey Gardens (documentary, 1975) and later Broadway musical adaptation
  • Hustling (TV movie, 1975)

Translations of Works

  • Passages (translated into multiple languages)

Style & Themes

Literary Style
New Journalism (creative nonfiction)reportage emphasizing character study and scene-setting
Recurring Motifs
life transitionsmidlife crisespsychological portraits of leaders

Health

  • Post-traumatic stress (PTSD) tendencies
    1972頃（Bloody Sunday取材後）
    Reported psychological impact after reporting Bloody Sunday, including fear of flying
  • Pneumonia (complications)
    2020
    Died in 2020 from complications of pneumonia

Legacy

Known for Passages and numerous influential books and articles, Sheehy helped shape New Journalism with character-driven cultural reporting. She is noted for profiles of political and global leaders and for bringing attention to caregiving and menopause.

In Popular Culture

  • Her New York article 'The Secret of Grey Gardens' inspired the Grey Gardens documentary and later stage adaptations
  • Work adapted for television (Hustling) and referenced in later dramatizations

Quotes

  • Whenever you hear about a great cultural phenomenon — drop everything and go there. Stand at the edge of the abyss and look down into it; you will see a culture turned inside out and revealed in a raw state.
    Source: Commencement speech / interview referencing Margaret Mead (2016)

Trivia

  • Seven-time recipient of the New York Newswomen's Club Front Page Award.
  • Passages remained on the New York Times bestseller list for three years.
  • Settled a 1975 lawsuit by Roger Gould by giving him 10% of royalties for Passages.
  • Adopted a child from Cambodia and documented refugee issues in Spirit of Survival.
  • Became AARP's Caregiving Ambassador after the death of partner Clay Felker in 2008.