When F. Scott Fitzgerald wrote, "There are no second acts in American lives," he was ruefully noting the early rise and fall of celebrated people. In this young country, success was a young man's game, and so was failure. But today's Americans might take Fitzgerald's jeremiad as a compliment: there are no second acts because we prolong the first act forever; we work and play hard to extend adolescence for another 40, 50 years. It's hard work, consuming all that wheat germ and Viagra, but it's worth it to stay tan, teen and terrific. Besides, the alternative is so nonattractive. To...
To continue reading:
or
Log-In
