Sadie and Bessie Delany are experts in the subject of old age—you would be too if you lived to be over one hundred years old! These two sisters experience a lot of personal and societal upheavals over their long lives, yet they emerge at the end of these hard times unscathed. Just don't call them old maids, because they're maiden ladies, as Bessie would say. Over the course of Having Our Say, we gain insight into how these sisters lived so long (they were doing yoga long before sorority girls were dropping Benjamins on lululemon) and their reaction to the changing landscape of America.
Questions About Old Age
- How do Sadie and Bessie manage to live so long?
- Do you think the sisters are happy in their old age? Why or why not?
- How do Nanny's adventures in old age influence the sisters?
- How do the sisters cope with the harder parts of aging?