Fierce with Reality, a culturally diverse literary collection on aging, has been reissued by the editor, Margaret Cruikshank. The anthology highlights writings by women from late l9th century American literature to the present, and includes an essay by Pat.

Ranging from ancient Chinese poetry to Mary Oliver and Alice Walker, the anthology includes fiction, philosophical essays, personal essays, humor, analyses of ageism, and folktales from Asia and Iraq. Many facets of aging are explored, revealing the challenges and complexities of late-life experiences, and demonstrating that aging is both individual and social/cultural.