Older & Wiser receives the 2023 Eleanor Maccoby Book Award from the American Psychological Association’s Developmental Psychology Division.

Jean Rhodes’ new book, “Older and wiser: New ideas for youth mentoring in the 21st Century (Harvard University Press)” has been named the winner of the 2023 Eleanor Maccoby Book Award from the American Psychological Association’s Developmental Psychology Division.

The Maccoby Award honors a book in the field of psychology that has had or promises to have a profound effect on developmental psychology, including promoting “high standards for the application of scientific knowledge on human development to public policy issues.”

In the book, Rhodes draws on more than thirty years of empirical research to survey the state of the field.

Her conclusion is sobering: there is little evidence that most programs—even renowned, trusted, and long-established ones—are effective. But there is also much reason for hope. She shows that evidence-based approaches can in fact create meaningful change in young people’s lives.