Encore can spark a lively book club discussion, ranging from personal priorities to social policy. Here are some questions to get the conversation going:

• Encore opens with two scenarios presenting contrasting views of the legacy of the baby boom generation. How do you think history will judge the boomers?

• Encore lists three central factors that nudge people towards encore careers: shaky retirement finances, the appeal of continued connection and engagement, and the desire to make a social contribution. Are there other factors to consider?

• How was your personal vision of retirement shaped? Has it changed? How do you expect your life in your 60s, 70s and 80s to be different from your parents’?

• Encore cites studies that show many people expect to work well beyond “retirement age.” What do you think of the prospect of an additional five, 10 or 20 years of work?

• Encore makes a distinction between encore careers and “bridge jobs” in retail and other commercial sectors. What are the pros and cons of each model?

• Encore stresses the importance of compensation. Does getting paid make an encore career less virtuous than volunteer work?

• The social sector has not yet mounted a concerted effort to recruit aging boomers into encore careers. What hurdles are preventing such an effort? How can we overcome those hurdles?

• Some encore careers require additional training or certification. What would it be like to go back to school at this age?

• What types of assistance would make it easier for you to launch an encore career? for people of other backgrounds or classes?

• Encore posits that the time and talent of millions of boomers could hold the key to solving once-intractable social problems. Is that realistic? What challenges motivate you to act?