In a political climate characterized by contention and divides between generations and parties, former GOP party chairwoman Kay Hoflander seeks to offer a chance to understand an older generation.

In her new book, "Musings of a Baby Boomer, Life Before X, Y and Z," Hoflander compiles her large collection of newspaper columns into a collection focused on the reluctant aging of her generation. Hoflander graduated with a degree in journalism from the University of Missouri and owned her own weekly newspaper, the Penny Post, in Boonville, Mo.