Review by Booklist Review
Legendary baseball pitcher and sage Satchel Paige had this take on aging: How old would you be if you didn't know how old you was? Geriatrician Williams funnels his inner Paige in not proposing a reversal or suspension of the aging process but rather suggesting lifestyles and actions that promote happy and healthy lives. He shares five secrets. Accept reality. (Face it. You're going to get old.) Task your body to exercise regularly, eat properly, and sleep soundly. Stimulate your mind. Handle your emotions wisely. Cultivate your spirit. Williams dispels many myths about aging. Notably, the elderly are not all alike or in a state of increasing frailty. The causes of aging, the history of how world cultures view senior citizens, and caution about nutritional advice and supplements such as human growth hormone (HGH) are covered. He acknowledges that the fear of dependency (confinement in a nursing home, for example) can be greater than the dread of death. Williams' aim is to offer a more accurate, realistic, and helpful portrait of human aging. Mission accomplished.--Miksanek, Tony Copyright 2016 Booklist
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Library Journal Review
Many negative aging myths are busted in this lucid book by one of the first trained geriatricians. For instance, being slightly overweight may be protective for aging heart patients (if after contracting heart disease). But the blow-by-blow account of many inescapably negative aspects of aging that follows may have some dropping the book mid-read to bolt for the gym. A full 50 percent of cognitive deficits in a study of aging nuns were genetic. Half of all women are no longer sexually active after age 65. Thought processes slow considerably with age; many aspects of sight, hearing, strength, and immunity degenerate. Still, wisdom and creativity can even burn brighter: the list of great artists, composers, and thinkers who did some of their best work in old age includes Sophocles, Galileo, Beethoven, Monteverdi, Bach, Stravinsky, Georgia O'Keeffe, and Frank Lloyd Wright. Ben Franklin invented bifocals at 79. The Pietà carved by Michelangelo in his 80s is far more nuanced than the Pietà he carved in his 20s. The science of fighting old age marches on, with exercise proving more critical than ever. Mental exercises rewire brains and improve memory of 65-year-olds "substantially." Also key: intergenerational living, multiple projects, love (of people or pets), and laughter. Some may dispute the book's (brief) emphasis on oxygen free radical damage in light of more recent studies than those cited. Still, the author correctly and carefully notes the jury is out on the degree to which extra antioxidants help or harm in that regard. Verdict A surprisingly inspiring look at aging for both older people and those who love them.-Cynthia Fox, Brooklyn © Copyright 2016. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
