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I'm also learning more about the opportunities of late life. Aging is not all decay! There is richness in serving, connecting, learning, exploring, and creating. Opportunities abound from noting a new small detail to seeing overarching patterns that emerge with decades' of experience.
Here is the FIRST HALF of my constantly expanding list (check back).
Find the second half here: Books about Aging: M through Z.
Note: I am only including titles that I have actually read.
Last updated March 2023 with a review of David von Drehle's 2023 book, The Book of Charlie: Wisdom from the Remarkable American Life of a 109-Year-Old Man.
Here is the FIRST HALF of my constantly expanding list (check back).
Find the second half here: Books about Aging: M through Z.
Note: I am only including titles that I have actually read.
Last updated March 2023 with a review of David von Drehle's 2023 book, The Book of Charlie: Wisdom from the Remarkable American Life of a 109-Year-Old Man.
Do you have recommendations for me? Note that I strongly prefer reading physical books over e-books because my comprehension is poor for e-books. It's even worse for audio.
I also write reviews of related books, grouped by theme and listed by longest to shortest lists:
- Books about Dementia (35 books)
- Books about the Dying Process (18 books)
- Books about Ripeness in Late Life (13 books)
- Books on Aging & Spiritual Growth (13 books)
- Ten Books: An Essential Library on Aging (10 books)
- Books about the Death Care Industry (7 books)
- Strong, Smart Women Wrestling with Caregiving (5 books)
- Novels about Mature Men Facing Death (5 books)
- Books about the Brain--neuroplasticity in particular (4 books)
Ackerman, Diane (2001). One Hundred Names for Love: A Stroke, a Marriage and the Language of Healing. Review
Agronin, Marc E. (2016). The Dementia Caregiver: A Guide to Caring for Someone with Alzheimer's Disease and Other Neurocognitive Disorders. GR Review
Agronin, Marc E. (2011). How We Age: A Doctor's Journey into the Heart of Growing Old. GR Review and Blog Review.
This 2 minute video shows author Dr. Marc Agronin is an excerpt of a 2017 lecture.
Albom, Mitch (1997). Tuesdays with Morrie. Review
Applewhite, Ashton (2016). This Chair Rocks: A Manifesto Against Ageism. GR Review and Blog Review.
Altman, Nancy J. (2005). The Battle for Social Security: From FDR's Vision to Bush's Gamble. Review
Aronson, Louise. (2019). Elderhood: Redefining Aging, Transforming Medicine, Reimaging Life. GR Review and Blog Review
Atchley, Robert C. & Amanda S. Barusch (2004). Social Forces & Aging: An Introduction to Social Gerontology. 10th Edition. Review.
Atwood, Margaret (2016). Hag-seed. GR Review and Blog Review
Barnes, Julian (2011). The Sense of an Ending. GR Review and Blog Review
Beerman, Susan (2002). Eldercare 911. Review
Bell, Virginia and David Troxel (2012). A Dignified Life: The Best Friends Approach to Alzheimer's Care. GR Review and Blog Review
Berry, Wendell (1974). The Memory of Old Jack. GR Review and Blog Review.
Bernstein, David (2012). I've Got Some Good News and Some Bad News: You're Old: Tales of a Geriatrician. GR Review and Blog Review.
Bezich, Louis (2018). Crack the Code: 10 Proven Secrets that Motivate Healthy Behavior and Inspire Fulfillment in Men over 50. GR Review and Blog Review
Bjorklund, Barbara R. (2011). The Journey of Adulthood. Review
Bloom, Amy (2022). In Love: A Memoir of Love and Loss. Review
Bolen, Jean Shinoda (2003). Crones Don't Whine. (2003) GR Review
Borrie, Cathie (2010). The Long Hello. (2nd edition in 2015) GR Review and Blog Review
Burda, Angela N. (2010). Communication and Swallowing Changes in Healthy Adults. Review
Butler, Katy (2013). Knocking on Heaven's Door: The Path to a Better Way of Death. GR Review and Blog Review.
Butler, Robert N. (1998). Aging and Mental Health: Positive Psychosocial And Biomedical Approaches. 5th Edition Review
Carpenter, Kyrie' (2017). Healing Dementia. Blog Review
Carella, Joe (2017). Creating Unlimited Options for Aging: The Path Forward. Review
Carter, Jimmy (2015). A Full Life: Reflections at Ninety. GR Review and Blog Review
Carter, Jimmy (1998). The Virtues of Aging (1998). Review
Chast, Roz (2014). Can't We Talk About Something More Pleasant? GR Review and Blog Review
Chen, Pauline W. (2007). Final Exam Review
Chittister, Joan. (2008). The Gift of Years: Growing Older Gracefully. GR Review and Blog Review
Clark, Robert L. et al. (2004) The Economics of Aging. Review
Cohen, Ari Seth. (2012) Advanced Style. Review.
Comer, Meryl. (2014). Slow Dancing with a Stranger. Review
Cooney, Eleanor. (2004). Death in Slow Motion. GR Review and Blog Review.
Cowley, Chris & Henry S. Lodge, M.D. (2004). Younger Next Year: A Guide to Living Like 50 until You're 80 and Beyond. Review
Curran, Ruth. (2015). Being Brain Healthy: What My Recovery from Brain Injury Taught Me and How It Can Change Your Life. GR Review and Blog Review
Dallas, Sandra. (2009). Prayers for Sale. Review
Dalton-Bradford, Melissa (2014). On Loss and Living Onward. GR Review and Blog Review
Danticat, Edwidge (2017). The Art of Death: Writing the Final Story. GR Review and Blog Review
Dass, Ram (2000). Still Here: Embracing Aging, Changing, and Dying. GR Review and Blog Review
Davis, Nannette (2012). Caregiving Our Loved Ones: Stories & Strategies That Will Change Your Life. Review
DeGarmo, Susan (2014). Many Paws: The Years of Change. Blog Review
Didion, Joan (2007). The Year of Magical Thinking. Review
Doidge, Norman (2007). The Brain that Changes Itself: Stories of Personal Triumph from the Frontiers of Brain Science. Review
Doidge, Norman (2015). The Brain's Way of Healing: Remarkable Discoveries and Recoveries from the Frontiers of Neuroplasticity. GR Review and Blog Review
Dosa, David (2010). Making Rounds with Oscar. Review
Egan, Kerry (2016). On Living. GR Review and Blog Review
Ehrenreich, Barbara (2018). Natural Causes: An Epidemic of Wellness, The Certainty of Dying, and Killing Ourselves to Live Longer (2018). GR Review & Blog Review
Ephron, Nora (2006). I Feel Bad About My Neck. Review
Esmonde-White, Miranda. (2016). Forever Painless: End Chronic Pain and Reclaim Your Life in 30 Minutes a Day. Review
Farmer, Joyce. (2010). Special Exits: A Graphic Memoir Review
Ford, Richard. (2014). Let Me Be Frank with You. Review
Freedman, Marc. (2011). The Big Shift: Navigating the New Stage Beyond Midlife. Review
Freedman, Marc (2007). Encore: Finding Work that Matters in the Second Half of Life. Review
Friedan, Betty (1993). The Fountain of Age. Review
Bolen, Jean Shinoda (2003). Crones Don't Whine. (2003) GR Review
Borrie, Cathie (2010). The Long Hello. (2nd edition in 2015) GR Review and Blog Review
Burda, Angela N. (2010). Communication and Swallowing Changes in Healthy Adults. Review
Butler, Katy (2013). Knocking on Heaven's Door: The Path to a Better Way of Death. GR Review and Blog Review.
Butler, Robert N. (1998). Aging and Mental Health: Positive Psychosocial And Biomedical Approaches. 5th Edition Review
Carpenter, Kyrie' (2017). Healing Dementia. Blog Review
Carella, Joe (2017). Creating Unlimited Options for Aging: The Path Forward. Review
Carter, Jimmy (2015). A Full Life: Reflections at Ninety. GR Review and Blog Review
Carter, Jimmy (1998). The Virtues of Aging (1998). Review
Chast, Roz (2014). Can't We Talk About Something More Pleasant? GR Review and Blog Review
Chen, Pauline W. (2007). Final Exam Review
Chittister, Joan. (2008). The Gift of Years: Growing Older Gracefully. GR Review and Blog Review
Clark, Robert L. et al. (2004) The Economics of Aging. Review
Cohen, Ari Seth. (2012) Advanced Style. Review.
Comer, Meryl. (2014). Slow Dancing with a Stranger. Review
Cooney, Eleanor. (2004). Death in Slow Motion. GR Review and Blog Review.
Cowley, Chris & Henry S. Lodge, M.D. (2004). Younger Next Year: A Guide to Living Like 50 until You're 80 and Beyond. Review
Curran, Ruth. (2015). Being Brain Healthy: What My Recovery from Brain Injury Taught Me and How It Can Change Your Life. GR Review and Blog Review
Dallas, Sandra. (2009). Prayers for Sale. Review
Dalton-Bradford, Melissa (2014). On Loss and Living Onward. GR Review and Blog Review
Danticat, Edwidge (2017). The Art of Death: Writing the Final Story. GR Review and Blog Review
Dass, Ram (2000). Still Here: Embracing Aging, Changing, and Dying. GR Review and Blog Review
Davis, Nannette (2012). Caregiving Our Loved Ones: Stories & Strategies That Will Change Your Life. Review
DeGarmo, Susan (2014). Many Paws: The Years of Change. Blog Review
Didion, Joan (2007). The Year of Magical Thinking. Review
Doidge, Norman (2007). The Brain that Changes Itself: Stories of Personal Triumph from the Frontiers of Brain Science. Review
Doidge, Norman (2015). The Brain's Way of Healing: Remarkable Discoveries and Recoveries from the Frontiers of Neuroplasticity. GR Review and Blog Review
Dosa, David (2010). Making Rounds with Oscar. Review
Egan, Kerry (2016). On Living. GR Review and Blog Review
Ehrenreich, Barbara (2018). Natural Causes: An Epidemic of Wellness, The Certainty of Dying, and Killing Ourselves to Live Longer (2018). GR Review & Blog Review
Ephron, Nora (2006). I Feel Bad About My Neck. Review
Esmonde-White, Miranda. (2016). Forever Painless: End Chronic Pain and Reclaim Your Life in 30 Minutes a Day. Review
Farmer, Joyce. (2010). Special Exits: A Graphic Memoir Review
Ford, Richard. (2014). Let Me Be Frank with You. Review
Freedman, Marc. (2011). The Big Shift: Navigating the New Stage Beyond Midlife. Review
Freedman, Marc (2007). Encore: Finding Work that Matters in the Second Half of Life. Review
Friedan, Betty (1993). The Fountain of Age. Review
Garrett, Mario D. (2022). Critical Age Theory: Profiteering from the Final Stages of Life. GR Review and Blog Review
Gentile, Angela G (2015). Caring for a Husband with Dementia: The Ultimate Survival Guide. GR Review and Blog Review
Genova, Lisa (2007). Still Alice. Review
Goodman, Tanya Ward (2013). Leaving Tinkertown. GR Review and Blog Review
Groopman, Jerome (2007). How Doctors Think. GR Review and Blog Review
Gross, Jane (2011). A Bittersweet Season: Caring for Our Aging Parents--and Ourselves. Review
Guwande, Atul (2014). Being Mortal: Medicine and What Matters in the End. GR Review and Blog Review.
Hall, Donald (2014). Essays after Eighty. GR Review and Blog Review.
Harding, Paul (2009). Tinkers. GR Review and Blog Review
Haruf, Kent (2013). Benediction. GR Review and Blog Review
Haruf, Kent (2015). Our Souls at Night. GR Review and Blog Review
Healey, Emma (2014). Elizabeth Is Missing. Review
Hoblitzelle, Olivia Ames (2017). Aging with Wisdom: Reflections, Stories and Teachings. GR Review and Blog Review
Hopkins, Christopher (2008). Staging Your Comeback: A Complete Beauty Revival for Women Over 45. Review
Hudson, Robert B., Editor (2010). The New Politics of Old Age Policy. 2nd Edition. Review
Ignatieff, Michael (1993). Scar Tissue. GR Review and Blog Review
Jacobs, A.J. (2012). Drop Dead Healthy: One Man's Humble Quest for Bodily Perfection. Review
Jamison, Kay Reed. (2009). Nothing Was the Same: A Memoir. GR Review and Blog Review
Kastenbaum, Robert J. (1997). Death, Society, and Human Experience. 10th Edition. Review
Kessler, Lauren (2007). Dancing with Rose: Finding Life in the Land of Alzheimer's. Review
Koenig, Harold G. (2002). Purpose and Power in Retirement. Review
Kozol, Jonathan (2015). The Theft of Memory: Losing My Father One Day at a Time. GR Review and Blog Review
Kreamer, Anne (2007). Going Gray: What I Learned about Beauty, Sex, Work, Motherhood. Review
Kuhn, William (2012). Mrs. Queen Takes the Train. GR Review and Blog Review
Lee, Jean (2014). Alzheimer's Daughter: A Memoir. GR Review
Leland, John (2018). Happiness Is a Choice You Make: Lessons from a Year among the Oldest Olds. GR Review and Blog Review
Lemme, Barbara Hansen (1994). Development in Adulthood. Review
LePlante, Alice (2011). Turn of Mind. Review
Levine, Suzanne Braun (2009). Fifty Is the New Fifty: Ten Life Lessons for Women in Second Adulthood. Review
Lewis, C.S. (1961). A Grief Observed. Review
Lockmyer, Ann-Marie (2018). When Their World Stops: An Essential Guide to Truly Help Anyone in Grief. GR Review and Blog Review
Lynn, Joanne M.D., Joan Harrold, MD, & Janice Lynch Schuster, MFA. (2011). Handbook for Mortals: Guidance for People Facing Serious Illness. Second Edition. Review
To continue, see the post Books about Aging: M through Z
PS: Dr. Bill Thomas and his colleagues at Changing Aging have compiled this list of the Top 50 books on aging. No quackery, no illusions of holding on to youth. Just good information about meeting the challenges of aging with a focus on the positive.
PPS: AARP posts this list of books about caregiving. Many appear in my list/reviews above, but I haven't read several of them. I need to get busy!
Related:
Books about Aging: M through Z
Films about Aging A-L
Strong, Smart Women Wrestling with Caregiving
Novels about Men Facing Death
Books about Dementia
Gentile, Angela G (2015). Caring for a Husband with Dementia: The Ultimate Survival Guide. GR Review and Blog Review
Genova, Lisa (2007). Still Alice. Review
Goodman, Tanya Ward (2013). Leaving Tinkertown. GR Review and Blog Review
Groopman, Jerome (2007). How Doctors Think. GR Review and Blog Review
Gross, Jane (2011). A Bittersweet Season: Caring for Our Aging Parents--and Ourselves. Review
Guwande, Atul (2014). Being Mortal: Medicine and What Matters in the End. GR Review and Blog Review.
Hall, Donald (2014). Essays after Eighty. GR Review and Blog Review.
Harding, Paul (2009). Tinkers. GR Review and Blog Review
Haruf, Kent (2013). Benediction. GR Review and Blog Review
Haruf, Kent (2015). Our Souls at Night. GR Review and Blog Review
Healey, Emma (2014). Elizabeth Is Missing. Review
Hoblitzelle, Olivia Ames (2017). Aging with Wisdom: Reflections, Stories and Teachings. GR Review and Blog Review
Hopkins, Christopher (2008). Staging Your Comeback: A Complete Beauty Revival for Women Over 45. Review
Hudson, Robert B., Editor (2010). The New Politics of Old Age Policy. 2nd Edition. Review
Ignatieff, Michael (1993). Scar Tissue. GR Review and Blog Review
Jacobs, A.J. (2012). Drop Dead Healthy: One Man's Humble Quest for Bodily Perfection. Review
Jamison, Kay Reed. (2009). Nothing Was the Same: A Memoir. GR Review and Blog Review
Kastenbaum, Robert J. (1997). Death, Society, and Human Experience. 10th Edition. Review
Kessler, Lauren (2007). Dancing with Rose: Finding Life in the Land of Alzheimer's. Review
Koenig, Harold G. (2002). Purpose and Power in Retirement. Review
Kozol, Jonathan (2015). The Theft of Memory: Losing My Father One Day at a Time. GR Review and Blog Review
Kreamer, Anne (2007). Going Gray: What I Learned about Beauty, Sex, Work, Motherhood. Review
Kuhn, William (2012). Mrs. Queen Takes the Train. GR Review and Blog Review
Lee, Jean (2014). Alzheimer's Daughter: A Memoir. GR Review
Leland, John (2018). Happiness Is a Choice You Make: Lessons from a Year among the Oldest Olds. GR Review and Blog Review
Lemme, Barbara Hansen (1994). Development in Adulthood. Review
LePlante, Alice (2011). Turn of Mind. Review
Levine, Suzanne Braun (2009). Fifty Is the New Fifty: Ten Life Lessons for Women in Second Adulthood. Review
Lewis, C.S. (1961). A Grief Observed. Review
Lockmyer, Ann-Marie (2018). When Their World Stops: An Essential Guide to Truly Help Anyone in Grief. GR Review and Blog Review
Lynn, Joanne M.D., Joan Harrold, MD, & Janice Lynch Schuster, MFA. (2011). Handbook for Mortals: Guidance for People Facing Serious Illness. Second Edition. Review
To continue, see the post Books about Aging: M through Z
PS: Dr. Bill Thomas and his colleagues at Changing Aging have compiled this list of the Top 50 books on aging. No quackery, no illusions of holding on to youth. Just good information about meeting the challenges of aging with a focus on the positive.
PPS: AARP posts this list of books about caregiving. Many appear in my list/reviews above, but I haven't read several of them. I need to get busy!
Related:
Books about Aging: M through Z
Films about Aging A-L
Strong, Smart Women Wrestling with Caregiving
Novels about Men Facing Death
Books about Dementia
More suggestions: Lots of Candles, Plenty of Cake: A Memoir by Anna Quindlen and The Secret Scripture by Sebastian Barry - both highly recommended!
ReplyDeleteSuzi: Great titles. I haven't heard of Barry's book. I'll have to hunt down a copy. I just requested Quindlen's book from my local library. I'm #22 out of 34 people waiting for a copy. I hope that I can move up the list quickly. Thank you for pointing these out.
ReplyDeleteLife Extension: Current and Future Possibilities. Golczewski JA, Sunbury Press; 2012 covers caloric restriction, diet, vitamins and minerals, recommended dietary supplements, questionable new supplements, major diseases and problems that typically occur with age, including heart disease, stroke, cancer, diabetes, pain, depression, stress, loss of fitness, osteoporosis, dementia, arthritis, vision problems, cosmetic changes, etc. and how to avoid them.
ReplyDeleteGreat collection! Would you care to review our new book, launching Oct 18? About caregiving and successful aging, it is called "Hope I Don't Die Before I Get Old"-How to Survive Old Age, Your Own or Someone You Love, by Tracey Bowman and Mary Boone Wellington I would be pleased to send you a copy! Best regards, Mary Boone Wellington, co-author-mary@rosecottagenorth.com
ReplyDeleteReaders of this group may be interested in my latest book on aging, _Life Extension: Current and Future Possibilities_, Golczewski, JA Sunbury Press, 2012. It discusses many issues not usually covered such as the ultimate limits to lifespan, and gives a number of tables to identify the properties of foods. Since findings change often in this field, updates will be given on my Web site. I worked in aging research for 30 years but am semi-retired now.
ReplyDeleteJames Golczewski, Ph.D.
jgolczewski@yahoo.com
https://sites.google.com/site/jgolczewski/jgolczewskihome
Hi all. I'm new to this forum, so it's not clesr to me how it's run. The comments aren't threaded, so how do I know if one is addressed to me or part of another thread? My background has been mainly in aging research and life-extension, so I assume that it's appropriate here. Any other comments are welcome.
ReplyDeleteJim
jgolczewski@yahoo.com
Would you consider my book "Inside the Dementia Epidemic: A Daughter's Memoir"? It won an honorable mention in the category of Life Stories from the 20th Annual Writer's Digest Book Awards, received glowing reviews from the Library Journal, Midwest Book Review and other major reviewers, and includes advance testimonials from Alzheimer's Disease International and a dozen other organizations and experts supporting people with dementia and their caregivers. More info at www.insidedementia.com. Thank you.
ReplyDeleteMartha: As a grad student with no income, I'm pretty dependent on the public library (especially since I read about 70 books a year), and I don't see a copy of it here in Wichita. It looks good. If you want to mail me a review copy, I will read it with TLC and mail the copy back to you. My email address is on my blog. Thanks for checking out my post on books re: aging.
ReplyDeleteDear Karen,
ReplyDeleteThis TOTALLY is an AWESOME endeavor- and much appreciated by this Grand-Old-Person. I'll be letting our sage companions at WhiteHair365 know about this! Thanks so much for your time, energy and wisdom. I can see this unfolding into hours,days,weeks - maybe years of interesting possibility.
What a great list! Thanks for sharing this with us.
ReplyDeleteGreat. Will surely get one of your books.
ReplyDeleteThank you very much for the 5-STAR review on Goodreads, Karen. I appreciate that my book is included on your list. - Angela G. Gentile, author of Caring for a Husband with Dementia: The Ultimate Survival Guide.
ReplyDelete