The Longevity Project
by Howard S. Friedman & Leslie R. Martin
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This book’s psychologist authors have mined data from a unique study to put us a few steps closer to finding the Fountain of Youth, said Laura Landro in The Wall Street Journal. The Terman Study, which followed 1,500 bright Californians from school age to death, yielded some eye-opening results. Among them: “Cheerful children” lived shorter lives than their “sober” classmates, whose conscientiousness and hard work seemed to pay off in greater longevity.
Lastingness: The Art of Old Age
by Nicholas Delbanco
(Grand Central, $25)
Nicholas Delbanco is not so sure that it’s better to burn out than to fade away, said Helen Gallagher in the Seattle Post-Intelligencer. Studying the work produced late in life by various artists, writers, and composers, the veteran author “lets us explore the lifelong habits that kept such people as Haydn, Monet, Picasso, and Georgia O’Keeffe relevant and productive into old age.” The journey suggests that all artists, with the proper mind-set, can gain rather than lose momentum in their twilight years.
Never Say Die
by Susan Jacoby
(Pantheon, $28)
Attention baby boomers: Essayist Susan Jacoby wants you to know that you’re all in a state of denial, said Colette Bancroft in the St. Petersburg, Fla., Times. The media may tell you that “85 is the new 45,” but all the Botox, broccoli, and wishful thinking in the world can’t prevent the onset of Alzheimer’s or the various pains of aging. Jacoby’s “lively, carefully researched” rants aren’t merely entertaining: They point out grave gaps in public policy and individuals’ personal planning.
How We Age
by Marc Agronin
(Da Capo, $25)
Psychiatrist Marc Agronin has an optimistic view of old age despite being an intimate witness to its “very real limitations,” said Stephen J. Lyons in the Minneapolis Star Tribune. Agronin, who practices at the Miami Jewish Home and Hospital, supplies “absorbing” case studies that illustrate how to cope with infirmities and celebrate old age’s gifts. This is one doctor “who not only writes poetically but also demonstrates what it means to have respect for our elders.”
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Rabbits with 'horns' sighted across Coloradospeed read These creatures are infected with the 'mostly harmless' Shope papilloma virus
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Trump to host Kennedy Honors for Kiss, StalloneSpeed Read Actor Sylvester Stallone and the glam-rock band Kiss were among those named as this year's inductees
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'We cannot rely on starving individuals to control their own refeeding'instant opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
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Also of interest...in picture books for grown-upsfeature How About Never—Is Never Good for You?; The Undertaking of Lily Chen; Meanwhile, in San Francisco; The Portlandia Activity Book
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Author of the week: Karen Russell
feature Karen Russell could use a rest.
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The Double Life of Paul de Man by Evelyn Barish
feature Evelyn Barish “has an amazing tale to tell” about the Belgian-born intellectual who enthralled a generation of students and academic colleagues.
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Book of the week: Flash Boys: A Wall Street Revolt by Michael Lewis
feature Michael Lewis's description of how high-frequency traders use lightning-fast computers to their advantage is “guaranteed to make blood boil.”
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Also of interest...in creative rebellion
feature A Man Called Destruction; Rebel Music; American Fun; The Scarlet Sisters
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Author of the week: Susanna Kaysen
feature For a famous memoirist, Susanna Kaysen is highly ambivalent about sharing details about her life.
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You Must Remember This: Life and Style in Hollywood’s Golden Age by Robert Wagner
feature Robert Wagner “seems to have known anybody who was anybody in Hollywood.”
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Book of the week: Astoria: John Jacob Astor and Thomas Jefferson’s Lost Pacific Empire by Peter Stark
feature The tale of Astoria’s rise and fall turns out to be “as exciting as anything in American history.”