Growing Old

Notes on Aging with Something like Grace

by Elizabeth Marshall Thomas

“By turns hilarious, poignant, fascinating, and disturbing, every page is brutally honest. If you ever plan to grow old or know anyone else who’s already there, you’ll find insights here you’ll see nowhere else.”– “Sy Montgomery, New York Times bestselling author”

JENA’S REVIEW

No matter our age, we all hope to grow old, and indeed we are growing older day by day. A bestselling author of books that examine the natural world, this time Elizabeth Thomas turns the observations on herself. In a warm, wry, positive and unassuming way, Ms. Thomas looks at what it’s like to be old. Get ready to be delighted, informed and either relieved or worried, depending on your own stage of life.

This is a memoir and Ms. Thomas shares bits from her past, and scenes from her current life. Like most of us, she misplaces her keys, her glasses, and once even misplaced her parked car. (Her loyal dog was able to find it). She explains why we forget names and why we fear death. She is a kind person who puts out water for the mice that live in her walls.

Apparently, the author and I do not agree on politics, but we do seem to be kindred spirits in many other ways. I, too, round up my age before I get to my birthday so I can get used to the new and greater number. While I don’t need hearing aids yet, I thought her advice and recommendations about them were spot on. And I am going to borrow from the document she wrote to her family in which she explains what she wants for her final days and funeral. (I wish she had included her recipe for the deviled eggs.)

Ms. Thomas is a part of the Greatest Generation and she ends her book by reflecting on the events of her life and concludes that she lived during a positive and optimistic time, better than current times. She mentions the Depression and World War II, but left out segregation, the assassination of Pres. Kennedy and 9/11. Every generation has its high and low points.

I enjoyed every page of this book and I’m ready to go gentle into that good night. Thanks to NetGalley, HarperCollins Publishers and HarperOne for an advance digital review copy. This is my honest review. (Sorry if I messed up with the commas.)

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Elizabeth Marshall Thomas

AuthorElizabeth Marshall Thomas is the author of The Harmless People, a non fiction work about the Kung Bushmen of southwestern Africa, and of Reindeer Moon, a novel about the paleolithic hunter gatherers of Siberia, both of which were tremendous international successes. She lives in New Hampshire.