As our population ages, writers are offering books that look at what aging means and ways to live full lives even with the physical limitations that even the healthiest seniors experience. Today we have a memoir from a woman who discovered her need to write when she was 75, a short story collection in which most of the characters are in their 70s, a blog that spans 15 years and, just for fun, poems about pickleball. All the authors are Minnesotans.
“Radical Endurance: Growing Old In an Age of Longevity”: by Andrea Gilats (University of Minnesota Press, $19.95)
Having entered old age relatively recently, I continue to imagine myself at the beginning of a journey, not approaching the end of my one and only earthly voyage. If I extract the ageism from old age, as I might suck out the venom from a rattlesnake bite, this new stage of life becomes a compelling last chance. My leading act of resistance is to (try to) take thorough advantage of my stable physical, intellectual, and psychological health, and my following act is to (try to) refuse to spend my time brooding about how long each of them might last. — from “Radical Endurance”
It’s a pleasure to spend time with Andrea Gilats as she tussles with growing older in her memoir, which she was inspired to write on a May morning shortly before her 75th birthday when she woke to the realization that she was about to leap from older to old.
Gilats is a writer, educator artist who retired from teaching yoga when her body told her it was time. She created and directed two University of Minnesota lifelong learning programs for older adults and was co-founder and longtime director of the university’s Split Rock Arts Program. Her previous books include “After Effects: A Memoir of Complicated Grief.”
In “Radical Endurance” Gilats writes as a realist who walks the fine line between accepting some of the physical limitations of aging and refusing to give in to the ageism that treats older people as invisible, sick, or demented and useless. She vows to fight these stereotypes, living the best life possible in the years ahead of her.
Gilats recalls her midlife moments, including the death of her husband, and a medical diagnosis that made her realize old age comes quicker and lasts longer than we might imagine. Her publisher describes her book as “a personal guide to the transformations, hard truths, profound pleasures, and infinite possibilities of aging.”
Whether you are Gilats’ age or older, or you are caring for aging parents, “Radical Endurance” is a balanced look at senior years. Her message, although she doesn’t put it this way, is that age is what you make it
Gilats will launch her book with a reading at 6 p.m. Thursday at Next Chapter Booksellers, 38 S. Snelling Ave., St. Paul.
“The Night Owl Sings and Other Stories of Old Age”: by Judy McConnell (Boyle & Dalton; hardcover $28.99, paperback $16.99)
In the twelve months since she’d moved into Serene Harbor, she had learned to navigate a slower system, among the canes and walkers and ubiquitous side railings. Everything in the place seemed old, including her… But she had vigor. She could drive in daylight. She could tend to an apartment, her own apartment where she belonged. She still challenged fate; she still grew new cells each day. She was rechargeable. –– from “The Night Owl Sings and Other Stories of Old Age”
What a treat to read stories focusing on characters in their 70s and older. In too much fiction seniors are relegated to bit parts or used for comedy. Not so in “The Night Owl Sings,” which is populated mostly by women living the fictional life Andrea Gilats writes about in her memoir.
These nine stories are longer than usual, giving the author room to stretch in terms of character development and rich plotting.
In the intriguing title story, a woman makes a decision about a lover who re-entered her life and “talks” to a wise fox about her future. The final story weaves together a woman’s wish that her big, comfortable male friend could be more emotionally present as she mourns the death of her best friend and plans a birthday party that includes an airplane and parachute. Two women who are old friends cruise down the Illinois River when an outspoken man tells one of them she is fat. And she is. Her friend, who is slim, doesn’t reveal that she battles daily with her need for sweets. And in another story a magical encounter with a young man deep in a cave turns a woman’s lackluster life in new directions.
McConnell has a master’s degree from the University of Minnesota. She’s written two previous memoirs and a novel after a career as a secondary-school teacher.
“Life is Short and So Am I”: by Lucy Rose Fisher (Temuna Press, $15)
I bought my granddaughter, who had just turned age three, quite a few dresses. I just couldn’t resist — little girl dresses are so sweet! A few weeks ago, she asked: “Who gave me this dress?” Her mother said: “Your Grandma Lucy gave it to you.” Then my granddaughter asked: “Was it too small for her?”
Lucy Fisher is an award-winning author, artist and gerontologist who began writing a blog about aging when she was in her mid-60s that continued for 14 years during which she reflected on time, mortality, love, loss, creativity, home, travel, a favorite dog and twists and turns of a long life. Enlivening the text are her sketches. Among her award-winning previous books are: “The Journalist: Life and Loss in America’s Secret War,” “Grow Old With Me,” and “I’m New at Being Old.”
“Pickles and Paradise”: by Kristin F Johnson (KFJ Books, $12.99)
Pickleball isn’t just for older people, but it’s certainly a sport many folks over 65 enjoy. Kristin Johnson dedicates this slim book of poems to all pickleballers in verse that celebrates the game’s inclusiveness, sense of community and rules that emphasize fun and court courtesy. For the author, the best pickleball games are played outdoors and her hope for an early spring runs through the poetry. Here’s “In My Experience,” a poem that sums up all that’s good about the game:
Everyone is welcome on the court
whether you are good or bad at the sport.
Whether your serve lands in the kitchen
or you return the ball, and your shot isn’t in,
as long as you don’t act like a spoilsport
you will have much pickled support.
This post was originally published on here
