Later Bloomers: 35 Folks Over Age 35 Who Found Their Passion and Purpose

by Debra Eve

Are you a late-blooming adult? Congratulations, you're in remarkable company!

Julia Child savored her first French meal at age 36. It changed her life and ours—there’d be no Food Network without her! Edgar Rice Burroughs sold his stories Tarzan and John Carter of Mars at 37. The latter will be a major movie next year, a century later. Bertha Benz learned how to drive at 39. She made the world’s first road trip. Susan Boyle electrified the world with her singing voice at age 48. English character actress Liz Smith got her first break at 49. She recently co-starred with Johnny Depp.

Bram Stoker wrote Dracula at age 50. There’s a granny who took up hip-hop dancing at age 64, one who became a famous nightclub DJ at 68, and one who her ran her first marathon at age 86. She’s still running.

These are some of the fascinating people you’ll meet in this compilation from the popular LaterBloomer.com blog. In the garden of life, a “late-blooming” flower blossoms right on time!

Genres: Nonfiction, History, Biography, Reference, Personal Development, Ebooks

160 pages, Kindle Edition

First published November 11, 2011

About the author

Debra Eve is a proud late bloomer and possessor of many passions. At 36, she became an archaeologist. At 42, a martial artist. At 46, she married the love of her life. Now she writes about fellow late bloomers while plotting her next grand adventure. Her inspiring profiles can be found at http://LaterBloomer.com.

Debra received her masters degree from UCLA, where she was the last graduate assistant to archaeomythologist Marija Gimbutas, a colleague of Joseph Campbell. She helped bring Dr. Gimbutas' final book, The Living Goddesses, to print.

She lives in Los Angeles with her British husband and two 25-lb Maine Coon cats.

Reviews

[Sabrina · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved it! I was having trouble sleeping so I did what I always do. I read. This book was perfect for me. It stoked my history obsession and also managed to provide me with some much needed inspiration. Inspiration at any age is something we all need!

And while the title Later Bloomers: 35 Folks Over Age 35 Who Found Their Passion And Purpose may deter some “younger people” from reading it, I definitely think that they should be encouraged to read it. The fact that so many young people seem to achieve fame, fortune and success early (think…..Justin Beiber, Mark Zuckerburg, Anthony Volodkin) might make some feel that if it doesn’t happen by age thirty, it just will not happen. This book definitely dispels that myth.

My new heroes:

Bertha Benz (loved this story!)
Ben Franklin (inspired
Julia Childs (she was fired for insubordination? No! Hilarious!)
Mary Somerville
Ina Garten
Tosca Reno & Rachel McLish (my new inspiration for sticking with my workouts!)
Richard Adams
PD James

Best quote of the book-“Later Blooming isn’t about a particular age. It’s about the aha! Moment that transforms everything that follows.”

I will definitely be following the Late Bloomer blog.

[Stacie · Rating 4 out of 5]

LATER BLOOMERS was one of those books that caught my eye in a list of free books for the Kindle. I like real-life stories about people and thought this sounded really interesting. I read this book over a couple months time, just reading chapters here and there when I had a few minutes.

This book epitomizes the idea that "Dreams are never lost, only deferred." There are so many stories in so many categories that no matter your dream, you will find someone you can relate to. There are chefs, actors, inventors, artists, athletes, musicians, and writers. Each story was interesting to me whether I had never heard of them before or whether they were a household name.

Some of my favorite stories were about Susan Boyle, Wu Ying, Leo Fender, Edgar Rice Burroughs, and Benjamin Franklin. All of the routes these people took towards success wasn't what you would expect. If you have a thought, a dream, or an idea this book can help you realize it and make it happen just from the pure hope it gives you from their successes. If nothing else, this story will give you something to talk about at your next gathering. Did you know Leo Fender never actually learned to play the guitar........

[Keisha · Rating 3 out of 5]

Definitely an inspirational book and validation that you are never too old to try a new career or explore your passions. However, I started to lose interest toward the end as it became sort of repetitive and some people’s stories just aren’t as captivating as others (Bertha Benz, Mary Somerville, Darwin and Benjamin Franklin were my faves). I also would have liked to read more stories about people who bloomed later, but chose non-creative careers. The author writes in a conversational tone, so it’s an easy read and generally enjoyable.

3.5 stars

[Rosemary Daly · Rating 3 out of 5]

Enjoyable. Also inspirational - reminds the reader that it never too late to go after your dream.

[Rosie Lee · Rating 3 out of 5]

Picked it up as a free Amazon book. Wasn't expecting too much but was gently surprised to find this an interesting read.
It could have done with a bit more variety and a bit of editing - certainly some of the stories are much more interesting and fleshed out than others. However it is a worthwhile read if you are at all interested in self-development in mid to later life.

[Kaye · Rating 4 out of 5]

The stories of these successful people who achieved fame after the age of 35 were inspiring. They had lessons for each of us. Some ideas we can appreciate are:
"Not all those who wander are lost." J.R.R. Tolkien
"Dreams are never lost, only deferred."
"You can find inspiration in a most unlikely place."
and others included with each story.

[Mark · Rating 2 out of 5]

Mwah... A small collection of people over 60 who have achieved things. Midly entertaing. What put me off was the Authors constant referrals to her age, hthe fact that her husband is British l, and the way she assumes the reader knows about certain "celebrities *

[Joanie Chevalier · Rating 4 out of 5]

I didn’t particularly like the cover, but once I got past that, I was in for a great surprise. The author, herself a late bloomer, gives us stories of people who are “late bloomers,” i.e., people who have not discovered their talents until later in life. (Peter Mark Roget didn’t publish his Thesauras until he was 74). Or, put another way, “Eighteen years to overnight success.” (PD James) After every inspirational story, there is “what we can learn from this snippet” that is encouraging and thought-provoking. “”Take one step. Keep going.” “Never discount your passion.” “Start doing now what you dream of doing later.” The author is kind enough to also give us an index of internet resources so that we can research any story on our own.

There are many names that I did recognize here and some I did not. I was awed by each person’s tenacity and amazed as to how many had to come from adversity to finally achieve what they’ve only dreamed about for many years (some didn’t even realize they had greatness in them until an “aha!” moment).

The story on Susan Boyle was fascinating. Her family didn’t believe in her and she couldn’t even get a ride to the audition for Britain’s Got Talent, and had to take 6 buses to get there. She won the hearts of people world-wide and has since released top selling albums and in May 2010, Time named her the seventh most influential person in the world, fourteen places above President Obama! Wow! What can we learn from Susan’s story? “Dreams are never lost, only deferred.”

I was touched by the author’s genuine caring and believing in the late bloomer. She seems to be a great cheerleader and encourages her readers to get in touch with her. She says “Later blooming isn’t about a particular age. It’s about the aha! moment that transforms everything that follows.”

I am now motivated to do something spectacular, thank you Debra Eve!

[Vernita Naylor · Rating 4 out of 5]

Later Bloomers: 35 Folks Over Age 35 Who Found Their Passion and Purpose

Late Bloomers (according to Margaret Lobenstine are 'Renaissance Souls') is a must have for your collection. Debra takes us on a journey into those who has overcome odds of being great trend-setters in using their talents and gifts that they have been blessed with. You will see how Ian Fleming (James Bond), Bram Stocker (Dracula), Edgar Rice Burroughs (Tarzan), Charles Perrault (Tales from Mother Goose), Ruth Flowers (International DJ-Mamy Rock), Wu Ying (Hig-Hop Dancer), Susan Boyle (Singer), and Bertha Benz (because of her, her husband Karl Benz was able to improve the Mercedes Benz) all evolved. There are so many more great stories contained here.

The cherry on the top are the inspirational words that she uses from each Late Bloomer. An example Ruth Flowers (Mamy Rock) 'You can find inspiration in a most unlikely place' and Wu YIng 'Ignore those naysayers and dance to your own tune.' It helps you to know that you are not alone in your journey.

Debra keep up the good work!

[Karma Nash · Rating 3 out of 5]

There is much to love in the book. It provides a glimpse into the lives of those who have dared break out of the "age" box and pursue life head on. I appreciate the idea so much that I would have given that 4 stars, but think it reads more like a series of blogs, with of course, a through-line, but still a bit of a disjointed flow at times, hence the 3 stars. I wanted a 3.5 choice!

There is real talent here by Eve. She has a great eye for a story! Some of the lives shared made me want her to go DEEP instead of long. I think, personal preference here, the book might have worked better for me with fewer people covered in more depth. The organization and development did not show off the material to best advantage at times.

But, the book still works. I will use it to dip into whenever I feel that "I am too old" mantra start to creep in and take over my enthusiasm. It works like an anti-ageism pill!

A good solid read which might shine even more with a bit more flow and depth massaged into a later version? And reading about Ina's trip to her cooking life was worth the price to me.

[Therese · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was more interesting than I thought it would be, and there are a couple of things that helped me understand myself a little bit more, or at least gave me an idea that I hadn't thought of before. However it reads more like a blog (even the author said via Twitter she is rewriting this to make it sound less like a blog, which she does write), and when someone is referencing Wikipedia (twice), then I wonder how much research was actually done. Still I'm glad I read this, and as always, there is a lesson to be learned that it is never too late even if you are way over 35. There are a number of stories in here and the one that grabbed my attention the most was of Sharon Kay Penman, one of my favorite authors. There are famous people in here and others you will never have heard of, but if you need a quick read, you may want to pick it up one day, especially if you are a writer.

[Carson hall · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you are a late bloomer like I am, this is a great book for you. I rarely keep any books on my kindle permanently, but this is one of them. It talks about late bloomers in various professions and is very interesting all the way from start to finish. I especially loved the story about Mrs. Benz (As in Mercedes Benz).

Whenever I feel like giving up on my dreams, I pull this out and read a couple of pages and it helps to renew my faith in myself.

[R. R. · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's all about positive thinking and giving people hope that they can make a difference even at very late stages of their lives. It gets a bit boring after reading so many of the same story, cos that's what the book basically does; it tells the story of the late boomer with a line of wisdom at the end of each story.
Cute

[Erin · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book, it was educational and inspirational. I would recommend it to my friends. The author did a wonderful job, I especially liked the suggested take a ways after each example.

[Sericite (Kim) · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting, but I suspect I could have gotten as much by reading the blog. ;)

[Julie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this. I read it over a long period in short bites. Each story carries great inspiration from real people. Proving it's never too late.

[Antonette Henry · Rating 4 out of 5]

Never too late people..

This book was encouragement for late bloomers like myself or those who have veered off track. Never too late. Keep going. Keep dreaming.

[Wilbur · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fun.