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Old Age: A Beginner's Guide
Vanity Fair columnist Michael Kinsley escorts his fellow Boomers through the door marked "Exit."
The notorious baby boomers—the largest age cohort in history—are approaching the end and starting to plan their final moves in the game of life. Now they are What was that all about? Was it about acquiring things or changing the world? Was it about keeping all your marbles? Or is the only thing that counts after you’re gone the reputation you leave behind?
In this series of essays, Michael Kinsley uses his own battle with Parkinson’s disease to unearth answers to questions we are all at some time forced to confront. “Sometimes,” he writes, “I feel like a scout from my generation, sent out ahead to experience in my fifties what even the healthiest Boomers are going to experience in their sixties, seventies, or eighties.”
This surprisingly cheerful book is at once a fresh assessment of a generation and a frequently funny account of one man’s journey toward the finish line. “The least misfortune can do to make up for itself is to be interesting,” he writes. “Parkinson’s disease has fulfilled that obligation.”
The notorious baby boomers—the largest age cohort in history—are approaching the end and starting to plan their final moves in the game of life. Now they are What was that all about? Was it about acquiring things or changing the world? Was it about keeping all your marbles? Or is the only thing that counts after you’re gone the reputation you leave behind?
In this series of essays, Michael Kinsley uses his own battle with Parkinson’s disease to unearth answers to questions we are all at some time forced to confront. “Sometimes,” he writes, “I feel like a scout from my generation, sent out ahead to experience in my fifties what even the healthiest Boomers are going to experience in their sixties, seventies, or eighties.”
This surprisingly cheerful book is at once a fresh assessment of a generation and a frequently funny account of one man’s journey toward the finish line. “The least misfortune can do to make up for itself is to be interesting,” he writes. “Parkinson’s disease has fulfilled that obligation.”
160 pages, Hardcover
First published April 1, 2016
219 people are currently reading
997 people want to read
About the author
Michael Kinsley
19 books19 followersMichael Kinsley is a columnist for Time and a past editor of The New Republic, Harper's, and Slate. His writing has also appeared in The Economist, The New Yorker, and many other publications.
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March 21, 2016
No one wants to think about getting old and dying, right?
And since we don't even want to contemplate the idea, we sure as hell don't want to talk about the subject, even though that may not be a completely bad thing -- to hash out our fears and wishes for what lies in the not-too-distant future. So, we get on with our lives, and try not to think too much about that "scary thing" that awaits us all. But, sometimes, as the author tells us, we get a valuable warning shot from the Grim Reaper.
Kinsley was forty-three years old when he was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease. The disease can be managed, and depending on the severity, symptoms are often easy to hide. Most people with Parkinson's do not die of it, but even of those that do, almost half make it past eighty-five. Twenty-three years later, the author is coping quite well, and has decided to share his experiences with the public.
Sometimes I feel like a scout from my generation, sent out to experience in my fifties what even the healthiest boomers are going to experience in their sixties, seventies, or eighties. There are far worse medical conditions than Parkinson's, and there are far worse cases of Parkinson's than mine. But what I have, at the level I have it, is an interesting foretaste of our shared future -- a beginner's guide to old age.
Kinsley candidly discusses the advancements in treating Parkinson's, including his own surgery for "deep brain stimulation," while bemoaning the years of research lost to the Bush administration's banning of embryonic stem cell research. His story is fascinating, and not at all morbid or depressing. He deftly manages to broaden the account of his struggles with the disease into a discussion of all manner of topics concerning aging.
Many of the symptoms of Parkinson's disease resemble those of aging: a trembling hand, a shuffling gait, swallowing -- or forgetting to swallow -- a bewildering variety of pills.
This book should prove interesting to all of us, particularly the rapidly aging baby boomer generation - the 79 million Americans born between 1946 and 1964. We can tell ourselves that we'll be one of the lucky ones who avoid dementia and serious, debilitating disease, and that we won't ever need long-term care. And maybe we will luck out. But I think it's best to be prepared.
Or we can just keep whistling past the old folks' home . . .
And since we don't even want to contemplate the idea, we sure as hell don't want to talk about the subject, even though that may not be a completely bad thing -- to hash out our fears and wishes for what lies in the not-too-distant future. So, we get on with our lives, and try not to think too much about that "scary thing" that awaits us all. But, sometimes, as the author tells us, we get a valuable warning shot from the Grim Reaper.
Kinsley was forty-three years old when he was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease. The disease can be managed, and depending on the severity, symptoms are often easy to hide. Most people with Parkinson's do not die of it, but even of those that do, almost half make it past eighty-five. Twenty-three years later, the author is coping quite well, and has decided to share his experiences with the public.
Sometimes I feel like a scout from my generation, sent out to experience in my fifties what even the healthiest boomers are going to experience in their sixties, seventies, or eighties. There are far worse medical conditions than Parkinson's, and there are far worse cases of Parkinson's than mine. But what I have, at the level I have it, is an interesting foretaste of our shared future -- a beginner's guide to old age.
Kinsley candidly discusses the advancements in treating Parkinson's, including his own surgery for "deep brain stimulation," while bemoaning the years of research lost to the Bush administration's banning of embryonic stem cell research. His story is fascinating, and not at all morbid or depressing. He deftly manages to broaden the account of his struggles with the disease into a discussion of all manner of topics concerning aging.
Many of the symptoms of Parkinson's disease resemble those of aging: a trembling hand, a shuffling gait, swallowing -- or forgetting to swallow -- a bewildering variety of pills.
This book should prove interesting to all of us, particularly the rapidly aging baby boomer generation - the 79 million Americans born between 1946 and 1964. We can tell ourselves that we'll be one of the lucky ones who avoid dementia and serious, debilitating disease, and that we won't ever need long-term care. And maybe we will luck out. But I think it's best to be prepared.
Or we can just keep whistling past the old folks' home . . .
May 6, 2016
"Surprisingly cheerful" is not how I would describe this book, amazon.com notwithstanding. Nor is it a "beginner's guide to aging" unless the reader, like Michael Kinsley, has been given a diagnosis of early-onset Parkinson's disease after a career in political analysis and online innovation. Kinsley is not Everyman.
Most of the chapters in this slim book were originally published in The New Yorker. An editor should have eliminated repetition (sometimes verbatim), as well as the last chapter (a possibly-tongue-in-cheek suggestion that Boomers should pay off the national debt that is jarring, thematically inappropriate, and illogical).
The only truly universal chapter deals with how Parkinson's accelerates the natural decline of cognitive function. The reader can empathize with Kinsley's fear and dismay at the prospect of losing the verbal agility that has enabled his career, and his distress on reading the doctor's assessment: "...the insight concerning his cognitive weaknesses seems quite limited."
Less universal is his riff on posthumous reputation, and his attempt at humor when he compares charitable contributions to the medieval practice of the sale of indulgences. In fact, "indulgent" characterizes much of this book.
Not recommended.
I received an advance copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for a fair review.
Most of the chapters in this slim book were originally published in The New Yorker. An editor should have eliminated repetition (sometimes verbatim), as well as the last chapter (a possibly-tongue-in-cheek suggestion that Boomers should pay off the national debt that is jarring, thematically inappropriate, and illogical).
The only truly universal chapter deals with how Parkinson's accelerates the natural decline of cognitive function. The reader can empathize with Kinsley's fear and dismay at the prospect of losing the verbal agility that has enabled his career, and his distress on reading the doctor's assessment: "...the insight concerning his cognitive weaknesses seems quite limited."
Less universal is his riff on posthumous reputation, and his attempt at humor when he compares charitable contributions to the medieval practice of the sale of indulgences. In fact, "indulgent" characterizes much of this book.
Not recommended.
I received an advance copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for a fair review.
May 1, 2016
Really more of a 2.5 star read. Much of it has been published previously and as a consequence of collecting the essays from a number of different sources, it is repetitious both in thoughts expressed and in the phrasing that expresses them. I came to this one expecting something more along the lines of The Thing About Life is That One Day You'll Be Dead and I recommend that book by far over this one.
December 1, 2016
I should have trusted my instinct here, that little voice whispering "good god Scott don't read this book you can't stand Michael Kinsley and his smug elitist ilk", but I still hit "buy" because as I get more middle-aged I'm more and more interested in what people say it actually feels like to get old and die. And, yes, the misleadingly-named "Old Age: A Beginner's Guide" was a mistake. This is a poorly edited, uncharming, shallow money grab mostly about how Kinsley has lived with Parkinson's for decades, without any real insight into the disease. It ends with a bizarre plan for Baby Boomers, of which he is one, to apologize to the generations that succeeded them (and that they have so royally screwed) by raising $17 trillion and paying off the national debt. Oh well, at least it was really short.
April 2, 2016
Might also have been appropriately titled, "Old Age: An Old Man's Rant". And, it felt very much like that -- a rant by someone who is at the end of a lifetime of ranting and decides to give it one more go.
The author's personality comes through. He's witty, he's intelligent, he's self-important -- but for some reason you aren't totally put off by it -- and he's worried about being forgotten. I could offer him the consolation that no one can forget someone they have no idea about in the first place, but it might not come across as comforting as it is intended.
Small book, fairly quick read. Can't say that I recommend spending $22 for it -- unless you just want to prove his point that Boomers are notorious for spending money on things they don't really need.
The author's personality comes through. He's witty, he's intelligent, he's self-important -- but for some reason you aren't totally put off by it -- and he's worried about being forgotten. I could offer him the consolation that no one can forget someone they have no idea about in the first place, but it might not come across as comforting as it is intended.
Small book, fairly quick read. Can't say that I recommend spending $22 for it -- unless you just want to prove his point that Boomers are notorious for spending money on things they don't really need.
April 27, 2016
A special thank you to Crown and NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review. 3.5 Stars
Michael Kinsley writes about his take on aging—OLD AGE: A Beginner's Guide, an exit strategy for Boomers, born between 1946-1964, entering life’s last chapter. Remembered for being ambitious and competitive? The largest age cohort in American history. Death, illness, and time. How will you use your time?
Kinsley (65) writes honestly about his own illness, early-onset Parkinson’s and the three ways to deal with devastating news: acceptance, confrontation, or denial.
Acceptance is an aspiration, not a strategy. Confrontation means putting the disease at the center of your life; learning as much as you can about it, vigorously exploring alternative therapies, campaigning for more research funds, organization community events. Denial, on the hand, means letting the disease affect your day to day life, as little as possible. Pretending as best you can that you do not have it.
We were born thinking we will live forever. Then death comes an intermittent reality, as grandparents and parents die, and the tragedy of some kind removes one or two from our own age cohort. It is unavoidable.
The last boomer competition is not just about how long you live. It is also about how you die. Young, old, quick, painless, lingering, suicide, cancer, bedridden, chronic disease, dignity or not, Alzheimer’s, heart attack, accidental, Dementia, mentally sound, or lost marbles? Two forms of competition in the boomer death-style Olympics: Dying last, dying lucid. You can go for longevity, but unless you’re extremely lucky, you won’t win both games.
Boomers have survived it all! We are ready to enjoy life now---after spending years being a work alcoholic with 20 hr. work days, fighting the fight, stress, and getting our children through college. Our time now. Our own schedule.
We still continue to consult, remote work, read, blog, volunteer, among other things to keep our minds active. We can spend our days as we see fit, without the hectic schedule. However, with this being said. How much time do you have before pending health factors, strike you down? For those of you in your fifties—it will hit you soon, enjoy life while you can. Seems like yesterday, I was forty. Time flies. Start preparing.
Now stuck in the middle of tending to our aging parents, and shocked to realize our children are in their forties, grandchildren, and now the main focus is social security, budgeting, healthcare, and upcoming Medicare. How did we get here? Not a fun subject. A necessary one.
Kinsley is realistic and at times witty in writing about aging, death and his own health in this brief collection of essays, some of which have appeared in Time, the New Yorker and elsewhere. At times, overall quite depressing (not a very positive read).
Between what your parents gave you to start with—genetically or culturally or financially—and pure luck, you play a small role in determining how long you live. Yes, life is unfair. From, diet, exercise, sleep, vitamins you may extend your life; however, it is the game that really counts.
The author proposes a question: the biggest competition is about to start. What do you have now and what do you covet that you would not gladly trade for five extra years. Heath, children, cures, a noble cause?
The last chapter, I could have done without. Many will agree with this. No, am not in favor of giving social security back to the government to pay for the $17 trillion debt. Many need social security in order to survive, having never recovered from 2002 and 2008 crash. Some have been left with taking early retirement, due to the job market; thereby, cutting the monthly amount drastically. My parents are in their mid-eighties and the way they are going, they may outlive me. My relatives tend to live long; late 90s-100.
We never know how we will age, and gravity hits in the blink of an eye. After reading OLD AGE, you will count yourself lucky to have your health. The author gives us facts, statistics, advice, and leaves us with questions to ponder. How do we want to be remembered?
My Personal Note Read More on my Blog JDCMustReadBooks
Michael Kinsley writes about his take on aging—OLD AGE: A Beginner's Guide, an exit strategy for Boomers, born between 1946-1964, entering life’s last chapter. Remembered for being ambitious and competitive? The largest age cohort in American history. Death, illness, and time. How will you use your time?
Kinsley (65) writes honestly about his own illness, early-onset Parkinson’s and the three ways to deal with devastating news: acceptance, confrontation, or denial.
Acceptance is an aspiration, not a strategy. Confrontation means putting the disease at the center of your life; learning as much as you can about it, vigorously exploring alternative therapies, campaigning for more research funds, organization community events. Denial, on the hand, means letting the disease affect your day to day life, as little as possible. Pretending as best you can that you do not have it.
We were born thinking we will live forever. Then death comes an intermittent reality, as grandparents and parents die, and the tragedy of some kind removes one or two from our own age cohort. It is unavoidable.
The last boomer competition is not just about how long you live. It is also about how you die. Young, old, quick, painless, lingering, suicide, cancer, bedridden, chronic disease, dignity or not, Alzheimer’s, heart attack, accidental, Dementia, mentally sound, or lost marbles? Two forms of competition in the boomer death-style Olympics: Dying last, dying lucid. You can go for longevity, but unless you’re extremely lucky, you won’t win both games.
Boomers have survived it all! We are ready to enjoy life now---after spending years being a work alcoholic with 20 hr. work days, fighting the fight, stress, and getting our children through college. Our time now. Our own schedule.
We still continue to consult, remote work, read, blog, volunteer, among other things to keep our minds active. We can spend our days as we see fit, without the hectic schedule. However, with this being said. How much time do you have before pending health factors, strike you down? For those of you in your fifties—it will hit you soon, enjoy life while you can. Seems like yesterday, I was forty. Time flies. Start preparing.
Now stuck in the middle of tending to our aging parents, and shocked to realize our children are in their forties, grandchildren, and now the main focus is social security, budgeting, healthcare, and upcoming Medicare. How did we get here? Not a fun subject. A necessary one.
Kinsley is realistic and at times witty in writing about aging, death and his own health in this brief collection of essays, some of which have appeared in Time, the New Yorker and elsewhere. At times, overall quite depressing (not a very positive read).
Between what your parents gave you to start with—genetically or culturally or financially—and pure luck, you play a small role in determining how long you live. Yes, life is unfair. From, diet, exercise, sleep, vitamins you may extend your life; however, it is the game that really counts.
The author proposes a question: the biggest competition is about to start. What do you have now and what do you covet that you would not gladly trade for five extra years. Heath, children, cures, a noble cause?
The last chapter, I could have done without. Many will agree with this. No, am not in favor of giving social security back to the government to pay for the $17 trillion debt. Many need social security in order to survive, having never recovered from 2002 and 2008 crash. Some have been left with taking early retirement, due to the job market; thereby, cutting the monthly amount drastically. My parents are in their mid-eighties and the way they are going, they may outlive me. My relatives tend to live long; late 90s-100.
We never know how we will age, and gravity hits in the blink of an eye. After reading OLD AGE, you will count yourself lucky to have your health. The author gives us facts, statistics, advice, and leaves us with questions to ponder. How do we want to be remembered?
My Personal Note Read More on my Blog JDCMustReadBooks
Read
February 25, 2016DNF.
I'm so fortunate that I didn't get an arc of this book from someplace that requires a review. I got it from Netgalley and I'm going to explain to the publisher that I'm thankful for their generosity but that I'm not going to finish nor review it at anyplace like Amazon.
So depressing.
Part of this might not have been the author's fault. One of my dearest friends in the world passed away very quickly. Her last full meal was on Thanksgiving. Diagnosis the two weeks later. Gone by the end of Snowpocolypse 2016. Far away, OA and I would have flown out to see her, but... well, kids and snow. Lots of snow and we didn't find out until the day before the storm.
So maybe that's why this book didn't appeal to me. I didn't find anything humorous, as was promised, instead I was confronted with arrogance. I mean, jeesh, a list of important things that the author has done since his diagnoses and presentations about the important people he knows. Oh, and a little ridicule for an adorable, ancient old man who loved swimming every morning.
Is there something in here that I can relate to? That any normal person could relate to? Maybe you, but I think I'd rather have had some cookies and tea with the little old grandfather. He seemed like a really cool guy who had his shit together.
I'm so fortunate that I didn't get an arc of this book from someplace that requires a review. I got it from Netgalley and I'm going to explain to the publisher that I'm thankful for their generosity but that I'm not going to finish nor review it at anyplace like Amazon.
So depressing.
Part of this might not have been the author's fault. One of my dearest friends in the world passed away very quickly. Her last full meal was on Thanksgiving. Diagnosis the two weeks later. Gone by the end of Snowpocolypse 2016. Far away, OA and I would have flown out to see her, but... well, kids and snow. Lots of snow and we didn't find out until the day before the storm.
So maybe that's why this book didn't appeal to me. I didn't find anything humorous, as was promised, instead I was confronted with arrogance. I mean, jeesh, a list of important things that the author has done since his diagnoses and presentations about the important people he knows. Oh, and a little ridicule for an adorable, ancient old man who loved swimming every morning.
Is there something in here that I can relate to? That any normal person could relate to? Maybe you, but I think I'd rather have had some cookies and tea with the little old grandfather. He seemed like a really cool guy who had his shit together.
April 30, 2016
I was disappointed. I thought it would tell me something useful. It was very repetitive. I got the point a long time ago, quality of life vs how many years I will live. Being disabled a couple of years ago and my career ending at age 53 as a result, what I was looking for wasn't here.
The only chapter I found interesting was the last one. Being born at the end of the boomer generation in 1959, I agree that we created jogging and the sold all the accoutrements, making a profit from it. Rather than worrying about changing that legacy, we need to worry about how we are going to support our population as we age out of work and most of us regular working stiffs don't have any retirement fund or assets to live off of.
I received a copy of this book for free in exchange for an honest review.
The only chapter I found interesting was the last one. Being born at the end of the boomer generation in 1959, I agree that we created jogging and the sold all the accoutrements, making a profit from it. Rather than worrying about changing that legacy, we need to worry about how we are going to support our population as we age out of work and most of us regular working stiffs don't have any retirement fund or assets to live off of.
I received a copy of this book for free in exchange for an honest review.
April 11, 2024
This was an audio book I downloaded before work knowing it would be finished in a day. Turns out I’d like to get that day back.
The author was diagnosed with early Parkinson’s and has managed to thrive since then for close to 20 years at the time of publishing. He touches on his experience as a journalist during his career then starts “circling the drain” with idealistic concepts, observations and opinions which were political, post mortem remembrance and otherwise. “Boomers should pay off the national debt”. Okay. Lots of ideas, no game plan or ideas of how to accomplish. It leaves you feeling agitated.
This might be a helpful story for those of loved ones diagnosed with Parkinson’s because he does have insight and has done well for two decades. There’s some entertainment value because of his conversational style, but otherwise not recommended.
The author was diagnosed with early Parkinson’s and has managed to thrive since then for close to 20 years at the time of publishing. He touches on his experience as a journalist during his career then starts “circling the drain” with idealistic concepts, observations and opinions which were political, post mortem remembrance and otherwise. “Boomers should pay off the national debt”. Okay. Lots of ideas, no game plan or ideas of how to accomplish. It leaves you feeling agitated.
This might be a helpful story for those of loved ones diagnosed with Parkinson’s because he does have insight and has done well for two decades. There’s some entertainment value because of his conversational style, but otherwise not recommended.
September 15, 2019
I had a hard time rating this novel because initially it started off promising. Intrigued to read about old age, the memories that you leave behind all that entails really got me interested. I aways been fascinated with how the elderly operates in society or whether or not they think of their old age or the legacy they leave behind. My grandpa is 90 years old, he is still in his right mind as well as my grandmother who has a great memory at the age of 89!
However I was really disappointed reading this, it was more about Parkinsons then it was about old age. Although the author said that the book was not about that condition, that was untrue because it was all throughout the book. I did like the facts that I discovered about it but it was not like anything like the plot described.
Beautifully written but it was a huge letdown, it should have focused on the title of the book.
However I was really disappointed reading this, it was more about Parkinsons then it was about old age. Although the author said that the book was not about that condition, that was untrue because it was all throughout the book. I did like the facts that I discovered about it but it was not like anything like the plot described.
Beautifully written but it was a huge letdown, it should have focused on the title of the book.
May 19, 2016
Humorous take on the Boomer generation with a lot of truth behind the discussion of aging, illness, and, most importantly, the legacy the Boomers may/may not wish to leave the Gen X and Millennial children and grandchildren they will eventually leave behind. A big feat given that the previous generation (the Boomers' parents/grandparents), the "Great Generation", emerging victorious in their participation in World War II. If for no other reason, pick it up to solely read Chapter 7.
May 16, 2016
Depressingly honest.
August 24, 2019
In 2016 Michael Kinsley produced a small volume of refashioned essays called 'Old Age: A Beginner's Guide.' Over all, I thoroughly enjoyed it. Some may remember Mr. Kinsley as the formative editor of Slate Magazine. Some with longer memories might remember him from his long stint as a producer and introducer on William F. Buckley, Jr.'s 'Firing Line' on PBS. There and elsewhere he proved himself possessed of wit, humor, intelligence, and insightful thinking. He is also an unrepentant liberal.
Early in the 1990s Kinsley was diagnosed with a form of Parkinson's Disease, this type slowly progressive in its disabling power. This book describes his experience in a swift, clear, easy reading meditation on the inevitability of decline, regardless the reason, and death, using his journey through Parkinson's as entre to this broad, deep, and often disquieting subject.
Most of us don't think of our personal mortality until circumstances force the issue. I, certainly, grouped there. Years ago I woke to reality. 'Circumstances', of course. I added to my 'wokeness' education guided by Kinsley's presentation of data, statistics, citings, anecdotes, and his take on his decline. I'm glad I came to this book.
Kinsley tackles hard fact issues with restrained humor. He speaks of living and dying, living while dying, and the in between times I call 'continuing.' In the Kinsley context I ascribe to 'continuing' the function of an active gerund, if there exists any such grammatical construct. I think it fits. (It should be noted here I had none of these thoughts prior to dipping into Kinsley's book. Thanks!) I believe living is something best pursued intentionally. It is an activity of life. Without focused intention on the act of living, a person is passively surviving, putting little of themselves into juicing from life what it has to offer. Kinsley cites example after example of this. I enjoyed much of the juice which flowed from his labors. I did, however, disagreed with some of the points he made.
Early in the book he shares with his readers the 1993 diagnosis of his disease and his reactions to it. For Parkinson's there is no cure. It is inevitably fatal. There are ways to moderate it. He cites two such from his experience, medications and Deep Brain Stimulation, the latter a process he eloquently describes. We come now to a point of disagreement. He speaks of three ways people deal with a terminal diagnosis: acceptance, confrontation, and denial. He dismisses acceptance as merely 'an aspiration, not a strategy.' He then makes extensive observations about confrontation and denial, mostly denial, using himself for denial reference. He writes that denial was how he dealt with his post-Parkinson's diagnosis. He writes of its how and why and what he did to push through. My take on these categories, as laid out, is they seem too concrete to allow for natural bleed through of feelings, thoughts, actions, and responses to situations internal and external. Rigidity always impedes progress. Living with any impediment requires focused intention on doing whatever one needs to do to squeeze positive results from one's new normal regardless how long that normalcy lasts.
Another point of interest for me was what he wrote of an illness with which I have some small personal acquaintance. 'Pneumonia,' he wrote, 'used to be called 'the old man's friend' because it ended so many lives whose owner's were finished with them. That role has now been taken over by accidental falls.' Leave us not long dwell on the antiquated use of 'old man.' Pneumonia is not, I think, gender specific. Toni Morrison, world famous author of 'Song of Solomon', just recently succumbed to this at age 88. We will also bypass the self-evident truth of killer falls exponentially rising presence in our aging society. My focus is pneumonia. Kinsley turns an elegant phrase about dying: '[L]ives whose owner's were finished with them.' That dark humor presupposes a great deal. Earlier in the book he states the supremacy of continued cognitive health over physical decline by pointing out something I take for granted: what is the value of long life when it brings with it a diminishing capacity to be aware of one's participation in it? Inviting in pneumonia to take up lethal residence, inevitably passively done, makes sense only if one's cognitive wattage is flickering out. I cannot imagine a fully aware person not wanting to prescribe an eviction notice to that 'gentle' killer. I put 'gentle' in quotes as it works its magic by suffocating the owner in a manner not too dissimilar from that of drowning or hanging. How 'gentle' is that?
In one section Kinsley makes the point that driving, in this first world society, in a prime indicator of adulthood and independence. Forgoing that privilege signals a shift in one's circumstances, away from the marker of adulthood and towards a regressive dependency. It is often deprecated by the person remitting their driving privilege as a form of infantilization. Again I point out that this is in a first world society. In others not so positioned the constricting or contracting of what one can do often does indicate a loss of personal status. It does not however predict a loss of personal or community stature. Perhaps Mr. Kinsley could have added another colon to his book's title followed by 'in this society.'
The final two chapters contained material which provoked thoughtful reflection. Throughout the book Kinsley presented his ideas on aging, the process of dying, and death with no reference to Christologic musings, the aforementioned term used strictly in its Americanist sense, the USA being a Christian country. He was quite entropic in his presentation; you live, you decline, you die. Mercifully left unexploited were concepts of life after death. When in his penultimate chapter Kinsley focused on immortality his reasoning was not diluted by citing afterlife scenarios.
Life seem to be a zero sum prospect; you get from it what you put into it. There are no do overs or workarounds. Kinsley leads us gently through to his disappointing final chapter. Mark Twain, he says, writing in the 19th century speaks of 78 humorists who once were popular and are now, in his time, mostly obscure or forgotten. The implication here is he too will one day be amongst the forgotten. Wrong for Twain, but not so in general. Jane Austen died in 1817 and was not given much, if any, thought by the reading public to lift her from mid-19th century obscurity. Instead, great female writer honors went to Mary Brunton and her two novels. Who? On the way to his point Kinsley mentioned writers who greatly influenced him: Walter Lippmann, Joseph Kraft, Scotty Reston, Mary McGrory, and others. Unless you're in journalism school these writers currently balance precariously on the teetering step towards obscurity. So why might we 21st century amnesiacs consider looking into any of Twain's 78? Because immortal Twain preserved them. How did Jane Austen advance from Lethe, the river of forgetting, to movie heroine status ('Becoming Jane')? Her nephew, in collaboration with numerous family members wrote her biography in 1870. What do these two have in common? Reputational legacy, the 78 through attachment to a forever celebrity writer and Austen through the exercise and social broadcast of collective familial memory (it also helps her writing was good). This is how people live beyond their lifetimes, by attaining a form of social immortality. (Caveat. Who was an immortal writer, builder, social influencer in Etruscan society?) There are always outliers. Some seek to create a parasitic immortality by affixing themselves to social immortals: John Wilkes Booth re: Lincoln; Leon Czolgosz re: McKinley; Lee Harvey Oswald re: JFK; James Earl Ray re: MLK, Jr.; Mark David Chapman re: John Lennon. These human hemorrhoids realized that reputational legacy needed no moral value. Remembrance is the value. That's immortality.
Not mentioned by Kinsley are those who see their immortality in their children. Others seek it by what they build or attach their names to. Kinsley quotes Shelley's 'Ozymandias', "Look on my Works, ye Mighty, and Despair!" Immortality ceases when the civilization within which it forms dies. So too when offspring no longer remember who generated them.
What does Kinsley offer as his takeaway? He spends his final chapter suggesting the Baby Boom generation do something on par with what the Greatest Generation (Tom Brokaw's naming to which I do not concur) did by winning World War Two. He suggests Boomers work collectively to pay down some if not all of the national debt as their legacy to subsequent generations. He suggests means but not ways to effect this. (Foregoing Social Security payments, for one.) I don't see 21st century Americans working collectively towards anything, much less creating a secure future for their descendants.
My positive takeaway from Kinsley's book is I'd rather decline into death with my wits intact regardless my body's condition. The data he cites regarding dementia in its varying forms is sobering. For myself, having read them, my desire for continuing sobriety waned considerably. But then that would work against my intention towards cognitive stability. Then again, would I know my cognitive decline while not sober, as would I know I was demented while being demented? I hope to never know. On that I close.
Early in the 1990s Kinsley was diagnosed with a form of Parkinson's Disease, this type slowly progressive in its disabling power. This book describes his experience in a swift, clear, easy reading meditation on the inevitability of decline, regardless the reason, and death, using his journey through Parkinson's as entre to this broad, deep, and often disquieting subject.
Most of us don't think of our personal mortality until circumstances force the issue. I, certainly, grouped there. Years ago I woke to reality. 'Circumstances', of course. I added to my 'wokeness' education guided by Kinsley's presentation of data, statistics, citings, anecdotes, and his take on his decline. I'm glad I came to this book.
Kinsley tackles hard fact issues with restrained humor. He speaks of living and dying, living while dying, and the in between times I call 'continuing.' In the Kinsley context I ascribe to 'continuing' the function of an active gerund, if there exists any such grammatical construct. I think it fits. (It should be noted here I had none of these thoughts prior to dipping into Kinsley's book. Thanks!) I believe living is something best pursued intentionally. It is an activity of life. Without focused intention on the act of living, a person is passively surviving, putting little of themselves into juicing from life what it has to offer. Kinsley cites example after example of this. I enjoyed much of the juice which flowed from his labors. I did, however, disagreed with some of the points he made.
Early in the book he shares with his readers the 1993 diagnosis of his disease and his reactions to it. For Parkinson's there is no cure. It is inevitably fatal. There are ways to moderate it. He cites two such from his experience, medications and Deep Brain Stimulation, the latter a process he eloquently describes. We come now to a point of disagreement. He speaks of three ways people deal with a terminal diagnosis: acceptance, confrontation, and denial. He dismisses acceptance as merely 'an aspiration, not a strategy.' He then makes extensive observations about confrontation and denial, mostly denial, using himself for denial reference. He writes that denial was how he dealt with his post-Parkinson's diagnosis. He writes of its how and why and what he did to push through. My take on these categories, as laid out, is they seem too concrete to allow for natural bleed through of feelings, thoughts, actions, and responses to situations internal and external. Rigidity always impedes progress. Living with any impediment requires focused intention on doing whatever one needs to do to squeeze positive results from one's new normal regardless how long that normalcy lasts.
Another point of interest for me was what he wrote of an illness with which I have some small personal acquaintance. 'Pneumonia,' he wrote, 'used to be called 'the old man's friend' because it ended so many lives whose owner's were finished with them. That role has now been taken over by accidental falls.' Leave us not long dwell on the antiquated use of 'old man.' Pneumonia is not, I think, gender specific. Toni Morrison, world famous author of 'Song of Solomon', just recently succumbed to this at age 88. We will also bypass the self-evident truth of killer falls exponentially rising presence in our aging society. My focus is pneumonia. Kinsley turns an elegant phrase about dying: '[L]ives whose owner's were finished with them.' That dark humor presupposes a great deal. Earlier in the book he states the supremacy of continued cognitive health over physical decline by pointing out something I take for granted: what is the value of long life when it brings with it a diminishing capacity to be aware of one's participation in it? Inviting in pneumonia to take up lethal residence, inevitably passively done, makes sense only if one's cognitive wattage is flickering out. I cannot imagine a fully aware person not wanting to prescribe an eviction notice to that 'gentle' killer. I put 'gentle' in quotes as it works its magic by suffocating the owner in a manner not too dissimilar from that of drowning or hanging. How 'gentle' is that?
In one section Kinsley makes the point that driving, in this first world society, in a prime indicator of adulthood and independence. Forgoing that privilege signals a shift in one's circumstances, away from the marker of adulthood and towards a regressive dependency. It is often deprecated by the person remitting their driving privilege as a form of infantilization. Again I point out that this is in a first world society. In others not so positioned the constricting or contracting of what one can do often does indicate a loss of personal status. It does not however predict a loss of personal or community stature. Perhaps Mr. Kinsley could have added another colon to his book's title followed by 'in this society.'
The final two chapters contained material which provoked thoughtful reflection. Throughout the book Kinsley presented his ideas on aging, the process of dying, and death with no reference to Christologic musings, the aforementioned term used strictly in its Americanist sense, the USA being a Christian country. He was quite entropic in his presentation; you live, you decline, you die. Mercifully left unexploited were concepts of life after death. When in his penultimate chapter Kinsley focused on immortality his reasoning was not diluted by citing afterlife scenarios.
Life seem to be a zero sum prospect; you get from it what you put into it. There are no do overs or workarounds. Kinsley leads us gently through to his disappointing final chapter. Mark Twain, he says, writing in the 19th century speaks of 78 humorists who once were popular and are now, in his time, mostly obscure or forgotten. The implication here is he too will one day be amongst the forgotten. Wrong for Twain, but not so in general. Jane Austen died in 1817 and was not given much, if any, thought by the reading public to lift her from mid-19th century obscurity. Instead, great female writer honors went to Mary Brunton and her two novels. Who? On the way to his point Kinsley mentioned writers who greatly influenced him: Walter Lippmann, Joseph Kraft, Scotty Reston, Mary McGrory, and others. Unless you're in journalism school these writers currently balance precariously on the teetering step towards obscurity. So why might we 21st century amnesiacs consider looking into any of Twain's 78? Because immortal Twain preserved them. How did Jane Austen advance from Lethe, the river of forgetting, to movie heroine status ('Becoming Jane')? Her nephew, in collaboration with numerous family members wrote her biography in 1870. What do these two have in common? Reputational legacy, the 78 through attachment to a forever celebrity writer and Austen through the exercise and social broadcast of collective familial memory (it also helps her writing was good). This is how people live beyond their lifetimes, by attaining a form of social immortality. (Caveat. Who was an immortal writer, builder, social influencer in Etruscan society?) There are always outliers. Some seek to create a parasitic immortality by affixing themselves to social immortals: John Wilkes Booth re: Lincoln; Leon Czolgosz re: McKinley; Lee Harvey Oswald re: JFK; James Earl Ray re: MLK, Jr.; Mark David Chapman re: John Lennon. These human hemorrhoids realized that reputational legacy needed no moral value. Remembrance is the value. That's immortality.
Not mentioned by Kinsley are those who see their immortality in their children. Others seek it by what they build or attach their names to. Kinsley quotes Shelley's 'Ozymandias', "Look on my Works, ye Mighty, and Despair!" Immortality ceases when the civilization within which it forms dies. So too when offspring no longer remember who generated them.
What does Kinsley offer as his takeaway? He spends his final chapter suggesting the Baby Boom generation do something on par with what the Greatest Generation (Tom Brokaw's naming to which I do not concur) did by winning World War Two. He suggests Boomers work collectively to pay down some if not all of the national debt as their legacy to subsequent generations. He suggests means but not ways to effect this. (Foregoing Social Security payments, for one.) I don't see 21st century Americans working collectively towards anything, much less creating a secure future for their descendants.
My positive takeaway from Kinsley's book is I'd rather decline into death with my wits intact regardless my body's condition. The data he cites regarding dementia in its varying forms is sobering. For myself, having read them, my desire for continuing sobriety waned considerably. But then that would work against my intention towards cognitive stability. Then again, would I know my cognitive decline while not sober, as would I know I was demented while being demented? I hope to never know. On that I close.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 18, 2016
A surprisingly entertaining, readable, even cheerful book about losing one's physical and mental faculties and the inevitable demise that awaits us all. The final chapter might not go down well, particular with American readers, but I applaud Kinsley not being afraid to voice a controversial opinion and take a position that the majority likely won't applaud. Because of the questions and subjects it raises are universal, this is a great book for anyone, but more particularly if you're age 40 plus. I read this in a single sitting, gave my advance copy to a friend to read the next day, and plan on buying half a dozen of them to give away as gifts. Like many other books about old age, failing health and death, this is fundamentally a book that asks the question, how to live.
July 1, 2016
I was rather disappointed with this book. I had expected a humorous account of getting old and an insightful look at its trials and tribulations. What I got instead was an account mostly of Parkinson's Disease. Not to devalue this in any way but a more general description would have been more interesting.
June 29, 2016
Parts of this collection of essays were quite funny. Reading the book is like spending an afternoon with a clever guy who is interested in himself more than in you- amusing but something missing. However the chapter on Parkinson's and denial made the time spent worthwhile,
July 3, 2018
Not helpful.
May 19, 2019
Essays on Parkinson’s and the baby boomers generation and what constitutes “winning.” Started out as a 3-star read, dipped toward with about 20 pages left. Ended a little stronger.
January 9, 2019
If this book had been longer, I might have stopped reading it. It suffered from repetition, fuzzy focus, and a lack of useful information. That isn’t to say that I didn’t like any of it. I thought the author’s musings about what successful aging might look like and how best to be remembered after you’re gone were interesting and thought-provoking. I also liked when he wrote about his Parkinson’s. I didn’t agree, however, that having Parkinson’s gives him early insight into aging. Most of his comments about aging and dying could have been made by anyone. And I did wonder at times if the cognitive effects of Parkinson’s were affecting his writing. The last chapter, about what kind of legacy Boomers could leave the world, was particularly disjointed and even perplexing.
Overall, though, I felt it was worth the time it took to read it. (Which isn’t saying much.)
Overall, though, I felt it was worth the time it took to read it. (Which isn’t saying much.)
April 17, 2019
2.5. I wanted to like this book more than I liked it. I like thinking about the aging process as a way to prepare myself for the future, and I thought this book would be particularly interesting because my Dad is a boomer who also has Parkinson's. Some of the book was interesting, but as others have said, it was repetitive. Also, right at the beginning to the book the author told an icky sex joke about Parkinson's so now I can't even tell my Dad about this book because I don't want us both to know that we both know that joke. Yuck!
June 11, 2017
Granted, I'm not in the target audience for this book (baby boomers), but I was hoping for more interesting or insightful reflections on aging. Kinsley has Parkinson's, and much of the book focuses on this particular health problem, which I found to be an unwanted distraction. However, if readers begin this book knowing that it's focus is not what's advertised on the cover, you'd likely have a better reading experience.
March 20, 2019
Yes, there are a few repeats, but it's not as bad as some reviewers are making it sound. There's a lot of great material here all the way through the book, and it's worth going through a few brief passages that repeat what was said before to get to the good stuff. I found this book to be thoughtful and informative.
February 2, 2017
This is a short one, but well worth the 2 month wait I went thru at my library's OD site. Quite interesting, and a bit scary. This is one I will come back to again. <><
August 15, 2017
Funny in parts, but underwhelming. I also recognize I'm not his intended audience (baby boomers).
December 29, 2018
Kinsley is always worth reading. I hope this book is not his last. I'm going to be checking online. His humor is generous and his stories are impressive and humbling.
Recommended, not just for anything about old age, but for our communal survival as a country.
Recommended, not just for anything about old age, but for our communal survival as a country.
April 11, 2022
The writing was very scattered and it was a challenge to understand the topic he was trying to focus on. It was like reading someone's thoughts while they are driving or in the shower.
December 27, 2017
Quick read about Parkinson’s and aging and what the Boomers can do to redeem themselves. Since I’m not a Boomer, some of it missed the mark for me. This guy is wicked smart for sure.
March 25, 2020
Kinsley is one of the more prominent people with early onset Parkinson's disease, something I'm at significant risk for. I was hoping that there would be a lot more content focused on that and on aging generally but it was mostly dull amateur hour sociology and politics. This was very bad but at least it was short.
October 8, 2016
This is a thought provoking and yet decidedly odd little book by journalist and uber-editor Michael Kinsley, who helped found the online magazine Slate.
Twenty years ago, Kinsley was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease. He was not as young as Michael J. Fox when he got word, but nevertheless, he has lived with the disorder for much longer than most patients. As he enters his 60s, he put together this slim book with the idea that his diagnosis had given him the burden and the privilege of entering old age earlier than the rest of us boomers.
A good part of the book deals with his disorder, how it affects his movement and thinking and how those problems have and have not affected his career (he reveals, for instance, that he was in line to become editor of the New Yorker not long after he got the diagnosis, but once he mentioned it, the offer was quietly rescinded).
But Kinsley also tries to answer deeper questions: What is the goal of life -- to live the longest? To live the longest with the most cognitive ability? To live a life of meaning and giving to others?
Toward the end, he also tries to deal with broader issues, asking whether our ongoing reputations are the ultimate legacy and how hard it is for any individual to ensure they will live on in that way for anyone other than their families, and then asking how the much maligned boomers might leave a generational legacy for the future that is as beneficial as the greatest generation winning WWII (his answer may surprise or even baffle you).
A men's discussion group I'm in used this book for our meetings, and it served that purpose well. But as a piece of writing and probing philosophy, I thought it was only a little above average, and of course, it is hard to know if Kinsley's Parkinson's had anything to do with the result, or whether it had no effect and I just wasn't that enamored.
Twenty years ago, Kinsley was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease. He was not as young as Michael J. Fox when he got word, but nevertheless, he has lived with the disorder for much longer than most patients. As he enters his 60s, he put together this slim book with the idea that his diagnosis had given him the burden and the privilege of entering old age earlier than the rest of us boomers.
A good part of the book deals with his disorder, how it affects his movement and thinking and how those problems have and have not affected his career (he reveals, for instance, that he was in line to become editor of the New Yorker not long after he got the diagnosis, but once he mentioned it, the offer was quietly rescinded).
But Kinsley also tries to answer deeper questions: What is the goal of life -- to live the longest? To live the longest with the most cognitive ability? To live a life of meaning and giving to others?
Toward the end, he also tries to deal with broader issues, asking whether our ongoing reputations are the ultimate legacy and how hard it is for any individual to ensure they will live on in that way for anyone other than their families, and then asking how the much maligned boomers might leave a generational legacy for the future that is as beneficial as the greatest generation winning WWII (his answer may surprise or even baffle you).
A men's discussion group I'm in used this book for our meetings, and it served that purpose well. But as a piece of writing and probing philosophy, I thought it was only a little above average, and of course, it is hard to know if Kinsley's Parkinson's had anything to do with the result, or whether it had no effect and I just wasn't that enamored.
March 26, 2016
I really liked this slim volume. Written by a baby boomer for baby boomers about baby boomers, I'm not exactly the target audience (too young). Still, professionally speaking, I'm very interested in discussions of longevity and mortality. Probably 80% of my clients are boomers. And generally speaking, it is never too early to think about and plan for old age and its potential accompanying infirmities.
I wasn't familiar with the author before reading this book. I was very impressed with his style of writing. He is able to convey a lot of ideas in a small amount of space. He asks in this slightly repetitive collection of short pieces, "what is the boomers' collective goal as they age?" Is it a long life? A long and lucid life? Lucidity has become important to him as he battles Parkinson's disease, a neurodegenerative disorder.
Kinsley argues that health and longevity may not be enough. What about leaving a legacy? He boldly suggests how boomers can leave a positive legacy for the next generations. They grew up in the shadow of the Greatest Generation, who fought valiantly to preserve the security of democracy, but perhaps it is time for boomers to leave their mark. This is certainly a worthy topic of discussion, even if there is no hope of agreement.
I received an Advance Reader's Edition of this book through the Goodreads Giveaways program. It did not include the foreword by Michael Lewis.
I wasn't familiar with the author before reading this book. I was very impressed with his style of writing. He is able to convey a lot of ideas in a small amount of space. He asks in this slightly repetitive collection of short pieces, "what is the boomers' collective goal as they age?" Is it a long life? A long and lucid life? Lucidity has become important to him as he battles Parkinson's disease, a neurodegenerative disorder.
Kinsley argues that health and longevity may not be enough. What about leaving a legacy? He boldly suggests how boomers can leave a positive legacy for the next generations. They grew up in the shadow of the Greatest Generation, who fought valiantly to preserve the security of democracy, but perhaps it is time for boomers to leave their mark. This is certainly a worthy topic of discussion, even if there is no hope of agreement.
I received an Advance Reader's Edition of this book through the Goodreads Giveaways program. It did not include the foreword by Michael Lewis.
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