Coming of Age: My Journey to the Eighties: My Journey to the Eighties

by Madeleine May Kunin

Many readers are already familiar with Madeleine Kunin, the former three-term governor of Vermont, who served as the deputy secretary of education and ambassador to Switzerland under President Bill Clinton. In her newest book, a memoir entitled Coming of Age: My Journey to the Eighties, the topic is aging, but she looks well beyond the physical tolls and explores the emotional ones as well. And she has had an extraordinary life: governor, ambassador, feminist, wife, mother, professor, poet, and much, much more. 

As recently reported in the New York Times, a girl born today can expect to live to the age of ninety, on average (boys, on the other hand, can expect to live until age eighty-five). Life expectancy, for many, is increasing, yet people rarely contemplate the emotional changes that come alongside the physical changes of aging. Madeleine wants to change that. Coming of Age: My Journey to the Eighties takes a close and incisive look at what it is like to grow old. The book is a memoir, yet most important of all, it is an honest and positive look at aging and how it has affected her life.
Cover photo © Todd Lockwood.

200 pages, Kindle Edition

Published October 2, 2018

Reviews

[Alex · Rating 5 out of 5]

A dear friend of mine gifted me a (signed!) ARC of this book.

I really enjoyed this collection of short memoir-vignettes by one of the most awesome women to come out of the state I call home. Kunin writes lyrically and concisely; the vignettes are sprinkled with poems she has written, a lovely addition that feels somehow more personal than the vignettes themselves!

The book deals with aging, love, memory, and mortality. It is short, but moving. A very good read.

[Chris · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wonderful and timely memoir about aging, finding love, and everything in between.

[Emma Irving · Rating 5 out of 5]

So rarely does a woman open up about her life like this, and even more rarely does she do it at the age of 85. Madeleine Kunin is an inspiration for all and I loved getting to know her more in this collection of essays and poems. She speaks honestly not about her political life so much, but about the changes in her life as she's moved between many spheres. I'm entranced by this book, absolutely would recommend!

[Ben]

Promoted it, loved it and wholly moved by the grace notes dancing throughout.

[Rachel · Rating 3 out of 5]

Biographies and autobiographies come in many formats. Take, for example, the recent works by Madeleine May Kunin and Ken Krimstein. While Kunin writes prose and poetry to tell of her personal experience with aging in “Coming of Age: My Journey to the Eighties” (Green Writers Press), Krimstein uses the graphic format to focus on major events in the life of Hannah Arendt in “The Three Escapes of Hannah Arendt: A Tyranny of Truth” (Bloomsbury Publishers).
See the rest of my review at http://www.thereportergroup.org/Artic...

[Susan · Rating 4 out of 5]

A lovely little memoir by Vermont's first female Governor ,Secretary of Education and Ambassador to Switzerland among many other accomplishments. It is an easy read interspersed with many poems written over the years. The author does a terrific job of weaving her family's interesting history with present day honest reflections on aging. A very enjoyable book. Just wish it was longer and more in depth so I could learn more about this wonderful woman. She is a great mentor for all woman.

[Sue Ronnenkamp · Rating 4 out of 5]

So glad I came across this audio book this week. I don’t listen to many books, but this one was made special because the author read it herself. Better yet, I could hear her 80+ year old voice and that gave every word extra weight and meaning. Plus, this woman is fascinating and someone I needed to know and learn more about! Highly recommend it to anyone looking ahead to what our aging experience might be…can be….

[Sylvia · Rating 5 out of 5]

This slim book took me by surprise. I didn’t know much about Madeleine Kunin, but now I admire her so much. A story of a life, a story of aging gracefully, a story of facing mortality all told with poetry and grace.

[Suzette · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nice memoir - short vignettes interspersed with her poems. Nothing earth-shattering here, but always interesting to hear stories from early powerful women.

[Rosemary O'Neill · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a lovely memoir by the former governor of Vermont

[Elaine Lawson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lovely, poetic thoughts about Ms. Kunin's later love and life. It is nostalgic, warm, and loving. I great and sensitive read, especially for older adults confronting our later years.