Wise Up: Power, Wisdom, and the Older Woman

by Barbara Scully

Barbara Scully launches her debut book with a frank look at the last half-century of women's place in society, told via her lived experience of womanhood in contemporary Ireland. The 60-year-old broadcaster pulls no punches as she blends uncomfortable truths with indispensable advice in this essential feminist publication. 




Wise Up to the power ... Wise Up to the wisdom ... Wise Up to life after menopause!




Barbara Scully offers her take on life after the big 'M'.




Told with searing honesty, this memoir-come-self-help guide is laced with social history and the occasional rant to deliver a read that is humorous and essential. It offers younger women a guide to navigating the hurdles of adulting, and older women the opportunity to consider the two great benefits of ageing - wisdom and power.




It's time to dream big, just like you did when you were a teenager. 




"Whatever the reason, I realised when I turned 40 and with every decade since I have less f*cks to give. It's liberating, I tell you." Barbara Scully. 

256 pages, Kindle Edition

Published May 24, 2022

Reviews

[Alva · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm just a year older than Barbara Scully, also a Dublin woman from the suburbs. So, this wonderful memoir of womanhood through the decades really struck a chord with me. I lived these decades with Barbara even though I didn't know her. Her experiences of people, places, times, social norms, history, the Catholic Church all resonated so strongly with me as I read. An entertaining, real, honest account of the ups and downs of getting through life with all the circumstances that life throws at you. I loved this account of a life lived so far with so much more life to live. How each stage of our lives forms us for the next episode. How we drop our inhibitions, our consideration of what others might think of us (my God - why did we hold onto this for so long??) is a joy to read, to realise. I loved this book! Wise Up is a totally apt title for this eye-opening life story.

[Mary · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wise Up: Power, Wisdom, and the Older Woman by Barbara Scully is a refreshing and uplifting antidote to depressing books about aging. Scully reflects on each decade of her life in chapters that encourage the reader to do the same. Her writing style is engaging and witty, and she sounds like the wise friend every woman needs to keep them grounded and optimistic.

As women advance toward their sixtieth birthdays they experience the liberation of having labels that once defined them slip away. Scully reminds them that they have stories to tell, a wealth of experience, and hopefully the wisdom to share it in a meaningful way.

[Sieglinde · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lots of fun and sage advice about life and living, especially for middle-aged and older women. There are a lot of examples from the author's life that will resonate with readers, particularly among those who are in a similar age group. It's a very different world now in many respects for the younger generations, which is great, and one hopes they are not faced with some of the same nonsense to which prior generations were subjected. There is a sense of freedom that comes with reaching ones fifties and beyond, and like Scully, I welcome that!

[Nicola Pierce · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read this in two sittings - immensely entertaining account of a life well lived with all its ups and downs. Scully reminds us how brilliant it is to be a woman and a woman looking to make changes inside and outside the home. Topics include aging, the menopause, smear tests, having children alongside careers and the importance of finding our voice and passion in life. The book is broken up into decades, incorporating 'The golden twenties' and, then a few chapters on, the exciting potential of our sixties, with plenty in between. Loved it!

[Tatiana Tierney · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book! I am 51 and passing this "bumpy" road at the moment. Thanks very much Barbara for sharing your experience(s). I couldn't stop laughing when I read about your purple hair, break-up with your favourite red wine and how you describe serious health/life issues with amazing sense of humour. Yeah, that's the way to go! We have to be able to adapt to changes quickly and accept ourselves at any period of life. I agree with you that the older we get the better we are, like that old mature red wine. We kept the best in the bottle, brewed for years, changed with times and were desperate to get out. The later we get out of that bottle, the better. Every sip will be so 'bitterly' sweet and full of flavour that we will enjoy it for the rest of our lives. The best yet to come!

[Magdalena Bugala · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really enjoyed the book which I read in one sitting. Funny,witty, honest reflections on life and down to earth hints on how to manoeuvre our way through it. Looking forward to read more in the near future!

[lucy maguire · Rating 5 out of 5]

What an orignal book. Autobiographical, funny, empowering, empathetic. I loved it and raced through it, recognising myself in some way in each chapter. It gave me a lot of confidence and I have stopped telling people my age because do you know what? I’m at my best age. Thank you Barbara.

[Mrs Nicola Jane Rudd · Rating 3 out of 5]

Food for thought

Interesting ideas and musings on aging, interspersed with stories of the author's life. Unfortunately I found some errors in punctuation and missed words detracted from an otherwise good book.

[Moira · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a fabulous book and I will read it again and probably again. Should be required reading for us ladies.
Great fun and plenty of wisdom shared.
Best present ever.

[Liz Christopherson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this book. Barbara shares her loved experience to make other women feel good about themselves. A must read in middle age.