I was pleased that Mr. Kinsley was able, and willing, to keep writing while attending to his Parkinson's disease.
I got some sense of the differences between Parkinson's and Alzheimer's, which I appreciate.
The final chapter was a call for the Baby Boomer generation to pay off the national debt as a way of saying thanks for all the privileges they have been given. The chapter seemed oddly out of place to me, but I'll give the man room to preach. He's earned that. ( )

It took me quite a while to read this book because I disliked it so very much. I can't believe I purchased - yes, paid money - for it! I hoped it would be an enlightening book and one I could share with friends who work with old people. No such thing happened. This book is basically one person's rant on how unfortunate he is to have early onset Parkinson's Disease. He is sarcastic, caustic, and narcissistic. He provides an argument and makes his case, then cuts off any discussion and changes the subject so that one cannot begin to even think of a counter-argument to his audacious proposals. I do not recommend this book. ( )

I have written a book review on my blog https://macymakesmagic.com/2020/12/26/he-who-dies-last-wins/ ( )

Michael Kinsley’s Old Age a Beginner’s Guide is a book about Baby Boomers growing older and how their lives are expected to be. He addressed these problems through the lens of the chronic disease Parkinson’s from which he was suffering. The writer gave statistics about how long people could expect to live. He mentioned some of the major diseases that would surely kill them like cancer, heart disease, and Alzheimer’s. Then there followed was an informative discourse about accidents and falls as people age.
A great deal of data was provided about Parkinson’s disease. Readers learn about its symptoms, treatment, tests, and how it progresses. A discussion in the text tells readers how they could be remembered after they die. There were references to those wealthy individuals who have donated money so that their names adorn buildings, wings of establishments, or could even be statues that are prominently displayed in a city. Kinsley observed that some who were writers were soon forgotten when they die. But the author showed that to be remembered it would call for having an advocate to promote a writer’s literary merit. The latter part of the book concentrated on the financial debt that was ran up by the Greatest Generation, and what the Baby Boomers could do to alleviate it. ( )

I saw this book and looking at the author remembered this was the guy who I believe had a shared role on a TV news events program on PBS or something. He was the viewpoint from the left pitted against the guy from the right. Kinsley played this up to the max with a nattering kind of blather guaranteed to get a rise. So now with that bias in place I move on to this books he has authored years later.

I was expecting some insights on what was in store for me in old age which is right around the corner or maybe even here, and what to do about it. What I ended up getting was I am not sure what. Kinsley starts out by revealing he has Parkinson's disease and for quite a number of years now. He says he wants to relate to what others will have to face sooner or later,our demise. Yet mostly he talks about his disease and what it has meant for him. And from there on you can tell the books is very much about Michael Kinsley.

After winding through a number of these threads on himself he then wraps things up with a look at generations-- how they are labeled and legacy issues, etc. He talks about the Greatest Generation, anointed so by his guru Tom Brokaw. Then he delves into the sins and foibles of our generation the Boomers. He does blame both for conditions we face today but more so on the Boomers like a self flagellation. Then he offers up atonement that we should take all our money and property and pay off, or at least pay down the national debt. There you have it your entry level primer into old age. Any questions? ( )