A few years back I read with great interest and enjoyment Sherwin Nuland's memoir about his immigrant father, LOST IN AMERICA. It explained a lot about the author's ambition and success as a physician and scholar. Then I began reading his best known book, HOW WE DIE, but still have not finished it. But now I have done a quick read of his THE ART OF AGING and quite enjoyed it. My own aging process hasn't been very artful, but is anyone's?

In his clinical descriptions of the process, you're bound to learn something. For instance -

"... testicles hang lower than they did years ago, because of loss of turgor in the skin muscle of the scrotum, a muscle called the dartos."

Turgor? Dartos? Your scrotum has muscles? See what I mean? Who knew?

But seriously - for this is a serious book - Nuland looks far beyond the physiological aspects of aging here, with a chapter about choices, in which he gives us three case studies of people who suffered strokes and how they coped and came back from them. One of these was actress Patricia Neal, who credits her then-husband Roald Dahl with forcing her recovery and return to acting.. Another chapter, "A Friendship in Letters" gives us Nuland's years-long correspondence with an aged Indian widow and her struggles with and recovery from suicidal depression.

"Drinking from the Fountain of Youth" was an especially entertaining chapter, as Nuland related his friendship with a med school classmate, Frank Scott, inventor of an inflatable penile implant playfully labeled "the hydraulic hard-on."

Later he tells us that wisdom - so often equated with age - is not just knowledge, but the proper management of knowledge. And that "caring" is vital to a happy old age. And lots more. So much more. And yes, there is wisdom here. Nuland knew how to manage his accumulated years of study and the knowledge he had gleaned. A wise man. Dr Nuland died in 2013.

This is a good book, filled with useful information - and yes, wisdom. Very highly recommended.

- Tim Bazzett, author of the memoir, BOOKLOVER ( )

Loved this book. One of the best I've read so far on approaching the challenges of this stage of life with enthusiasm and creativity. ( )

There was a lot of blathering and the authored used a few irrelevant sidebars. I was interested in the subject matter of aging but was expecting a more clinical, evidence-based approach from a doctor. This doctor instead engages in wild speculation. ( )

Having turned 65 a few months ago, aging is frequently on my mind. I'm grateful every day that my health is inexplicably good, as is my attitude and my mental, emotional, and spiritual life.
After having heard an interview with the author about a month ago (it was a rebroadcast shortly after he died), I put this book on my to-read list. I'd previously read and appreciated his HOW WE DIE book.
I found the book to be a good read. I was pleased to see that I appear to be on the right path when it comes to mental, emotional, and spiritual health practices, but I need to increase my exercise. ( )

Excellent Birthday Gift: Dr. Nuland has authored an excellent guide to extending ones life. At first glance, I thought this book would offer substantial how to guidance on nutrition, exercise, and other physical life extending practices. I was pleased to discover that Dr. Nuland explores a wide array of discoveries concerned with the social practices that truly make one "alive".

Chief among these life giving/extending practices, are the intrinsic rewards offered to those who, in some way, live for the benefit of others. My heart resonated with the stories of people who by serving others have found purpose and therefore life. This book makes a great birthday gift for anyone who is on or is beginning his or her later life journey. It causes one to reflect on the fascinating adventures that could be in store for those who ponder the possibilities of an extraordinary purpose filled life.