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Beautifully photographed and illustrated, here is a precious record of our women’s reflections and takeaways on lives well-lived that is sure to be passed from grandmother to daughter to granddaughter.
Throughout history, the image of “wisdom” is exclusively portrayed by men: God, Socrates, Confucius, Merlin, the aging college professor. Where are their female counterparts?
The wisdom of older women is indisputable. Having lived decades raising children, caring for husbands, creating “nests” from which progeny fly out of to be productive members of society, and often being forced to observe more than participate in the events around them, older women have unique insights that help future generations not only to survive but also to thrive.
New York Times–bestselling author of Nice Girls Don’t Get the Corner Office, Dr. Lois Frankel, now honors and gives voice to the often marginalized and “invisible” older women in our society. From Los Angeles, California, to Shanghai, China, women over age seventy share wisdoms and stories that are heartwarming and hilarious, insightful and witty, and philosophical and practical. “When life gives you lemons,” says Jo-Ann Mercurio, born 1941, “add vodka.”
“For the purpose of this book I chose to focus on septuagenarian, octogenarian, nonagenarian, and even a few centenarian women. In other words, women from seventy to a hundred years old. Every effort was made to include a wide spectrum of women with different backgrounds, ethnicities, educational experiences, and religions. Some had married and lived decades raising children and sometimes grandchildren, caring for ill husbands and parents, creating “nests” from which progeny fly out of to be productive members of society, and often being forced to observe more than participate in the events around them. Other women that I spoke with chose not to marry or have children and instead had careers outside of the home, traveled extensively, or ran their own businesses. Yet others chose religious paths and spent their lives educating generations of children, caring for the poor, or ministering to the sick. Regardless of their past, every woman had valuable insights, perspectives, and experiences from which we can all learn.”
