As they turned 70, the authors of 70Candles! Women Thriving in Their 8th Decade set out to investigate how women their age and older were living their lives. They sought role models for themselves and messages for the droves of baby boomers on their heels. They were curious about the challenges and joys of their age-mates, their work and retirement status, living arrangements, family and social connections, and more. These septuagenarians knew they were not like their own grandmothers who sat in rocking chairs knitting. But what is the new normal? This book, informative and inspirational, describes what they found in their reading, their ongoing 70candles.com blog, and 70candles conversation groups held in various parts of the U.S. Although they have taken somewhat different paths, the authors agree that turning 70 and entering their eighth decade has, indeed, been momentous. "Welcome to old age." They and their peers have found this new era exciting, sometimes scary, but full of opportunity. As developmental psychologists speak of life's stages and phases and rites of passage, the purpose of this book is the recognition that 70 is something important, part of an intriguing new stage of life, not just a birthday like any other. 70Candles! is aimed at all women approaching 70 and in their 70's and those interested in this journey-men, women, family and friends.
Industry Reviews
Well, it's about time! This book will finally put to rest the archaic views we have all held in the past regarding aging. BFF's (to phrase it in today's lingo) since they were fourteen, Authors Jane Giddan and Ellen Cole have put together a comprehensive, and ultimately, exciting book about turning seventy in the twenty-first century. Both authors are academics, and the study is in depth in ways that few books on aging are. After their own careful research in person with groups of women becoming seventy, they then turn to the women themselves to write about the challenges and delights that growing older bring. Forget the stereotypes we are all used to...these women are really rockin'! And certainly not in a creaky chair on a long front porch. - Ginnie Siena Bivona, author, & publisher of the Ageless Authors Anthologies www.agelessauthors.com
It may be strange to say this about a practical guidebook on woman and aging but this one is pure delight uplifting, engaging and alive with the voices of wise women. My favorites are the 95-year-old who has a martini every night and goes barefoot as much as possible, and Nina, the futuristic woman whom the authors conjure as the strong, self-sufficient oldie all of us can become with the aid of technology. In 2016, the baby boomers start turning 70. No woman should take that leap without 70Candles! at her bedside. Letty Cottin Pogrebin, author of Getting Over Getting Older 70Candles! offers wonderful wisdom, advice, and practical tips for making the most of life after seventy. In stark contrast to gloomy media portraits of aging, the authors show us how the later years can be filled with joy, excitement, and vibrant living. A book for every older person - and everyone who will become one! Karl Pillemer, Ph.D., author of 30 Lessons for Living: Tried and True Advice from the Wisest Americans
Jane Giddan and Ellen Cole, who enlarge the burgeoning world of septuagenarian women through their excellent blog 70candles.com, further expand their reach through 70Candles! Women Thriving in Their 8th Decade, a most welcome new addition to the women-who-age-successfully canon. In the dramatically changing demographic of today's world, reaching 70 is a new frontier for women who can look forward to new activities, new relationships, and new discoveries especially about themselves. As our experience has taught us, it's largely through our friendships with women and the examples of our peers that we find not only support, but inspiration as we spend this gift of time in a world our mothers and grandmothers never knew. Thelma Reese, Ed.D., author with Barbara M. Fleisher, Ed.D. of The New Senior Woman: Reinventing the Years Beyond Mid-Life
