Women Rowing North: Navigating Life’s Currents and Flourishing As We Age Kindle Edition

Aging has some real issues: living in a culture that not only denigrates old age but actively despises it, the lack of civility that makes it hard to move fast enough to avoid being in the way, the high cost of medicine, the one-size-fits-all medical treatment, etc. This book is of no use that I can see. The author's approach is the same kind of generic advice you can find everywhere. If you are annoyed by being told that there are 8 steps to grief or 5 steps to acceptance or to be sure to bring a casserole to a grieving friend, this is not the book for you. Most of the examples seem to be of people who will benefit by being told to take a soothing bubble bath or go hug a cactus or take a rafting trip with "the girls". Nobody seems to be cutting up their pills to save money or taking time to go deeply into "aloneness". It so trivializes aging...just one more pop psychology book to add to the pile of "self-help" books that do not help. Aging is fierce, terrifying, mysterious and very human. Pick up The Bible, the Upanishads, the Torah, the Buddhist sutras, the Odyssey and you will find the same questions being asked about Life, Old Age and Death and it's re-assuring to realize these perennial questions are part of being human. Instead of continuing to "serve", women might think about why? serve your parents, your boyfriend, your husband, your children, your parents (again) and then die " Is that life? is it MY life? why do feel I have to serve? Is it real or just conditioning? Am is afraid of being called 'selfish'? why am I doing this" Old age is a time when you have the time to contemplate these questions and to find friendship and connection with all that has come before you and all that you are. Don't waste it reading this kind of trivial junk and never asking the deeper questions about what it is to be truly human. There is only this one life as this particular "person"; it's a great joy to discover what you are!

I adore Mary Pipher & expected her book on "navigating life's currents & flourishing as we age" to be my new favorite "Must read!" recommendation. My enthusiasm wilted as it dawned that she often sounds like part of my born-in-1910 mother's generation than four years my senior who graduated from high school at the dawn of the conscious-raising '60s, grew up solidly in the Therapeutic Age. Where I was expecting book relevant to every part of our nation, WOMEN ROWING NORTH seems to largely (not exclusively - one is a pleasant acquaintance of mine who lives in Phila) feature examples & anecdotes from what seem to be solidly middle class, heartland women - - makes sense, since that is where she practices, but limits its effectiveness, at least to this reader. Strikes me that a more apt title would be "White Midwestern Well-Educated Upperish-Middle Class WOMEN ROWING NORTH."

This book is not promising perfection, but rather engagement in a process that will make us happier, says the author. And it delivers on that promise. She goes on to say that as our bodies age, our souls can expand. It’s a beautifully written and realistic book that outlines becoming an older woman. We follow her journey and other women of a similar age, but with different circumstances through their life journey.It’s hard to classify. It’s a memoir, it’s a cultural statement, and it’s inspiring and full of hope. At times it reads like your favorite minister at their pulpit. Other times it reads like a proud grandma and then it becomes a culture opinion and self-help piece. All of it flows seamlessly and is beautifully written and brought me to tears a handful of times.As I continue my journey rowing north, I will continue to refer to the book and have already passed it on to my friends.

For a book aimed at persons in their advanced years, why is it printed in a small font? I’m going to have to use a magnifying glass which slows me down. The index is in an even smaller font. If you are buying this as a gift, consider the Large Print format or audio.

I'm on the downward side of my 60's - heading straight for my '70's. Luckily, I've had family and friends who have hit the milestone ages before I have and I can see how they've dealt with aging. Of course, hitting 70 ain't like hitting 50, so I've seen different reactions from those who've gone before me. I have also just finished reading Mary Pipher's new book, "Women Rowing North: Navigating Life's Currents and Flourishing as We Age". (That's such a long title that I could almost feel myself aging as I wrote it!) Pipher is the author of "Reviving Ophelia", which is about the problems and - I presume - joys of both being and raising a teenage girl. I didn't read it because I had sons, but I am growing older so I did pick up her latest book.Mary Pipher's book is chock-full of good advise on hitting your old age. She does talk about "Young Old" and "Old Old"; those different sub-catagories of aging. Seventy seems to be the start of "Old-Old", but she manages to make it seem almost desirable as she writes about women who've both cast off and taken on responsibilities they wouldn't have done 20 years earlier. Life is easier as we slow down to smell the flowers and enjoy our friendships and family relations. She gives us examples of women who've found contentment and purpose as they've aged, as they take care of grandchildren and sick husbands, She also tells of women who've found the same contentment as they've shed these responsibilities and lived basically solo lives.It's an interesting book that gave me a few ideas I hadn't originally thought about as the Big 70 - and "Old Old Age" - is fast approaching.

I started this book with limited expectations and found that I needed to underline quotes every few pages. I'd give it 10 stars if I could. From facing retirement to surviving the death of a partner, the author of Reviving Ophelia shows us that while every stage of life is hard, there are rewards there too; I've got the other women in my Parkinson's group reading it. (Now if only I could get my husband to read it!)

This book was recommended to me by someone I didn't know know and who didn't know me. It is the most expensive download I have ever downloaded, but, the reviews were consistently good so I went ahead with purchasing. Anyway, this book was just not for me and I eventually speed read it through to the end, relieved when the end came at 82% on my Kindle. It wasn't a navigation through later years as I had envisaged, but a tome of people's misfortunes, awful misfortunes, Parkinson's disease, throat cancer and the like as well as anecdotes of the author's life. I found it depressing and boring reading how people had made the best of their misfortunes or ill health, or otherwise. I certainly, fortunately, couldn't identify with any of it. Disappointingly expensive mistake on my part, that's one lesson learned if nothing else, looking on the bright side !

Yes, can relate to much of this and brings up some interesting issues

Disappointed that the book was sold in very good condition but is heavily throughout in bright pink highlighter.

This book had a glowing review in my local newspaper. I was eager to read it as I am about the same age as the author, so facing the issues of retirement and my last 2 or 3 decades, if I remain healthy and lucky. Sorry to say it is a simplistic book, shallow, and largely lacking in any new insights. Please don't bother with it. There are so many other good reads.

It wasn't the type of book I enjoy reading, it was a book club choice, all about ageing, information that is readily available on the internet. She did have some good quotes from woman heading each chapter. But I never read the book.