WTTM
“Grow old with me! The best remains to be, the last in life, for which the first was made… â€
Robert browning
The official start of fall, also known as the fall equinox, took place on September 22. This kicked off what many people consider to be a generally pleasant time of year. There is a lot to love about fall: cooler temperatures, changing leaves, softer light….
However, when the term is applied to human aging, the fall of life conjures up images of declining health and faculties, loss of loved ones, and isolation. Older people today show that it doesn’t have to be. With Americans living longer, more active, and healthier, our fall years don’t need to be melancholy. The trend towards positive aging has emerged as a way to embrace aging. He inspired spinoff services such as creative ways to age at home, dying doulas, and green burials.
Therefore, thinking of our fall years as “the best is yet to be”, here are some selections from the RPL collection that promote the golden age of life.
Picture books
- Miss Tizzy by Libba Moore Gray; illustrated by Jada Rowland. (New York: Simon & Schuster, 1993)
- One morning with grandfather by Sylvia Liu; illustrated by Christina Forshay. (New York: Lee & Low Books, 2016)
- Mr. George Baker by Amy Hest; illustrated by John Muth. (Cambridge, Massachusetts: Candlewick Press, 2004)
- The old woman who named things by Cynthia Rylant; illustrated by Kathryn Brown. (San Diego: Harcourt Brace, 1996)
- How to keep a grandfather / grandmother by Jean Reagan; illustrated by Lee Wildish. (New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 2012/2014)
- When grandma gives you a lemon tree and When grandpa gives you a toolbox by Jamie LB Deenihan; illustrated by Lorraine Rocha. (New York: children’s pounds sterling, 2019/2020)
- close together by Minh Lê; illustrated by Dan Santat. (Los Angeles: Disney Hyperion, 2018)
- Wilfrid Gordon McDonald partridge by Mem Fox; illustrated by Julie Vivas. (Brooklyn: Kane / Miller, 1985)
- The Hello, Goodbye window by Norman Juster; illustrated by Chris Raschka. (Michael diCapua Books, 2005)
- Grandfather’s journey, written and illustrated by Allen Say. (Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 1993)
- The truth about grandparents, written and illustrated by Elina Ellis. (Boston: Little, Brown Books, 2019)
- The Age of Power: A Plan to Mature in Style by Kelly Doust. (Ingram Publishing Services, 2020)
- A busy life: reflections at nineties by Jimmy Carter. (New York: Simon & Schuster, 2015)
- Age is just a number: black women explore their 40s by Carleen Brice. (Boston: Beacon Press, 2003)
- Aging well: a neuroscientist explores the power and potential of our lives by Daniel J. Levitin. (New York: Dutton, 2020)
- Stay sharp: build a better brain at any age by Sanjay Gupta, MD. (New York: Simon & Schuster, 2021)
- The New Long Life: A Framework for Thriving in a Changing World by Andrew J. Scott. (London: Bloomsbury Publishing, 2020)
- This Chair Rocks: a manifesto against ageism by Ashton Applewhite. (New York: Céladon Books, 2019)
- It’s not all downhill from here by Terry McMillan. (New York: Ballantine Books, 2020)
- The great unexpected by Dan Mooney. (Toronto: Park Row Books, 2019)
- Henri himself by Stewart O’Nan. (New York: Viking, 2019)
- Late city by Robert Olen Butler. (New York: Atlantic Monthly Press, 2021)
- A man called Ove by Fredrik Backman. (New York: Atria Book, 2014)
- The sowing season by Katie Powner. (Bloomington, MN: Bethany House, 2020)
- The last days of Ptolemy Gray by Walter Mosley. (New York: Riverhead Books, 2010)
This press release was produced by the Richmond Public Library. The opinions expressed here are those of the author.