by John Leland
First published 2018
Award-winning journalist John Leland embarked on an assignment for The New York Times in 2015 to profile America's fastest-growing demographic: people aged 85 and older. He expected to document decline, isolation, and diminished quality of life among New York's oldest residents. Instead, the six elderly New Yorkers he encountered challenged every assumption about aging. Despite varied life stories and circumstances, each person displayed remarkable contentment and resilience. Their perspectives transformed Leland's understanding of what it means to grow old in America. The book weaves together their individual stories and collective wisdom, revealing how the final decades of life can be unexpectedly fulfilling. Leland argues that well-being stems from choices we make rather than circumstances we face. The elderly subjects demonstrate this principle through their daily lives, showing readers that we possess significant control over our happiness regardless of age or situation.
Genres: non-fiction, biography-memoir, 21st-century
Vibes: emotional, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: found-family, resilience
Setting: New York
Period: 2015
256 pages · Hardcover · Sarah Crichton Books