by Jane Pauley
First published 2014
Television journalist Jane Pauley addresses the widespread desire for midlife reinvention that has captured national attention. She draws from her award-winning Today show segment to present stories of people over fifty who successfully transformed their careers. Pauley profiles healthcare executive Betsy, who abandoned corporate life at fifty-seven to turn knitting into her profession. She tells the story of Paul, fifty-three, who escaped information technology after twenty years of feeling like he was masquerading as a computer geek, built a backyard brick oven, and opened his own pizzeria. The book includes Gid, a jack-of-all-trades who discovered his comedy calling at sixty-one, performing in clubs and churches after admitting he was easily bored by previous work. Pauley shares her own reinvention journey with humor and insight. The book provides practical guidance for readers experiencing the pull toward something different or more meaningful in their lives.
Genres: business, contemporary, non-fiction, biography-memoir, 21st-century
Vibes: emotional, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: second-chance
272 pages · Hardcover · Simon & Schuster