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First Impression: An absolute giggle and an eye opener that prepares one for aging happily through advice, poetry, plays, and more.

Young For A Very Long Time- Viewpoints on getting older book cover

Young for a Very Long Time is presented by Barbara Fox, having been contributed to by a panel of peers above the age of 60. In this witty little book, the team share their novel thoughts around aging through a collection of articles, poems, plays, and conversations. Covering a range of topics, the book aims to inject humor into the advice, anecdotes, and discussions that are shared. If you suddenly turned old overnight, stay tuned. This book won’t prevent your aches and pains, nor will it give you back dewy skin, and an uncrumpled face. What it will do is share the positives of being older.

So with that, I would like to thank Barbara Fox for the gift of her book in echange for a fair review. This book brought me so much joy.

The book opens with a quirky poem that questions the poet’s aging process. Having noticed writing getting smaller, less inclination to cook, special requests at the airport, being offered a seat on public transport, and the like, the author queries whether these stereotypes are a fair reflection of ‘being old’.

Don’t worry about getting older, you’re still going to do the dumb stuff you always did, only slower.

Barbara Fox (2023)

Initially, Fox asks a question and asks her panel how they feel, or how they would respond. The replies are varied with some taking great offense to the assumptions within the questions, the keen interest in their business, and the tactlessness that might be conveyed. Others are quite flippant with their replies and tend to enjoy the opportunity to offer a spunky retort. 

One way to find out if you’re old is to fall down. If people laugh, you’re young. If they panic and rush to help you, you’re old!

Barbara Fox (2023)

Well! That might be a bitter pill to swallow! There was a lot of truth to be read between the lines of the comments. I wouldn’t say I’m old, but after reading this book I’m in limbo and not confident in claiming I’m young. The wittier responses, as comical as they were, were on point and gave cause for reflection. They also made me think about how I wanted to grow old i.e., lazily, gracefully, naturally, not at all…

The conversations Fox embarks on in Young for a Very Long time are numerous. They range from the amount and type of exercise, internet dating, choosing a nursing home, and whether one can still jump. This is in addition to some lovely homages paid to people of many years that have achieved some truly exceptional accomplishments and are still going for gold. My favorite section is probably the poetry, particularly, I am my Earrings on page 77 by Pamela Salem. I love how it comes full circle as she talks about how wonderful and pert her body was many moons ago and makes stark comparisons to today’s body.

With all the gushing I have had for this book, I have neglected a couple of flaws. There was lots of empty space in the book. Not just because of the way the book is written but because there are deliberate blank pages. There are also a couple of lines that are repeated. For example, we are told twice within two pages that Maradona died at 60. Other things I didn’t enjoy and gave cause for concerns was the font type. Now this might actually be down to the fact that I was gifted a free copy in return for a frank and honest review, and therefore, not in receipt of a genuine purchasable copy. However, the version I read from was a double spread PDF page. It had headings that reminded me of Halloween, in the shape and in the way they faded from dark to light gray. As a glasses wearer, using a digital screen, after working a digital job, it was difficult to read and exacerbated dry eyes. I hope this might be revised in future print runs and made to be more accessible for the intended audience.

Flaws aside, I had such a giggle reading this book. The honesty was greatly appreciated and would appeal to anyone with an open mind about growing older. Comedy is a large feature in the book, so it’s best suited to positive, upbeat individuals that can see the lighter side of life. Although the book wouldn’t necessarily appear to teens, there is nothing within these pages that would make this solely an R Rated type read. Enjoy the advice, enjoy the wealth of useful quotes, and take the author’s advice and enjoy life.

Quick Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐/ PG-13

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