Tuesday, April 24, 2018

The Wonder Years by Leslie Leyland Fields

Getting older for women can be traumatic, especially crossing over the big 40. Body parts start to sag. The possibility of having children declines. The nest gets emptier.

Fields has gathered forty essays by a variety of people who share how they dealt with the impact of aging. Some made adjustments for their aging bodies. Some survived changes in marital status. Some dealt with psychological issues like shame or guilt. Some dealt with career changes. All relate their changes in behavior or thinking brought on by the realization that they were getting older.

This book is definitely for women only. Stories about buying a padded bra for the first time or about finally making it past menopause would not be suitable for guys. Many of the essays are from previously published books or magazines. All of the articles are entertaining and are good encouragement for women needing inspiration as they age. Some of the essays are by women in their 80s or 90s and are certainly an encouragement to those us us moving into our final decades.

Some of the articles have a definite Christian flavor but not all of them. I found some of the stories caused me to wonder why there wasn't a greater emphasis on finding our worth in our relationship with Jesus. Really, how do sagging body parts compare to God Who loves us unconditionally?

The essays in this book contain, in general, good encouragement from older and wiser women.

My rating: 4/5 stars.

Leslie Leyland Fields is the author of eleven books. She teaches English at Seattle Pacific University, serves on the editorial board of Christianity Today, and is the founder of the Harvester Island Wilderness workshop. She lives in Kodiak, Alaska. You can find out more at http://www.leslieleylandfields.com/

Kregel Publications, 240 pages.

I received a complimentary egalley of this book from the publisher. My comments are an independent and honest review.

No comments: