Product Description

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #242696 in Books
• Published on: 2009-01-02
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 272 pages

Features

• ISBN13: 9780446196031
• Condition: NEW
• Notes: Brand New from Publisher. No Remainder Mark.
• Click here to view our Condition Guide and Shipping Prices

From Publishers Weekly
Starred Review. Alford (Big Kiss) recognizes that the elderly have been through more in their lives than the rest of us, and figures it might be a good idea to talk to some of them and see if they have any meaningful advice to impart. This plan sets off a prolonged meditation: what is wisdom, anyway? Some of his interview subjects are famous, like playwright Edward Albee or literary critic Harold Bloom—but it's the less recognized figures who consistently provide Alford with the most evocative source material, like the retired schoolteacher who lost her husband, her home and all her possessions in Hurricane Katrina but refuses to feel sorry for herself. The search is not all rosy: shortly after , Alford's interview with his stepfather, he loses his sobriety and the author becomes a sideline observer as his mother initiates divorce proceedings and moves into a retirement home. Such scenarios depart from the laugh-out-loud stories for which Alford is best known, but there are still enough moments of rich humor, like the guided tour of Sylvia Miles's cluttered apartment, for longtime fans of Alford. (Jan. 2)
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From Bookmarks Magazine
"A bit David Sedaris, a bit Charles Grodin" (Cleveland Plain Dealer), with a little Studs Terkel and Mitch Albom (Tuesdays with Morrie) thrown in for good measure, Alford, when he's on, has all the critics in stitches. They extol his keen wit and ability to keep a somber subject lighthearted. Drawing on such a wide range of source material has its benefits and drawbacks: Alford covers a lot of ground, but the result is, for some reviewers, a narrative that's a little too slack and uninspired. Whether it's his treatment of his mother's marriage or a rumination on his aging cat's wisdom, some things just seem out of place. Then again, maybe when we're older, we'll come back to How to Live, and it will all make perfect sense.
Copyright 2009 Bookmarks Publishing LLC

Review
"Interviewing such personal heroes as playwright Edward Albee and spiritual guru Ram Dass, [Alford] plunders the vaults of others' experiences, comparing notes and weighing everything against his own worldview. Is wisdom a product of experience? Is it the property of thinkers like Epicurus and Confucius? Does wisdom boil down to simple proverbs? These are the questions that Alford tackles ... with objective curiosity, humorous verve and scholarly diligence... Taking a lighthearted approach, Alford discovers that wisdom is a process rather than a fixed point." (Kirkus )

"One of the Year's best books... In this rich and humorous narrative, Alford focuses on the stories of the elderly as he sets off a prolonged meditation on the question: What is wisdom?" (Publishers Weekly )

"HOW TO LIVE extracts wisdom from an array of American elders... reading Henry's account was like a wonderfully loving and in the end restorative chiropractic adjustment. [A book] for old people and anyone who has ever known an old person (and you will eventually!)." (Sandra Tsing Loh, author of MOTHER ON FIRE: A True Motherf%#$@ Story About Parenting! )

"Not many writers are talented or crazy enough to tackle a subject as vast and slippery as wisdom. Henry Alford is both, and for that I am grateful. Never sappy, always candid, and occasionally exhale-linguini-out-your-nostrils funny, HOW TO LIVE actually lives up to its audacious title. This is a wise and generous book, one that stays with you long after the last page. A must-read for anyone who is old or plans on getting old." (Eric Weiner, author of THE GEOGRAPHY OF BLISS )

"Most of us don't have the time, the inclination, or the method to at least attempt to get wiser as we get older. Henry Alford has brilliantly opened that door. My experience tells me-walk through it!" (Charles Grodin, author of IF I ONLY KNEW THEN )

"The wry and endearing Alford has pulled off writing a book about wisdom that's actually wise." (Sarah Vowell, author of Assassination Vacation )

"Alford is a master of the delightfully hairbrained scheme . . . though containing plenty of laughs, his new book, HOW TO LIVE . . . is an earnest attempt to learn life lessons, especially from the elderly."

(Raleigh News and Observer )

"Illuminating . . . a book that looks into the hearts, minds and souls of some of those who've reached an age where insight and know-how pretty much come with the bus pass. Oh, that's not to say all oldsters are wise, mind you, but it is evident that more than a few fogies have something to offer . . . The book also happens to be breezy but not vapid, conversational but not chatty, and informed but not pedantic; in other words, it reads like it was written by someone who spends most of his time writing for some of America's best publications." (Miami Sun-Post )

"Genial, self-deprecating, consistently witty and entertaining facilitator and narrator . . . The author artfully threads his personal story through the narrative." (Denver Post )

"While Alford, true to his pedigree, draws out the humorous side of his subjects, what is revealed in "How to Live" is sometimes audacious and sometimes just odd . . . Time spent reading "How to Live" will not be regretted by those of any age. The book succeeds both as an accessible survey of wisdom and the personal journey of a midlife man who, like many of us, is trying to see the road ahead with the assistance of the rearview mirror of those who precede him. The book's excesses, including more aphorisms on wisdom than one could possibly absorb, and a few chapters that go astray thematically, are more than forgiven on a journey that transmits so many practical insights and -- dare I say it -- wisdom." (LA Times )

"Alford has a powerful, personal story to tell, all kidding aside." (New York Times Review of Books )