Our society worships at the fountain of youth. Each year, we try to delay the ar
rival of old age, using everything at our disposal, from extreme exercise and bo
tox to pilates and cosmetic dentistry. But in the process, are we missing out on
a distinct and extraordinarily valuable stage of life? Asking whether it is bet
ter to be forever young or to grin toothlessly and live an authentic old age, be
stselling author Daniel Klein journeys to the Greek island of Hydra.
There he
draws on the lives of octogenarian Greek locals, as well as philosophers rangin
g from Epicurus to Sartre, to discover the secrets of ageing happily. An escapis
t travel memoir, a droll meditation, and an optimistic guide to living well, thi
s is a delightful jaunt through the terrain of old age, led by a witty and uniqu
ely perceptive modern-day sage.
