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Happiness Is a Choice You Make: Lessons from a Year Among the Oldest Old

by John Leland
6 CDs. 7 hrs. Macmillan Audio. Jan. 2018. ISBN 9781427293329. $29.99. digital download. BIOG
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Leland's (Why Kerouac Matters) short book is based upon a series of articles for the New York Times about individuals over age 85, the fastest-growing segment of the U.S. population. Over the course of a year, he follows the lives of six New Yorkers in this age group. He discovers that they are mostly content and that they are choosing to rescale expectations to be happy and to live in the moment with purpose, gratitude, and an acceptance of death as inevitable. His reflection on his findings will help listeners train their minds to revel in life's joy and look back and savor. Narrator Robert Petkoff's warm reading style brings a sympathetic voice to the engaging stories. Excerpts from recorded interviews are included as bonus material.
VERDICT Listeners will want to find out exactly what happens to each individual profiled after the year ends. Highly recommended.
Reviewed by Karen Perry, Old Dominion Univ., Norfolk, VA , Jun 15, 2018
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