by Mike McLeod ‧ RELEASE DATE: Aug. 3, 2007
A scattered mix of instruction and self-reflection on a wide range of topics.
An eclectic guide to health and fitness for the older set.
When he reached his 70s, McLeod (The Death of Civility and Common Sense, 2016, etc.) noticed that some of his contemporaries had already died but that others had maintained their vigor well into their twilight years. This brief book—part memoir and part self-help manual—discusses the author’s general approach to health and fitness issues but also includes a bevy of digressive detours on several topics, including a dietary cure for snoring, age discrimination, and a condensed history of fitness programs. The core of McLeod’s approach is high-intensity interval training, with a simple diet that largely consists of meat, fruits, and vegetables. He also includes an assessment of the progress that science has made in slowing the physical decline that typically accompanies age; in particular, he focuses on TA-65, a controversial natural compound that advocates say can repair elements of chromosomes that decay with age. The process of introducing TA-65 into the market was difficult, as McLeod relates in detail, noting that the Federal Trade Commission tried to kill its production. The author goes on to provide an overview of the supplements and devices, such as the Apple Watch (referred to here as the “iWatch”), that he’s found to be useful for his fitness. The book offers many little nuggets of counsel regarding topics such as the maintenance of mental health and acuity, and it’s all written in a simple, accessible style. However, it’s poorly titled, as very little of it is actually devoted to slimming one’s abdomen. Also, it has the feel of a long essay that lacks tautness and focus; the author meanders far too freely, as if casually thinking out loud. The majority of the advice isn’t groundbreaking, and much of it is little more than common sense—for example, that people should take care to “get a good night’s sleep.” Many readers will wish that the author had spent more time discussing the Federal Trade Commission’s campaign against TA-65, which is the highlight of the work.
A scattered mix of instruction and self-reflection on a wide range of topics.Pub Date: Aug. 3, 2007
ISBN: 978-1-973855-28-6
Page Count: 38
Publisher: CreateSpace
Review Posted Online: Sept. 19, 2017
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
Share your opinion of this book
by Glennon Doyle ‧ RELEASE DATE: March 10, 2020
Doyle offers another lucid, inspiring chronicle of female empowerment and the rewards of self-awareness and renewal.
Awards & Accolades
Likes
26
Our Verdict
GET IT
New York Times Bestseller
IndieBound Bestseller
More life reflections from the bestselling author on themes of societal captivity and the catharsis of personal freedom.
In her third book, Doyle (Love Warrior, 2016, etc.) begins with a life-changing event. “Four years ago,” she writes, “married to the father of my three children, I fell in love with a woman.” That woman, Abby Wambach, would become her wife. Emblematically arranged into three sections—“Caged,” “Keys,” “Freedom”—the narrative offers, among other elements, vignettes about the soulful author’s girlhood, when she was bulimic and felt like a zoo animal, a “caged girl made for wide-open skies.” She followed the path that seemed right and appropriate based on her Catholic upbringing and adolescent conditioning. After a downward spiral into “drinking, drugging, and purging,” Doyle found sobriety and the authentic self she’d been suppressing. Still, there was trouble: Straining an already troubled marriage was her husband’s infidelity, which eventually led to life-altering choices and the discovery of a love she’d never experienced before. Throughout the book, Doyle remains open and candid, whether she’s admitting to rigging a high school homecoming court election or denouncing the doting perfectionism of “cream cheese parenting,” which is about “giving your children the best of everything.” The author’s fears and concerns are often mirrored by real-world issues: gender roles and bias, white privilege, racism, and religion-fueled homophobia and hypocrisy. Some stories merely skim the surface of larger issues, but Doyle revisits them in later sections and digs deeper, using friends and familial references to personify their impact on her life, both past and present. Shorter pieces, some only a page in length, manage to effectively translate an emotional gut punch, as when Doyle’s therapist called her blooming extramarital lesbian love a “dangerous distraction.” Ultimately, the narrative is an in-depth look at a courageous woman eager to share the wealth of her experiences by embracing vulnerability and reclaiming her inner strength and resiliency.
Doyle offers another lucid, inspiring chronicle of female empowerment and the rewards of self-awareness and renewal.Pub Date: March 10, 2020
ISBN: 978-1-9848-0125-8
Page Count: 352
Publisher: Dial Books
Review Posted Online: Dec. 21, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 15, 2020
Share your opinion of this book
More About This Book
PROFILES
SEEN & HEARD
SEEN & HEARD
by Matt Haig ‧ RELEASE DATE: Feb. 23, 2016
A vibrant, encouraging depiction of a sinister disorder.
A British novelist turns to autobiography to report the manifold symptoms and management of his debilitating disease, depression.
Clever author Haig (The Humans, 2013, etc.) writes brief, episodic vignettes, not of a tranquil life but of an existence of unbearable, unsustainable melancholy. Throughout his story, presented in bits frequently less than a page long (e.g., “Things you think during your 1,000th panic attack”), the author considers phases he describes in turn as Falling, Landing, Rising, Living, and, finally, simply Being with spells of depression. Haig lists markers of his unseen disease, including adolescent angst, pain, continual dread, inability to speak, hypochondria, and insomnia. He describes his frequent panic attacks and near-constant anhedonia, the inability to experience pleasure. Haig also assesses the efficacy of neuroscience, yoga, St. John’s wort, exercise, pharmaceuticals, silence, talking, walking, running, staying put, and working up the courage to do even the most seemingly mundane of tasks, like visiting the village store. Best for the author were reading, writing, and the frequent dispensing of kindnesses and love. He acknowledges particularly his debt to his then-girlfriend, now-wife. After nearly 15 years, Haig is doing better. He appreciates being alive and savors the miracle of existence. His writing is infectious though sometimes facile—and grammarians may be upset with the writer’s occasional confusion of the nominative and objective cases of personal pronouns. Less tidy and more eclectic than William Styron’s equally brief, iconic Darkness Visible, Haig’s book provides unobjectionable advice that will offer some help and succor to those who experience depression and other related illnesses. For families and friends of the afflicted, Haig’s book, like Styron’s, will provide understanding and support.
A vibrant, encouraging depiction of a sinister disorder.Pub Date: Feb. 23, 2016
ISBN: 978-0-14-312872-4
Page Count: 272
Publisher: Penguin
Review Posted Online: Nov. 3, 2015
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 15, 2015
Share your opinion of this book
More by Matt Haig
BOOK REVIEW
by Matt Haig
BOOK REVIEW
by Matt Haig
BOOK REVIEW
by Matt Haig
More About This Book
SEEN & HEARD
Readers Donate Depression Book After Star Suicide
© Copyright 2024 Kirkus Media LLC. All Rights Reserved.
Hey there, book lover.
We’re glad you found a book that interests you!
We can’t wait for you to join Kirkus!
It’s free and takes less than 10 seconds!
Already have an account? Log in.
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
Welcome Back!
OR
Sign in with GoogleTrouble signing in? Retrieve credentials.
Don’t fret. We’ll find you.