Review of Pearls

[Okafor Prosper]

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Pearls" by Dot Nuechterlein.]

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4 out of 4 stars

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When we think about the word "growing," just like Dot Nuechterlein has pointed out, we think about a host of positive things associated with the word. However, for a lot of us, the word takes a completely negative meaning when the word "older" is attached to it, creating a lot of fear in us while we embark on the inevitable journey through aging. Why is this so? Just like most things in life, there are negative and positive aspects. This is the same with growing older, and it is imperative that we fully understand what growing older entails, as it will help us quell our fears and live our best possible lives when the time comes. To this effect, Dot Nuechterlein has presented her book, Pearls: Women's Wisdom on Growing Older, geared towards women who are approaching and who are already in their autumn years.

I have to say that this was an impressive and comprehensive read on the subject of what it means to grow older. Dot Nuechterlein favors an interesting approach, assuming the role of a moderator while she enlists over eighty women's in-depth opinions on a wide range of topics that are relevant to older people. These topics ranged from stereotypes, how older people remember their youth, growing up, and changes they have encountered to appearance, spiritual foundations, relevant skills in old age, relationships, health issues, and retirement, among many others. Through her book, she puts the readers in a sort of group discussion on these topics. Consequently, seeing how the different women narrate their experiences introduces diversity and makes the book very easy for readers to connect to. This was the first thing I liked and my favorite aspect of the book as well.

I had a lot of questions when I picked up the book, including about the intriguing book title and the author's reasons for focusing on just women, and Dot Nuechterlein quickly clears the air in the first few chapters. She encourages reader participation throughout the book, providing thoughtful questions after each chapter that will not only engage readers concerning the topics explored but also prompt them to consider other topics not discussed here, even though I personally found it difficult to come up with any such topics since the book was as all-encompassing as possible.

Furthermore, the author does well to extract the similarities in the women's statements throughout and provide relevant information to help readers understand the lessons that will undoubtedly impact their lives positively. The book can be read in any order, not necessarily chronologically, since readers will understand it from any point and relate to some topics more than others. I personally related the most to "dealing with loss and time" and "the significance of your attitude and humor in old age."

Pearls: Women's Wisdom on Growing Older is a professionally edited book. The two minor errors I found did not have any bearing on my enjoyment of this wonderful read. I cannot think of anything to criticize in the book. Therefore, the maximum rating of four out of four stars is in order. Readers who are approaching old age and older readers will greatly benefit from this book.

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Pearls
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[Chiwelite O]

I have some questions that I feel this book may have answers to. Your review is compelling and beautifully written! Great job.

[Astral Magi]

As a person that is standing on the threshold between not quite old, but not young anymore, I can see the need for this book clearly. Thank you for a wonderful review.

[Poojitha Borra]

The book title was quite intriguing, and now that I have read the review It makes sense. Although this wouldn't interest me at this point in life, I am glad these kind of less talked about topics are discussed and help people view it in a positive way.