Official Review: A 95 Year-Old Man's Path to Living Longe...

LivreAmour217 · Post by **LivreAmour217** » 07 Mar 2017, 13:29

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "A 95 Year-Old Man's Path to Living Longer and Better" by Francis T. Sganga.]

2 out of 4 stars

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Francis T. Sganga is a vibrant nonagenarian who remains physically and mentally active despite being nearly a century old. In his book, A 95-Year-Old Man's Path to Living Longer and Better, Mr. Sganga shares the secrets to his longevity and lasting stamina. The book is divided into five parts, in which the author discusses the physical, mental, spiritual, and moral aspects of living a long and healthy life.

This is not your typical book on health and wellness. While Mr. Sganga talks about the expected topics of diet and exercise, he also stresses the importance of being "moral and intellectually challenged," as well as having an appreciation for the miracle of life. In fact, much of his book is spent convincing the reader--mostly using scientific evidence--of how miraculous life truly is. As I read these chapters, it was clear to me that Mr. Sganga's good health has been largely due to his outlook on life and his thirst for knowledge.

I enjoyed reading the first four parts of this book, as they contained quite a bit of information on a myriad of topics. I also found the author's personal stories to be quite interesting, and I was impressed by the sheer amount of research that Mr. Sganga has conducted in his spare time. Although the book did not contain a bibliography, Mr. Sganga was careful to credit each of his sources within the applicable chapters.

But despite its strong points, there are some problems with this book. Foremost, the formatting of the book initially made it difficult to read. There are no spaces between the paragraphs, quotes, and poems that make up the chapters, which gives the pages a jumbled appearance. I did eventually adjust to this formatting, but I had some difficulties in the beginning. Also, I could tell that the book was not professionally edited. The writing is not bad, but there are plenty of typographical errors.

I am also sorry to say that the fifth and final part of the book was a disappointment. Sadly, this portion can best be described as a tirade in which Mr. Sganga criticizes the government, major corporations, and society in general. The tone here was angry and bitter, which was a radical departure from the more positive tone of the previous chapters. While I don't mind being exposed to the socio-political views of others, even when those views differ from my own, I don't believe that it was an appropriate topic for a book on health and wellness. In fact, I don't understand why Mr. Sganga saw fit to include this portion in what was an otherwise delightful book.

Although A 95-Year-Old-Man's Path to Living Longer and Better has many enjoyable aspects, its shortcomings have prompted me to give it a rating of 2 out of 4 stars. The final portion really weighed the book down, and I believe that the formatting would be a nuisance to many readers. However, I would still recommend this book to those who are curious about how to improve their health and outlook on life.

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A 95 Year-Old Man's Path to Living Longer and Better
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Post by **kandscreeley** » 13 Mar 2017, 08:20

This is an intriguing concept. I always am interesting in how people in their 90s are still spry and active. However, it's disappointing that there was a formatting issue as well as a tirade in the fifth part of the book. I think he should have stuck to the topic of living longer and better. Thanks for the review.

LivreAmour217 · Post by **LivreAmour217** » 13 Mar 2017, 08:34

kandscreeley wrote:This is an intriguing concept. I always am interesting in how people in their 90s are still spry and active. However, it's disappointing that there was a formatting issue as well as a tirade in the fifth part of the book. I think he should have stuck to the topic of living longer and better. Thanks for the review.

Thanks for reading my review! I agree with you--the author should not have included the fifth part of the book! It made for a very disappointing ending.

rssllue · Post by **rssllue** » 13 Mar 2017, 14:10

Very nice review! And bonus points for finding a way to fit the word "myriad" in as well! It is too bad about the formatting and part 5 of the book that probably would have fit better in a separate book specifically tailored to those topics brought up. Maybe I'll just read the first four parts if I pick this one up.

Lincoln · Post by **Lincoln** » 13 Mar 2017, 15:06

Thanks for the review. Sad to see the book get only two stars, but the honesty is great to see!

LivreAmour217 · Post by **LivreAmour217** » 13 Mar 2017, 16:08

rssllue wrote:Very nice review! And bonus points for finding a way to fit the word "myriad" in as well! It is too bad about the formatting and part 5 of the book that probably would have fit better in a separate book specifically tailored to those topics brought up. Maybe I'll just read the first four parts if I pick this one up.

Thank you very much! Reading just the first four books is a good idea.

-- 13 Mar 2017, 17:10 --

Lincoln wrote:Thanks for the review. Sad to see the book get only two stars, but the honesty is great to see!

Thanks! No good can come of being anything other than honest

Post by **bookowlie** » 13 Mar 2017, 17:05

I enjoyed reading your honest, insightful review. It sounds like the premise of the book is good, but I don't know if it's realistic for the author to credit his longevity to a good outlook and thirst for knowledge. I agree that it's not appropriate for a book about health and wellness to include a long tirade about political and social issues!

gali · Post by **gali** » 16 Mar 2017, 23:12

Secrets to longevity and lasting stamina? Intriguing. Too bad about the less enjoyable parts.
Good job on the review!

LivreAmour217 · Post by **LivreAmour217** » 17 Mar 2017, 04:59

gali wrote:Secrets to longevity and lasting stamina? Intriguing. Too bad about the less enjoyable parts.
Good job on the review!

Thank you!

-- 17 Mar 2017, 06:05 --

bookowlie wrote:I enjoyed reading your honest, insightful review. It sounds like the premise of the book is good, but I don't know if it's realistic for the author to credit his longevity to a good outlook and thirst for knowledge. I agree that it's not appropriate for a book about health and wellness to include a long tirade about political and social issues!

Thank you! Yes, the premise of the book is good, and the right attitude can have a positive impact on one's health. I feel that the author should have saved the last chapters for a separate book on social issues, though. If that section of the book hadn't been included, I might have awarded a higher rating.