Review of The Privilege of Aging
Posted: 20 Dec 2024, 05:06
[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "The Privilege of Aging" by Kamla K Kapur.]
“What is old age but the opportunity to experience yourself and life from another perspective?”
In her book, The Privilege of Aging, Kamla K. Kapur reflects on aging and what it has meant for her thus far. This book is less an autobiography and more a personal reflection. Kapur takes the reader on a journey of introspection. She reflects on people, things, and events that have shaped her journey into and through old age.
I enjoyed reading this book. It was comforting to read the words of someone who is ahead of me in life. Despite being far from being considered old, I generally identified with the struggles that Kapur went through/is going through. For example, she speaks of listening to your body and giving yourself rest when you need to. In a world where it seems like everyone has a side hustle, it is comforting to have someone say it is okay to slow down.
There was no clear structure in this book. Instead, Kapur writes spontaneously, making the book sound more like the ramblings of a grandmother instead of a self-help guide. Personally, this did not faze me. The lack of structure made the reflections more personal and allowed for freedom of interpretation.
The language in this book is poetic and insightful. For example, Kapur states that “time has become a wide, boundless field, vast as the universe in which everything is connected to everything else, including past, present, and future in the simultaneity of spacetime.” This reinforces a key message of the book, which is to not take yourself too seriously as you age and to move gracefully through the inevitable regrets we have.
Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book. It is a comforting read in a world where people are obsessed with maintaining their youthfulness. However, you need to get past the hyperbole. Therefore, I am rating this book four out of five stars.
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The Privilege of Aging
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
“What is old age but the opportunity to experience yourself and life from another perspective?”
In her book, The Privilege of Aging, Kamla K. Kapur reflects on aging and what it has meant for her thus far. This book is less an autobiography and more a personal reflection. Kapur takes the reader on a journey of introspection. She reflects on people, things, and events that have shaped her journey into and through old age.
I enjoyed reading this book. It was comforting to read the words of someone who is ahead of me in life. Despite being far from being considered old, I generally identified with the struggles that Kapur went through/is going through. For example, she speaks of listening to your body and giving yourself rest when you need to. In a world where it seems like everyone has a side hustle, it is comforting to have someone say it is okay to slow down.
There was no clear structure in this book. Instead, Kapur writes spontaneously, making the book sound more like the ramblings of a grandmother instead of a self-help guide. Personally, this did not faze me. The lack of structure made the reflections more personal and allowed for freedom of interpretation.
The language in this book is poetic and insightful. For example, Kapur states that “time has become a wide, boundless field, vast as the universe in which everything is connected to everything else, including past, present, and future in the simultaneity of spacetime.” This reinforces a key message of the book, which is to not take yourself too seriously as you age and to move gracefully through the inevitable regrets we have.
Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book. It is a comforting read in a world where people are obsessed with maintaining their youthfulness. However, you need to get past the hyperbole. Therefore, I am rating this book four out of five stars.
******
The Privilege of Aging
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon