Review: 
The Longevity Book is a great follow up to Diaz’s The Body Book. It picks up with the question of just what happens over time. The book even starts with a plea to be proud of our ages. We are taking better care of ourselves, benefitting from medical and technological advances, and living longer than ever. We should be proud of how much life we’ve lived and talking about what to expect as we age.
Several subjects are covered from the reasons we’re prone to osteoporosis to just how menopause happens. I do love when my non-fiction overlaps and two books cover the same subject in different contexts, no matter how slight. While this book doesn’t directly sight The Telomere Effect: A Revolutionary Approach to Living Younger, Healthier, Longer, they do cite the work of Dr. Blackburn and a conversation with Dr. Epel. Dr. Epel explained the effect of telomeres for Diaz and Bark but had previously collaborated with Dr. Blackburn on The Telomere Effect. It was one of my Nobel Women books as Dr. Blackburn had won the prize in physiology or medicine back in 2009 for the discovery of the telomeres.
More than the first book, this is one that more women should read. Of course we should strive to be as healthy as possible, but what happens when we age is something we just don’t talk about. Everyone knows about menopause but I didn’t know much beyond that my menstruation will stop and that hot flashes will happen. I’d never heard of osteoporosis until I saw drug commercials to combat it. Sure, Google can be helpful, but it’s not something I knew to be concerned about.
It doesn’t cover every single thing a woman may go through in her later years but seeks to give a genre overview if what to expect and I found that knowledge valuable. I listened to the audiobook on Scribd and have kept it for future listens as I get older.
If you’re interested in reading or listening to it too, click on the cover image for options from Booklikes or add to Goodreads for later.
