"Steve Lopez is insightful, ingenious, and often hilarious as he
navigates one of life's biggest questions." --Michael Connelly, #1 New
York Times bestselling author of The Dark Hours
Four-time Pulitzer Prize finalist and longtime Los Angeles Times
columnist Steve Lopez explores the meaning of work and how it defines us
in this captivating book that combines memoir, investigatory interviews,
and practical application.
Grappling with his own decision of whether to retire, Lopez uses his
reporter skills not only to look inward but also to interview experts
and peers to collect a variety of perspectives as he examines the true
nature of a person's time, identity, and ultimate life satisfaction.
In Independence Day, Lopez talks to those who have chosen to extend
their working life to its (il)logical extreme--people like Mel Brooks,
still working at 94--those who have happily retired and reinvented
themselves outside of the constraints of work, and those who would like
to retire but can't because of financial constraints. He also turns to
professionals on the matter, like two aging scientists, a geriatric
specialist, and a psychiatrist, to understand the research-based reasons
to retire.
With his trademark poignancy, wisdom, and humor, Lopez establishes a
useful polemic for himself and others in planning ahead, as he also
evaluates questions of identity, financial limitations, and ultimately
what to do with your life when the obituary pages are no longer filled
with strangers.
