In his landmark book How We Die, Sherwin B. Nuland profoundly altered
our perception of the end of life. Now in The Art of Aging, Dr. Nuland
steps back to explore the impact of aging on our minds and bodies,
strivings and relationships. Melding a scientist's passion for truth
with a humanist's understanding of the heart and soul, Nuland has
created a wise, frank, and inspiring book about the ultimate stage of
life's journey.
The onset of aging can be so gradual that we are often surprised to find
that one day it is fully upon us. The changes to the senses, appearance,
reflexes, physical endurance, and sexual appetites are undeniable-and
rarely welcome-and yet, as Nuland shows, getting older has its
surprising blessings. Age concentrates not only the mind, but the body's
energies, leading many to new sources of creativity, perception, and
spiritual intensity. Growing old, Nuland teaches us, is not a disease
but an art-and for those who practice it well, it can bring
extraordinary rewards.
"I'm taking the journey even while I describe it," writes Nuland, now in
his mid-seventies and a veteran of nearly four decades of medical
practice. Drawing on his own life and work, as well as the lives of
friends both famous and not, Nuland portrays the astonishing variability
of the aging experience. Faith and inner strength, the deepening of
personal relationships, the realization that career does not define
identity, the acceptance that some goals will remain
unaccomplished-these are among the secrets of those who age well.
Will scientists one day fulfill the dream of eternal youth? Nuland
examines the latest research into extending life and the scientists who
are pursuing it. But ultimately, what compels him most is what happens
to the mind and spirit as life reaches its culminating decades.
Reflecting the wisdom of a long lifetime, The Art of Aging is a work of
luminous insight, unflinching candor, and profound compassion.
