Lastingness, The Art of Old Age~Book Review & Giveaway!

                                  

America grows older yet stays focused on its young. Whatever hill we try to climb, we're "over" it by fifty and should that hill involve entertainment or athletics we're finished long before. But if younger is better, it doesn't appear that youngest is best: we want our teachers, doctors, generals, and presidents to have reached a certain age. In context after context and contest after contest, we're more than a little conflicted about elders of the tribe; when is it right to honor them, and when to say "step aside"?

In LASTINGNESS, Nicholas Delbanco, one of America's most celebrated men of letters, profiles great geniuses in the fields of visual art, literature, and music-Monet, Verdi, O'Keeffe, Yeats, among others - searching for the answers to why some artists' work diminishes with age, while others' reaches its peak. Both an intellectual inquiry into the essence of aging and creativity and a personal journey of discovery, this is a brilliant exploration of what determines what one needs to do to keep the habits of creation and achievement alive.

About the Author:

Nicholas Delbanco's writing has earned him widespread recognition and many literary honors, including the Guggenheim Fellowship and two National Endowment for the Arts Creative Writing Fellowships. He served as founding director of the Bennington Writing Workshops and, since 1985, has directed the MFA Writing Program at the University of Michigan, where he also administers the prestigious Hopwood Awards. Nicholas Delbanco makes his home in Ann Arbor, Michigan, with his wife and their two daughters.

Lastingness is available on Amazon.com

My Thoughts~

I thought this book was quite interesting, especially when you consider that we all have to go through the aging process. Through out our lives as we age, our views on older people change. Interestingly enough we are a culture that seems to revere youth and beauty yet it is experience and age that brings wisdom. I found the book to be very, very thought provoking especially when considering what might have happened had say Beethoven been able to hear or that some of the other great masters had lived longer lives. Would they have given as much to the world or would their contributions have not occurred at all?

I have one copy of Lastingness for 1 lucky Songberries follower! To enter, just tell me your best piece of advice that you’ve learned, it doesn’t matter how old you are, I know you’ve got some good advice for me! Make sure you follow my blog publicly!

For extra entries you may~

1)Blog about this giveaway (with a link to me)(leave me a link)~5 entries~leave 5 comments

2)Like Songberries on Facebook~2 entries~leave 2 comments

3)Update your Facebook status with the giveaway~3 entries~leave 3 comments

4)Follow Songberries on Twitter~2 entries~leave 2 comments

5)Tweet the giveaway~3 entries~leave 3 comments

6)Grab my button(leave me a link to your blog&tell me where to find it)~5 entries~leave 5 comments

7)Sign up for my newsletter~6 entries~leave 6 comments

8)Sign up for any of my other giveaways(top right side of my blog)~2 entries each~leave 2 comments

9)Follow me on Networked Blogs(Right side of my blog)~3 entries~leave 3 comments

I want to thank Hatchette Books for sponsoring this giveaway. This giveaway is open to US Residents only and will close February 11, 2011 at 12am.

~I received a product sample in order to write my review. I received no monetary compensation. All opinions expressed are mine.