Two Books to Add to Your Summer Reading List
By Jeanette Perkins aka Beeba
As we head into the last few weeks of summer, add these two books to your reading list and enjoy them under a shady tree with a cool glass of lemonade. One is filled with poems that any grandparent will relate to and the other is a humorous yet practical look at facing the challenges of aging (of both our parents and ourselves).
Grandma Poems—Not Too Sweet
By Carolyn Raphael
I am not a big poetry person, but this collection of Grandma poems was very entertaining. Carolyn Raphael covers the range of Grand emotions using every day events, humor and pure honesty. One of the poems, “Healed With a Kiss” made me laugh at loud. Everyone will find several selections that will touch their heart and make them hug the grandchildren a little tighter.
As its title indicates, you won’t find any saccharine platitudes about grandmothering in Carolyn Raphael’s new collection. She gives us sharp-eyed views of actual grandmas and their grandchildren, and captures perfectly the wistfulness of infrequent visits over a distance of 800 miles. – X. J. Kennedy
Any woman who has ever experienced shock and awe at the realization that she is now (can it be?)—a grandmother—will find a new best friend in Carolyn Raphael. This collection of charming, well-crafted, often hilarious, and occasionally pensive poems will strike a familiar chord for all of us who may not have felt entirely comfortable—at least not at first—taking on the exalted Grand role. Raphael offers the reader enormous validation here, a growing joy, plus beautifully expressed reassurances that we are not alone, but simply “answer to a different call: a secret, a password, a bond. – Marilyn L. Taylor
About the Author:
Carolyn Raphael is the poetry coordinator for the village of Great Neck, New York, where she supervises an annual poetry contest. She also places poems on local bulletin boards, much as “Poetry in Motion” places poems on the subway. She is the proud grandmother of four boys and one girl. After retiring from teaching college English, she began to publish poetry that mirrored her interests in music, art, aging, and family.
Oh My God I’m Getting Older and So Is My Mom
By: Scott Greenberg
I glanced at the title and assumed this would be an Erma Bombeck type book about a humorous look at life with an aging parent. But it is so much more. “OMG I’m Getting Old and So Is My Mom” is funny at times but there is a lot of useful information and suggestions throughout.
Greenberg provides a roadmap to the aging highway with tips on how to avoid the potholes along the way. Through Scott Greenberg’s experience as a weekly radio show host dealing with issues that are confronting boomers and their parents, coupled with his tenure as President of a private duty home health care agency, Greenberg addresses many serious topics in a humorous but informative way.
The later-years road is often believed to look like midnight rides on a sailboat with a glass of wine in our hand. All too often, Greenberg has learned, reality gets in the way. Bottom line: getting older can be tougher than we thought. Enjoy as he addresses topics as diverse as dealing with sibling rivalry (mom always loved you more), sex after sixty (yes, it still happens), funeral options (who knew there were so many), the value of volunteerism, along with other situations you never thought you would need to deal with.
With a humorous look at aging, coupled with practical advice, Greenberg hopes this book will encourage you to look at where you are today and where you are going to be in the not too distant future so as to prevent crisis decision-making at the time when you are at your most vulnerable.
This is a MUST read for anyone wanting to learn more about the complexities involved in caring for ourselves and loved ones throughout the aging process. The checklists in each chapter are super and would be an excellent starting point for further research tailored to your situation.
About the Author:
Scott Greenberg is the host of the weekly radio show “Oh My God, I’m Getting Older and So Is My Mom” in Palm Beach, Florida. Scott speaks to groups on topics related to aging with the goal of helping seniors improve their decision making and planning for the future. Scott is also quite active in local healthcare initiatives and activities as a result of his business and his radio show. He is Past President of the Florida State Guardianship Association and is currently on the board of the National Guardianship Association. In addition, he is an elected member of the Advisory Council of the Area Agency on Aging and has served on the Alzheimer’s Community Care Goodwill Task Force.Scott resides in Jupiter, Florida with his wife, Irene, of 47 years.
ABOUT THE REVIEWER – JEANETTE PERKINS
Jeanette Perkins is the grandmother of two adorable grandsons. She lives in beautiful St Pete Beach, FL. Jeanette is a new product reviewer for GRAND and is looking forward to reviewing lots of new and useful products for all us grandparents.
If you have a product for boomer grandparents and or their grandkids, tell us all about it in an email to editor@grandmagazine.com.