Old and Smart: Women and the Adventure of Aging

Marcia Sweet, formerly head of the Douglas Library’s
Information/Reference Unit at Queen’s University, is currently an
Ottawa-based information consultant and freelance editor.

This compendium of “inspirational, autobiographical self-improvement
advice,” aimed at women 55 and up, contains much practical information
on improving and protecting one’s mental and physical health in later
years. Unfortunately, the wise counsel it provides on issues of
importance, such as exercise and patients’ rights, is offset by
ventures into less-credible topics, ranging from New Age rituals to a
technique for minimizing wrinkles. It doesn’t help matters that the
book is poorly organized and lacking in focus.