2/1/10 – Library Journal’s Best of 2009 consumer health books includes “A Long Bright Future”

Library Journal’s Best of 2009 books on consumer health listed “A Long Bright Future: An Action Plan for a Lifetime of Happiness, Health, and Financial Security,” written by Center director Laura Carstensen.

Carstensen’s book sheds the myths and misconceptions about aging that stop individuals from adequately preparing for healthy, fulfilling, and financially stable long lives.

Library Journal’s review in August 2009 said: “To Carstensen, founding director of the Stanford Center on Longevity, the idea of retiring at 65 is anachronistic. She argues for society to be restructured to accommodate a population that could well be productive into their eighties and clears up misconceptions about aging, countering the ‘misery myth’ with research that reveals that older people are mentally stable, optimistic, and generally happier than younger people. Postponing retirement is crucial to a healthier society: working longer would help our failing social security system and allow us to build substantial retirement incomes. In a world full of anxiety about aging, hers is a new and positive viewpoint. Verdict: Everyone should read and relish this empowering book. Carstensen’s conviction that it’s up to us to build a world in which we can live long, productive, and happy lives is revelatory.”

A Long Bright Future was among 19 consumer health books, ranging from cancer to healthcare reform, on the magazine’s list.

“Please forgive the doom and gloom, but all of us would probably agree that 2009 was a very bad year for the bodies, minds, and souls of most Americans,” writes Library Journal consumer health reviewer Barbara Bibel, a reference services librarian at the Oakland Public Library. “Luckily, publishers issued excellent advice about coping with cancer, helping loved ones with chronic disorders, and repairing relationships damaged by PTSD (posttraumatic stress disorder).”