Ageless Soul

Starred review from October 15, 2017
Moore, a former monk, current psychotherapist, and author of the classic Care of the Soul (1992), contemplates aging in this thoughtful book. Successful aging is more than growing older, he writes. It's going through the steps and passages of life proactively to finally arrive at your true self. Moore sees melancholy and loneliness as feelings to embrace, explore, and work through. Instead of fighting aging, he urges readers to accept it and become mentors or elders to younger people, sharing both wisdom and compassion. Moore doesn't belittle the challenges that older people face, but instead counsels them to use these obstacles as the means to develop the soul. He urges everyone to be open to opportunities, to use retirement as a time to focus on arts and relationships, and to think of leaving legacies. He understands older people's need to be seen and heard as well as the draw of formal religion and the quest for meaning. And he speaks of death as the natural progression of life. Moore, who is in his late seventies, follows his own advice as he continues to speak and write about spirituality. This gentle book, filled with specific suggestions and thought-provoking examples, will be inspiring to older readers and a comfort to their caregivers.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2017, American Library Association.)

June 1, 2017

Author of huge New York Times best seller Care of the Soul, Moore now attends to the art of growing older, discussing such issues as spirituality, sexuality, and, most interestingly, the recognition that melancholy is natural with the passing years and not to be confused with depression.

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