Losing It

November 21, 2011
"If old age is especially hard for that small group of the once attractive... it does great favors for the much larger group of humanity that is plain or ugly." Law professor Miller (The Anatomy of Disgust) takes target at the inevitable aging process, and finds much more humor than might be expected. After discussing the well-known impacts of aging on memory, he questions whether the acquisition of wisdom is fact or fiction before turning to what is obviously a finely-honed skill, complaining: "I haveâperhaps you have tooâcultivated a wince when I get in and out of chairs, just so people can appreciate how stoical I am." He chats about the inevitable death, concluding with his thoughts about "Going Out in Style." His leisurely pace and straight talk brings topics that are not always openly discussed into the realm of everyday conversation. Miller draws on mythology, literature, and filmâfrom Icelandic sagas and the Bible to The Princess Brideâto illustrate and demonstrate the human relationship with aging and death over the centuries. Readers may turn to the book for contemplation or a much-needed laugh as they themselves continue the unavoidable journey.

September 1, 2011

Miller (Univ. of Michigan Law School; Eye for an Eye, 2005, etc.) makes the case that old age is indeed a bummer.

Following on his previous examinations of the human condition, Humiliation (1993) and The Anatomy of Disgust (1997), the author's disdain for protestations that with age comes wisdom and greater happiness is understandable if not necessarily appealing. He addresses himself particularly to those who do not "suffer from incurable positive thinking and its attendant imbecility" and expresses contempt for "so-called positive psychology." The author, now in his mid 60s, gives an admittedly exaggerated account of his own slowing down, memory loss and distractibility with what some readers may find distressing detail, but he includes some great quips along with his grumpy complaints. Describing what he means by "losing it" with the onset of old age, he writes that "the process of losing it [is] more drawn out ... [than losing] a cell phone or virginity, each of which can be lost in mere seconds of thoughtfulness." In his opinion, research claiming that old folks are happier as they age simply corroborates his theory that the elderly have lost the capacity to judge. Making a minor concession, he suggests that perhaps "the modest pleasure...of having gotten through it all [can be] akin to the pleasure of no longer banging your head against the wall."

A nice combination of acerbic wit and erudition—the perfect complement to Susan Jacoby's Never Say Die (2011).

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