Naked at the Helm - by Suzanne Spector (Paperback)

About the Book

"Who am I?" Suzanne Spector asked herself at forty as she stripped off the bonds of marriage, career, and conventional suburban life and set off on a courageous journey of discovery that would lead her to a nude beach on Ibiza at forty-one, a Siberian banya at fifty-five, and a hot love affair at eighty. The lesson of this ebullient memoir: it's never too late.

Book Synopsis

At age thirty-nine, Suzanne Spector found herself looking at what conventional 1950s thinking had brought her. Yes, she was a wife, mother of three, and successful school director. But she was also neglected in a sexless marriage, and feeling and as if the passion and juice of life had passed her by.

She began with two questions: Who am I, really? and Is it too late ?

After divorcing her husband, Suzanne set out to discover who she was as an independent woman with curiosity, questions, and lust for life. Tracing more than four decades of self-discovery and intellectual, spiritual, and creative exploration, Naked at The Helm is Spector's story of becoming the captain of her own ship in midlife. Her adventurous journey led her from a nude beach on Ibiza at forty-one to a Siberian banya at fifty-five to a hot love affair at eighty. Her intellectual quest, meanwhile, led to a second career as director of a world-renowned psychology center, while deep friendships with women, including her daughters, sustained and nourished her through decades of global travel.

These probably would not be the tales your mother or grandmother would tell about her life, but this eighty-six-year old's ebullient memoir of the second half of her life will move you to weave some rich new yarns into the tapestry of your own story. And no, it's not too late.

Review Quotes

"Suzanne Spector doesn't just tell us to expect vibrant, surprising,
joy-filled life into our eighties; sharing her stories, her life, her
whole self, she shows us how a 'regular woman' finds or indeed creates
joy in at any age. Suzanne is not a celebrity with plastic surgeons and
publicists on speed dial, and thank goodness. She is a real (adorable)
person who has built (and continually rebuilt) a life of beauty and
adventure by putting in the work on the inside. To read her story, her stories, is to be inspired to strip, stretch, and shine . . . just like she does."

--Jen Laffler, award-winning poet, teacher, and author of J is for JITTERBUG: A Fanciful Animal Alphabet

"In her wise and sensual memoir, Suzanne Spector offers a master class
in living life to its fullest at every age. Readers will be in awe at
Dr. Spector's forward thinking and uncompromising ability to live life
on her own terms. Ripe with universal truths and gasp-worthy
adventures."

--Jennifer Coburn, author of We'll Always Have Paris