The Wonder and Happiness of Being Old - by Sophy Burnham (Hardcover)

Book Synopsis

"To read Sophy Burnham is to marvel at her eloquence, erudition, her wisdom and her daring. She answers the question, 'What is it like to be Old?' with honesty, humility and humor. This is a woman who fox hunted until she was 80." -Julia Cameron, author of The Artist's Way

"I love, love, love this book. This is so much more than a book about aging. Prepare for a stunning, uplifting, inspiring, and honest look at the fullness of LIFE that takes the fear out of adding another year. With Sophy Burnham's profound spiritual wisdom deftly woven into these delicious words, you will want to read it with highlighter in hand." -Suzanne Giesemann, author of The Awakened Way

"Forget what you think you know about life's so-called last chapter. Written in sparkling prose, Burnham's latest book will inspire you to leap on a horse, learn Latin or simply pause to drink in the view, regardless of your age. A meditation on beauty, strength and life's meaning, Burnham's frank and passionate epistolary book reframes what it means to age." -Katherine Eban, New York Times bestselling author of Bottle of Lies

The Wonder and Happiness of Being Old is a timeless introspection on age, love, passion, memories, regret and reconciliation, death, forgiveness, and underneath it all, the silent wisdom that derives from how differently we perceive our lives and struggles from the broader, higher perspective of years.

What began as a singular letter in response to a younger family member standing on the precipice of her 60th birthday and asking the age-old question, "What's it like to be old?," soon turned into one full year of unsent reflections, wonderment, and curiosity of a life truly lived. Out of these reflections, bestselling author Sophy Burnham developed this short, story-telling collection of unsent letters that offer readers of all ages hope and joy and new ways to perceive the process of aging.

A kind and thoughtful read, The Wonder and Happiness of Being Old is the perfect companion piece for life that you can return to time and time again to join Burnham as she reflects on her own desires and experience with age and growth and living fully. Whether you're at the doorstep of 40, 60, 70, or 90, she welcomes you in with an outstretched hand and a knowing nod of understanding and warmth.

In the end, this book is about being old. It's also about joy. And most importantly, it's about love: Love of self, of life, and of still being here to tell your stories.

Review Quotes

"Sophy Burnham has a way of shaking out a topic (Class, the Art World, Angels, Cats), turning it inside out and presenting something you never noticed before. On Being Old: expect humor, compassion, delight. And surprise." (Kathy Sreedhar, feminist political activist)

"The Wonder and Happiness of Being Old is a great book for any reader with a birthday or a body, for we are all aging. While that word can cause fright, Sophy Burnham defangs it with wit, insight and experience. In sparkling letters, filled with humor, honesty and useful information (yes, your sex drive continues), she dives deep into the experience of being in her eighties, backing and forthing over what it all means, and whether advanced age even suits her. I, for one, say it does, for I can't think of a better guide to the mysteries, delights and sorrows of somehow finding oneself old." (Eliza Factor, Author of The Mercury Fountain and Strange Beauty)

"Forget what you think you know about life's so-called last chapter. Written in sparkling prose, Burnham's latest book will inspire you to leap on a horse, learn Latin or simply pause to drink in the view, regardless of your age. A meditation on beauty, strength and life's meaning, Burnham's frank and passionate epistolary book reframes what it means to age." (Katherine Eban, New York Times bestselling author of Bottle of Lies and Vanity Fair special correspondent)

"She has done it again! In The Wonder and Happiness of Being Old, Sophy Burnham discusses aging with a rich, eclectic approach, vibrant with humor. She sees aging as a multidimensional fascinating and joyful experience, not a decline but a special, pulsing period of life. Peppered with quotations, this reflective and intimately personal book, draws on literature, philosophy, politics, culture and her own deep spirituality, offering us wisdom that honors the complexity of the entire human experience." (Ann Kennedy)

"Vividly felt, brilliantly realized. It assuages my pains and doubts." (A fellow octogenarian)

"I love, love, love this book. This is so much more than a book about aging. Prepare for a stunning, uplifting, inspiring, and honest look at the fullness of LIFE that takes the fear out of adding another year. With Sophy Burnham's profound spiritual wisdom deftly woven into these delicious words, you will want to read it with highlighter in hand." (Suzanne Giesemann, author of The Awakened Way)

"To read Sophy Burnham is to marvel at her eloquence, erudition, her wisdom and her daring. She answers the question, 'What is it like to be Old?' with honesty, humility and humor. This is a woman who fox hunted until she was 80." (Julia Cameron, author of The Artist's Way)

About the Author

Sophy Burnham is the author of 16 books--including three New York Times (and many other) bestsellers. Her works have been translated into 26 languages. She has written nonfiction, novels, short stories, poetry, award winning plays, documentary films, and children's novels, radio plays, and hundreds of articles and essays, many syndicated around the world.

She is best known for writing on spiritual matters--angels, mysticism, prayer--and for spreading hope and trust. She has given workshops and talks at home and abroad and appeared on TV and radio shows world-wide, including Oprah, Larry King Live, Good Morning America.

Working closely with famed Broadway producer, Roger Stevens, she served in the 1990s as Executive Director of the John F. Kennedy Fund for New American Plays, awarding money to theaters to produce new plays and to playwrights to write them. Her award-winning plays have been performed in Seattle, Washington, DC, New York, and elsewhere. She is working on a new play.

Her favorite award is "Daughter of Mark Twain," awarded for her first bestselling book, The Art Crowd.

She works as a psychic and medium, with clients around the world - Australia, Europe, Hong Kong, the USA.

Her 2019 New York Times article for "Modern Love", about love in your 80s garnered responses from both men and women, from the 20s to their 90s. It inspired a film produced by "Modern Love", India Mumbai. It was one of six stories chosen from the hundreds of thousands of New York Times "Modern Love" articles.