I've just turned 72, and find that according to this book, I've already done too many stupid things! Full of wit and humour, and some sage advice, the author leads us through the many pitfalls of growing older.

Growing old is inevitable, just like the saying goes "what goes up but never comes down?" and the answer is always "age," well, this book was downright hilarious. When I saw it on Netgalley, I was hooked by the title alone because I wanted to know what stupid things the author wouldn't do when he gets old, but what I found instead was a list of experiences that highlight the fears and our take on aging that made this book relatable.
Thanks Netgalley for the eARC.

This is a laundry list of things the author has noted over the years that "old" people do, and his personal stories of why he is going to try to stop himself from falling in step with them, and why.

Some are funny and obvious. Some are just his own taste. Some hauntingly (because I'm just about his age) sound like someone reassuring themselves, just a bit, that if they don't do these old people things maybe they aren't yet old. Yet somehow he acknowledges his age, and seems mostly accepting of it, so that's not saying I think he's in denial about it!

As I got further along in the book, I found myself skimming more. I'd read his "what I won't do" thesis but them skim over his personal story of where he encountered this as a life-changing thing to avoid. I guess that's because we'll all recognize these traits (complaining about the cost of things, for instance, or achy joints), but we all have our own bugaboos as to why or how hard to avoid them.

I will say I also found it kind of depressing... by the time I got 2/3 of the way through it felt like a laundry list of all the traits we're headed to in old age that can seem, frankly, horrifying when you put them all together in a book as if we are all destined to fall prey to each one. And we all know we can't escape aging...

This book starts out rather humorous and sometimes mocking, but it evolves into a really helpful, heartfelt list of the ways we sabotage ourselves and our relationships in our oldest years. The author wrote it over a ten year period of his parents' last years and deaths, starting when they were alive and were sometimes just annoying in their habits but ending up with all of the wisdom he gathered from loving them, losing them, and seeing what he would do differently. Along the way he also describes beloved friends who lived life (and the end of it) exceptionally well, with lessons for all of us.

I read a digital ARC of this book via NetGalley.

Short series of mini essays, mostly drawn from the author's lived experience, that reflect on many of the common foibles of older people (specifically older middle to upper class Americans). Some are quite funny, most are relatable, but I'm not really sure who the audience for this book would be.

Thank you Netgalley for this ARC for an exchange of an honest review.

It was an enjoyable read. Yes! Great book, highly recommended.

I do not consider myself old yet, I will be 38 next month in June. I like that this book was about not letting your age getting in the way of living your life. I would say 95% of this book humorous but it was also very personal and honest about the aging process and that old age does not have to be a death sentence. Filled with wonderful anecdotes and humor.

I definitely recommend this for anyone who is trying to fight their age and the aging process. I think I will get this at publishing, it was that good. I sincerely hope Steven Petrow writes more nonfiction if it is as good as this one.

Thanks to Netgalley, Steven Petrow and Kensington Books for an ARC in exchange for an honest review. I also thank Kensington Books for an auto approval to all the wonderful titles in the publisher's collection.

Available: 6/29/21

I enjoyed thoroughly the narrative, and, to be completely honest without meaning harm, I had never heard of Steven Petrow before, I live in Europe. I found some chapters truly fascinating, about the resolves of not to be like previous generations. Some other chapters are very personal, it is reflecting today's tendency to erase the barrier between public and private life, so be it. The whole book is logic thankfully to a nice sense of humour, dessicating a lot of our contemporary traits. I would recomend this book to anyone, young people included, as long as they feel curious about the passing of time.

Huge thanks to Kensington Books/ Citadel and Netgalley for letting me review this title.

The main reason I wanted to read this title in all honesty was the title. It is a humorous and poignant book about the joys and trepidations of growing older. It is a touching look at our elders and viewing ourselves through that prism of ageing. It is an easy book to read broken up into small chapters that cover a multitude of things. While it is an American centric book a lot of the topics covered are fairly universal. As someone in my 30's I'm a little way away from what the author defines as old but old age is a place we are all heading. This is a fun little guidebook of a sort on how to grow older, whether gracefully or ungracefully !

This book was so fun. It reminded me of when my dad moved in with us. Lord watch out when I get old, I bet I do them all. Such a great book

I’m sure this is for someone. It’s witty and means well but I just had the roughest time getting in to this book and all it entails. I’m not sure if it was the cadence of the book or the contents but it just didn’t do it for me, nothing I can pinpoint.

It was the title of this book that " got me". According to the CDC I am already old, so I had to learn what not to do.
Tha authors philosophy is to not let a number , our age, get in the way of living our life.The book consists of many short Chapters which does cover every topic such as Taxi's vs Uber, using a walker, urination frequency, therapeutic lies, stopping driving, assisted living, and much much more. This is a fun book with lots of humor. It helps reassess aging and look at it in an enthusiastic
manne. In other words accept it willingly.I saw either myself or situation s I'd been in with my parents in every chapter.
I want tothank the author, Kensington Publishing and NetGallet for the opportunity to read and review this self help book. it's publication date is 6/29/21

I received this ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I went into this book thinking it was humor, and I was right. But it was so much more. I thought it would be light & fluffy funny bits, but then I started realizing, "Hey, this is me!". The author, Steven Petrow is my age, and it's nice to hear from someone of my generation talk about the facts of getting old. The part I really related to is getting rid of 'stuff'. It seems that we spend our lives collecting things, and it's hard to get to the point when you realize you need to unload stuff, and not leave it for others to tend to after you are gone.

I loved how honest the author was about the issues we may have as we get older. He approaches these facts with humor and honesty.

Some books I start reading and think, "hope this picks up the pace", but Mr. Petrow had me hooked right from the start. I absolutely LOVED this book!

I really liked this book. I think it provides a lot of really great outlooks and valid points about life and what should be taken seriously and what shouldn't. There's a lot of good lessons in it. I'm in my early 30s so I am a little ways off from the authors definition of 'old' but there are very legitimate points such as planning your funeral and writing letters to your loved ones for after you pass that are things that could be done when you are younger, just to prepare since unfortunately we never know when it is our time to go. I enjoyed how Steve Petrow shared stories of his parents and family with many of the 'stupid' things he won't do when he's old

Maybe it's just that I'm a generation younger than Petrow, but this really didn't hit my fancy. Mostly, I found it terribly depressing. It's all fine to say you're not going to enumerate your aches and pains during conversations, but by saying you're not going to, you've already done it. Each chapter is a short essay at least and suitable for picking up and putting down.

Thank you Netgalley for this ARC of Stupid Things I Won't Do When I Get Old by Steven Petrow..

I just turned 40 a few weeks ago, and while I don't consider that to be old, I'm also no longer under the impression that I'm immortal anymore. Getting older is a mixed bag, mostly awesome, sometimes frustrating. This was kind of the perfect read since it's something I've been thinking about a lot lately.

Petrow breaks his books down into short chapters, all highlighting, hence the title, stupid things he won't do when he gets old. Some of them are funny and benign, like not constantly complaining about aches and pains, or not smelling bad. Others are much more impactful like, never missing a chance to say I love you. He writes with a lot of anecdotes and with a lot of sweet nostalgia and history. I definitely learned a few things, and made some resolutions of my own.

I appreciate the humor the author was going for, but instead of actually being super funny, the tone came across as rather serious and kind of scathing toward elderly people. I agreed with a lot of his points but I don't know, it was a bit uncomfortable and preachy at times.

I was lucky to receive a copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review and opinion. This book made me really sit back and take note of all the things that I notice my aging parents and in laws doing and I swear I won't make the same mistakes! :) I enjoyed reading this and thought he was spot on with so many of his "stupid" things list! Fun read!

Stupid Things I Won’t Do When I’m Old
By Steven Petrow

This book was not at all what I expected. While there were some funny things in the book, it was spiked wtih too much information about the authors family and what seemed to me, some very personal episodes. The chapter titles seemed promising, however the content behind each chapter didn’t necessarily flow with the named chapter. Overall, the book seemed like one big therapy session which was not at all what I expected.

A wonderful, funny, and touching book. It touches on things you will relate to. Short chapters, but you will want to read just one more... Erma Bombeck gone wild.