This is an interesting book with lots of useful advice for those of a certain age.

Thank you to NetGalley and to the publisher for allowing me to read this in exchange for an honest review.

FROM STRENGTH TO STRENGTH by Arthur C. Brooks should be of interest to anyone forty years of age and older. Brooks, a prolific writer and professor at Harvard, writes about "Finding Success, Happiness, and Deep Purpose in the Second Half of Life." He deftly employs a conversational tone, personal examples, and memorable phrases (e.g., the strivers' curse) to share insights about how our brains and capabilities change as we age. Noting that aging achievers often fall into a "vicious cycle: ... hooked on successes that are increasingly of the past and isolated from others," Brooks explains the differences between fluid intelligence (ability to solve abstract problems) that is strongest early in adulthood and crystallized intelligence (application of accrued knowledge) that increases as we age and contrasts the life work and satisfaction of Darwin and Bach. He also references Robert Waldinger's TedTalk, "What makes a Good Life? Lessons from the Longest Study on Happiness:"
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https://www.ted.com/talks/robert_waldinger_what_makes_a_good_life_lessons_from_the_longest_study_on_happiness?language=en
Brooks lists factors we can influence - not smoking or drinking, body weight, exercise, adaptive coping style and education, and especially the impact of loneliness and the importance of healthy relationships with family and friends. He offers a call to action even though "sometimes, we must fight our natural instincts if we want to be happy." Highly recommended.

From Strength to Strength: Finding Success. Happiness and Purpose in the Second Half of Life is the type of book I usually gobble up and later purchase multiple copies for friends and family in an effort to share the bounty of good vibes and better research. However, unless the content of the book has changed markedly since the advanced reader copy (completely possible), the forward-thinking, strengths-focused model of aging that is promoted in the title and copy is not quite what is contained inside.

Instead, Brooks opens with the lament of the uber-successful career "striver." Someone who very well may have changed careers at some juncture (Brooks is an example) but triumphed in this second vocation as well due to their "striver" tendencies. How to deal with aging and its decompensatory impacts especially when you are accustomed to such favorable outcomes in your career? Brooks examines ways to integrate "striving" for the latter half of the lives of the success set, which some readers may extrapolate to their own, (especially with endorsement from The Dalai Lama), and thorough research throughout.

A very interesting book with some good insights. At the beginning I felt a little depressed when I realized that I'm on my way to the second half of my life without knowing it. But it gets more optimistic. Some ideas of the book I had already read in other books. But there are also some new ideas. I did not like much of the fact that the author considered the very successful and very hard working people as his target readers. I do not belong in such a group and however I found some very interesting ideas iI could relate to.

I found this to be an interesting read. It is quiet thought provoking as the author describes what is happening in our brains as we age. I am not at the same age as the author but I just left my job and have felt in a rut in some ways. It's a good look at second chances and how to have strength in starting again.

FROM STRENGTH TO STRENGTH

The roadmap for finding purpose, meaning, and success as we age, from bestselling author, Harvard professor, and the Atlantic’s happiness columnist Arthur Brooks.

First of all thank you to NetGalley for an ARC of this fabulous book. There was a reason it seemed to immediately get my attention and I’m glad it was made available to me.

The title didn’t initially capture my attention (I’m actually thinking it needs a title change that better captures the essence of this book but I have no suggestions. Strength to Strength doesn’t resonate for me).

Since I retired I have read many books trying to figure out what’s wrong with me why can’t I seem to get my act together following a very successful career.

This book told me a lot. Though I wouldn’t categorize myself as a workaholic I certainly had many of the attributes that negatively impacted my ability to let go of my work life and embrace the next life. My overcommitment to my work did not prepare me for what matters most and I would say got in the way of me embracing how to navigate this new world of retirement.

I really enjoyed this book and maybe it came when I greatly needed to hear what it had to say and support me in better figuring out what I need to do to move forward. I plan on working through some of the recommended exercises.

I appreciated the stories, exercises and research that the author shared. That said there were some parts that didn’t resonate or where to high level to relate to. One of the books he referenced the book Life Is In The transitions and I think it does a better job of clarifying what it feels Iike when you have had a significant change in your life.

I would definitely recommend to anyone who is starting their career, those struggling with balance, those contemplating a change, those nearing retirement and those already retired and still trying to find their place. So basically anyone.

A self-help book for people over 50. Many of us are what the author refers to as “strivers” who work hard most of our lives to build our careers. However as we age, our work competence declines along with everything else and this can be a rough transition for those of us who do not plan for it. Starting in our 50s, it is important to look for ways to “jump” from fluid intelligence to crystallized intelligence, using knowledge learned through our careers and life experience to find activities that help us continue to contribute and have life satisfaction. I enjoyed the author’s terms in describing these important transitions. He also focused on relationships and spirituality in the bulk of the book, most of which I found to be common knowledge when it comes to self-help. The four stages of life that the author learned from the guru was helpful in prioritizing the objectives of each phase but otherwise, I found most of the book offered nothing new or helpful at least for me and was mostly pretty dry and uninteresting.

An interesting read. For those of us who are nearing the middle or end of our careers, we often feel stuck - not going forward, even going backwards slowly, within having an idea of where to go or how to get there. Or even if there is somewhere we are allowed to go, or want to go!

From this premise, the author develops are argument, furnished with relevant stories about people from many areas of life who have hit this wall, and found a way past - sometimes in a different direction, sometimes just branching off the direction their life was going.

It's quite thought provoking, and amusing in parts - as the author describes what is happening in our brains as we age, you will get many "aha" moments that will put a wry smile on your face as you recognise yourself in the description.

I'm at the stage of life where I feel I am in a rut, so this book was a good read as it gave me understandings and ways to make the second part of my life as successful as the first.