Great book! So much history but more importantly, David Von Feeble captures the courage, kindness, goodness and curiosity that made up the life of Charlie White. Reading this book will change this you understand life and living it to the fullest. Thanks #NetGalley#Simon&Schuster

It was purely coincidental that I happened to read three books in a row about retired doctors looking back on their productive lives. Although I enjoyed each memoir, the last one I read was by far the best. The Book of Charlie is a record of the life and wisdom of a man from Middle America who lived 109 active, vibrant years. The author, David Von Drehle, a journalist recently relocated from Washington DC, had moved next door to Charlie. The first time he saw Charlie, at 102, he was washing his girlfriend’s car. That was the beginning of a beautiful friendship, with Von Drehle eager to record Charlie’s experiences and Charlie, with a memory as sharp as a man half his age, happy to regale his friend.
Von Drehle is the author of a number of historical works and was fascinated to speak with one of the few remaining people born to a world without air travel or even paved highways. But more than the colorful stories he told, it was Charlie’s philosophy of life that interested the author. How he met the inevitable tragedies of life and overcome them was the real gift of this book. Periodically Von Drehle pauses the narrative to underline how Charlie’s approach to a challenge he faces is the lesson he hopes his own children learn from this book. For just as Charlie had to adapt to a dramatically shifting world — he became a doctor before penicillin had been discovered and an anesthesiologist when ether on a cotton ball was the preferred technique — so the next generation must adapt to great changes not even imagined.
This is a remarkable, life-affirming book, and we should all be grateful to David Von Drehle for recording and sharing this unique story.

When a very interesting book about this man's life how he had overcome a lot of struggles. And I like how he embraced technology over the years and how he had a very positive outlook in life. And I like how the author told a story from beginning to end and how he was such a man at such a little boy when his father died and he. Took upon himself to help his mother out. He wanted to be a doctor so he worked really hard and did different thing so he could fulfill his dreams. You had a lot of options thrown in his way but he just seemed to like OK. I'll brace this I'll get With this. This is what life is all about how you handle situations and how to stay positive and focused. You went on to become a very successful person in different areas of life because he's willing to change and accept T h I n g s. I could not believe when he left high school he went across Country to california with A friend who had a car. He had no money so he had to work his way to help help everybody to get there. On his way back his wealthy friend mother paid for his. His friend to come back. But charles had to find a way to get back so he went on like a hobo trip and hopping trains. This is what I'm saying hes such a resourceful person. He said okay let me figure out how to do this and he did it by working different areas and he got his money to get back. This is pretty ambitious for a boy who's just eighteen. This book should be read in high school to show. How you can go with your life and become successful even if you? Don't have? Anything in the. Beginning. Always hard work makes you realize your dreams because you're getting there.

Charlie's statements captured the core of stoicism, one of the most enduring and practical philosophical movements ever created. It is a philosophy that is just as appealing as that of an oppressed slave like Epictetus or Marcus Aurelius, who preached that living a life well demands having a thorough awareness of both the things we can control and, more challenging, everything that is out of our control. Nothing outside of our own actions and emotions determines us. The Austrian neurologist Epictetus taught his pupils that people cannot be turned into animals and that their actions reveal who they are. Viktor Frankl, an Austrian neurologist who survived Nazi slave labor camps, found stoicism to be appealing.

This book deserves all the hype, I'm grateful to Netgalley for giving out this copy.

My grandparents lived 100+ years and I was always amazed at how well they adapted to change. I was excited to read this book about a centenarian and hear his story. I think the book is okay but it just didn't grab me. There are a lot of exciting events and stories that are just kind of told matter of fact. I'm sure the author wanted to focus on other areas of Charlie's life and experiences, but the ones I cared about were kind of glossed over. And I think it needs to be said, that the number of old white guy memoirs in print is already quite large.

I would rate this book 3 1/2 stars out of 5

The author David von Drehle was tasked by his children to write for them a book. This book may not what they were actually looking for, but this was the type of book that the author believed would help them to thrive and survive through adversity. While looking for a role model he found the ideal one when his family and himself moved to Kansas City, Missouri and encountered their new neighbor who lived across the street, and they observed outside washing his girlfriend's car in August at the ripe old age of 102. This Neighbor is Charlie who lived to 109 years old. When Charlie was asked what the secret to living long, he credited it to good luck. From an early age Charlie with the passing of his father and the responsibility bestowed upon him by his mother learned early on he could get through anything he embraced the grow up mentality and in time as you will see he was one to never pass up adventure. Dedicated to education Charlie becomes a doctor twice as you will see but early on the practice of medicine was still primitive when they were taught to use turpentine or gasoline to clean and sterilize wounds. With 109 years of living Charlie got to see many changes in society growing up at a time cars and radios are just coming out, that basketball and has barely been invented. There is a lot of historical events in this book like the Ludlow Massacre and tidbits of inventions and medicine, did you know that Thomas Edison tried six thousand filaments before he found the right one? But all this history I also felt that the author went off tangent and this took away in my opinion from the main focus. If there was anything that Charlie did not appear to be good at was investment opportunities he passed up on.

I love a good story about an older person. This book had a great premise, but the author couldn't pull it off. He was fine when he stuck with the stories from Charlie's life, but lost his way when he went off into tangents on historical events. I realize he was trying to tie them together, but there just wasn't enough finesse in his writing to do so. Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to @netgalley and Simon & Schuster Books for this ARC. A true story of when David, the author met his neighbor, Charlie at the amazing age of 102. Charlie was in the driveway washing his girlfriend's grape purple car when David introduced himself. The next 7 years, they spent many coutless conversations about Charlie's life from the Great Depression, WW2, practicing medicine before antibiotics and IV anesthesia. Great and fast read! #TheBookofCharlie #DavidVonDrehle #Simon&Shuster #May2023

I highlighted this book on my Booktube channel. The video can be accessed here: https://youtu.be/cg3NeSpeQ_Y

I have been blessed to enjoy the friendship of many centenarians throughout my life, including my own great-grandparents, who both lived to be 100 and were married for 77 years. And we often talked about all the changes they'd seen in their lives. So, when I read the description for "The Book of Charlie," it immediately drew me in.

Unfortunately, I found myself a bit disappointed... I anticipated something more along the lines of "Tuesdays with Morrie," but it reads more like a David McCullough book.

While we learn a lot about Charlie's life and how he navigated history over his 109 years, I honestly didn't feel like I got to know his personality much, just the way he chose to view his life and the actions he took when confronted with life-altering decisions.

In the end, it just wasn't the book I expected based on the title and description...

Thank you to David Von Drehle, Simon & Schuster, and NetGalley for an advance review copy.

Charlie is a remarkable man, not simply because he is over one hundred years old, but because of the person he has become as a result of surviving and thriving through wars, triumphs, and tragedies with grace, humor, and intelligence. I enjoyed every conversation and every moment of the friendship between Charlie and his neighbor, journalist David von Drehle, getting to know two most remarkable men, the story lived and the story told. Truth be told, it's difficult for me to think of anyone who would not benefit from time getting to know Charlie. I received a copy of this book and these opinions are my own, unbiased thoughts.

While I was intrigued by the summary of this book, I was not that impressed with the writing and the story itself. The author spent more time giving his philosophical and psychological thoughts on Charlie's life than on Charlie's life itself. While my father was 15 years younger than Charlie, he lived a similar life. I think that there is more to be told about Charlie than the author chose to do.

*3-3.5 stars. Dr Charlie White lived a remarkably long life and accomplished many things, especially in the medical field. The author, David von Drehle, was his neighbor in later years and heard many of Charlie's stories, which he has compiled in this short biography. Von Drehle likes to think Charlie was a Stoic, a person who can endure pain or hardship without showing their feelings or complaining, because Charlie was able to keep an optimistic outlook on life no matter what befell him. 'The lesson, so simple yet so difficult, is that life can be savored even though it contains hardship, disappointment, loss and even brutality. The choice to see its beauty is available to us at every moment.' Definitely words of wisdom.

I received an arc of this book from the author and publisher via NetGalley. My review is voluntary and the opinions expressed are my own.

Mining the human story for treasured nuggets of insight, perspective, wisdom, and truth telling, Von Drehle is the neighbor who recognizes a man with enough stories to more than fill a book. From childhood through age 108, this story is history in it's most pleasant form, a leisurely flowing with changing times, family, friends, career, and leisure. Some parts are less captivating, mundane even, but such is real life. The observation of the uphill complexities of life-building followed by the progressive downhill journey of simplification of life, in a well and long-lived life is remarkably related in this book. Well worth reading at any age.

What a gift to have a 109-year-old neighbor who wants to share his life with you! Charlie shares his life story with his new neighbor and in it we learn a lot of lovely life lessons about relationships and a lot of history from a primary source - how cool is that?! This is a light, quick read and one I recommend. Thanks to Simon & Schuster for the advanced copy!

A walk through America with Charlie is an amazing journey. It shows the reader what life was like in the past and we get glimpses into how Charlie lived it. For example, he lived life to the fullest possible by taking the bull by the horns and living it. Mr. Von Drehl makes the writing flow so it keeps you enthralled. The book is not only inspiring but shows the reader how important it is to be engaged fully. Charlie's life is a life well lived and that brings us all to the knowledge that life has many paths and we come into contact with people who help us complete our tasks and adventures.

David Von Drehle was a Washington journalist, who moved to Kansas, and became Charlie's neighbor. As he got to know Charlie, he realized the amount of history, he had lived through. He also got to know Charlie's philosophy on life.
As a gift for Charlie's children, he decided to write this book. This is Charlie's life, his wisdom, he looked at life as an adventure, and this was his journey. I learned a lot of things from him, reading this book, that I want to carry with me, The way he looked at life, was a big part of his journey. "David Von Drehle came to understand that Charlie’s resilience and willingness to grow made this remarkable neighbor a master in the art of thriving through times of dramatic change." That quote is another thing I will carry with me, and I hope everyone who reads this book, finds things that they want to carry with them.
I received an ARC from Simon & Schuster through NetGalley.

Anyone who lived as long as Charlie (109) saw history in the making and experienced many revolutionary changes. What a broad range of experiences this man had! I'm sure he was a fascinating guy, and thanks to David von Drehle for taking the time to listen to his stories and bring Charlie's story to us. What a can-do, positive attitude Charlie had, and what resilience! He is to be admired.

My thanks to Simon & Schuster for allowing me to access a digital review copy via NetGalley. Publication is set for 5/23/23. All opinions expressed in this review are my own and are given freely.

The. Book of Charlie
David Von Drehle
Pub Dare May 23, 2023
Simon and Schuster
Thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the ARC of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.
Nonfiction Biography
Told from the perspective of a neighbor.
A short read and I’m glad I read it.
4 stars

The scope of Charlie White's life is captivating, having lived the entire 20th century. The author discovers him quite by accident after he moves to Kansas and becomes Charlie's neighborhood. Still vibrant even though he's over 100, Charlie regales author David Van Drehle with tales of his life and what a life it is. Charlie is actually Dr. White and his story shows the incredible strides made by medicine in the 20th century. Along the way, Van Drehle analyzes Charlie's personality and tries to make sense of how he navigated the many curves life through at him. From failed marriages to serving during World War II, Charlie never lets adversity damage his resiliency. How does he do it? Read on to discover his secrets.....