Multi-award winning author Frances Fuller recently appeared at a Life@Elon event in which she discussed her new book on aging, 'Helping Yourself Grow Old - Things I Said To Myself When I Was Almost Ninety'. Her book offers a unique outlook on aging based on her own experience. Sharing her personal difficulties, memories and values, she reveals the decisions she has made about how to live the final stage of her life. An edited version of the presentation will soon be made available via video to book clubs and other discussion groups.
'Helping Yourself Grow Old' is an up-close and very personal encounter with aging. It is an uncontrived and firsthand look at her own daily experiences: wrestling with physical limitations, grief, loneliness, fears, and the decisions she has made about how to cope with these and keep becoming a better person. She faces regrets and the need to forgive herself and others and is determined to live in a way that blesses her children and grandchildren.
Because the format and subject matter are highly appropriate for groups to read together, discussion questions centered on the content of the book are now available at her website for book clubs and other discussion groups.
The Life@Elon program provide learning opportunities for people over the age of fifty. According to the Elon University website, "Elon University’s lifelong education program just completed its eighth year this spring! It has been a wonderful success and continues to get better and better thanks to the great work of our dedicated volunteers. The program was designed to offer non-credit learning opportunities to people ages 50 and older. The learning institute, called LIFE@Elon, features weekly presentations conducted in an engaging format. The learning community is led by current and retired Elon faculty and staff members and other area educators."
Other books on aging, most notably 'The Gift of Years' by Joan Chittester and 'On Being Mortal by Atul Gawande have enjoyed success recently. Most books on aging currently available present the issue of aging from an abstract, scientific or academic point of view. On the other hand, Frances deals with many common, universal but sometimes private issues in an open, conversational tone. Her confessions and decisions invite self-searching and discussion. She tries to make sense of her own past and to understand her responsibility to younger generations. In the process she shares her daily life, enriched with memories from her fascinating experiences. Her stories and her voice — fresh, honest, engaging — keep the reader eager for more. The end result is a book that helps create a detailed map through the challenging terrain of old age.
The result of this intimate narrative is that readers laugh, cry and identify with her mistakes and problems. Reviewers have called the book, “unique,” “honest,” “witty,” “poignant,” “challenging” and “life-changing.”
For these reasons it is a book unlike any other book on aging you will ever read. The book can serve as a primer on what lies in store for all of us, from someone who is working through many of these issues. While the book is a perfect fit for book clubs, there are many other individuals and groups who could benefit from the information and ideas in the book:
Those approaching retirement
People who are currently retired
Children of aging parents
Those who have lost a spouse
Retirement community discussion groups
Counselors
Educators
Life coaches
Church groups (men and women)
and a host of others. For group discussions, Fuller has made a set of discussion questions available at her website at http://www.FrancesFullerAuthor.com.
Readers have lavished praise on the new book. One Amazon review stated, "I find myself thinking,'I need to read this again and take notes!' It’s full of wisdom, humor, and grace. I also have committed to rereading it annually - it’s that important!" Another said, "There is valuable life experience in this book. Helping Yourself Grow Old truly is a book for all ages, and one not to be missed." Another stated, "Beautifully written book telling timeless truths, for both the old and the young. Highly recommend this book for anyone who loves to laugh, cry, and learn wisdom from someone who has lived so much life."
Frances Fuller’s prior work, 'In Borrowed Houses', has taken three industry awards. Frances was the Grand Prize winner in the 2015 '50 Great Writers You Should Be Reading' Book Awards. Her book received the bronze medal for memoir in the Illumination Book Awards in 2014. Northern California Publishers and Authors annually gives awards for literature produced by residents of the area. In 2015 'In Borrowed Houses' received two prizes: Best Non-fiction and Best Cover.
Critics have also praised ‘In Borrowed Houses.’ A judge in the 22nd Annual Writer’s Digest Self-Published Book Awards called 'In Borrowed Houses' “ . . a well written book full of compassion . . . a captivating story . . . ”. Another reviewer described the book as “Wise, honest, sensitive, funny, heart-wrenching . . .”. Colin Chapman, lecturer in Islamic Studies at the Near East School of Theology in Beirut said, “ . . . western Christians and Middle Eastern Christians need to read this story…full of remarkable perceptiveness and genuine hope.”
Frances Fuller is available for media interviews and can be reached using the information below or by email at frances0516@att.net. Fuller's books are available at Amazon and other book retailers. More information, including discussion questions for 'Helping Yourself Grow Old', is available at her website at http://www.francesfullerauthor.com.
About Frances Fuller:
Frances Fuller spent thirty years in the violent Middle East and for twenty-four of those years was the director of a Christian publishing program with offices in Lebanon. While leading the development of spiritual books in the Arabic language, she survived long years of civil war and invasions.
Contact:
Frances Fuller
frances0516@att.net
http://www.francefullerauthor.com
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