Happiness Is a Choice You Make: Lessons from a Year Among the Oldest Old
Written by John Leland
Narrated by Robert Petkoff
5/5
()
About this audiobook
"[Narrator Robert Petkoff] is a steady performer whose measured pacing allows each subject's story to unfold naturally against the background of Leland's personal inquiry. A particular highlight comes at the very end, when listeners get a chance to hear the actual voices of some of the men and women who have shared the lessons of their lives." - AudioFile Magazine
This program includes original recordings of interviews from the New York Times series
Based on the popular New York Times series, life-changing wisdom from an unexpected source: America’s oldest old
In 2015, the award-winning New York Times journalist John Leland set out to meet some of the city’s oldest inhabitants for a series on America’s fastest-growing age group: those over eighty-five. Leland was at a crossroads in his own life. His marriage had fallen apart, and at fifty-five, he was alone for the first time. He was also caring for his elderly mother, whose main desire was to die. He understood aging, like many of us do, as nothing more than the relentless deterioration of body, mind, and quality of life. He wondered: Is there a threshold at which life is no longer worth living?
But the six elders Leland interviewed took him in a different direction. Beyond illuminating what it’s like to be old, physically and materially, they provided a life-changing education in resilience and joy. They had lived long enough to master the art of living, and they shared their wisdom generously. Leland did not anticipate all that he would learn, nor did he anticipate the popularity of the series: Its following grew to nearly half a million online views for the finale, plus print readers.
Happiness Is a Choice You Make, based on the series, is a rare, intimate glimpse into the end of life, and the insight that can enhance the years preceding. What he finds is deeply heartening: Even as our faculties decline, we still wield extraordinary influence over the quality of our lives. Happiness is a choice we make.
Learn how to live from those who have mastered the art
John Leland
John Leland is a reporter at The New York Times, where he wrote a yearlong series that became the basis for Happiness Is a Choice You Make, and the author of two previous books, Hip: The History and Why Kerouac Matters: The Lessons of “On the Road” (They’re Not What You Think). Before joining the Times, he was a senior editor at Newsweek, editor in chief of Details, a reporter at Newsday, and a writer and editor at Spin magazine.
Related to Happiness Is a Choice You Make
Related audiobooks
The Happiness Curve: Why Life Gets Better After 50 Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5What Should I Do With My Life?: The True Story of People Who Answered the Ultimate Question Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5This I Believe: The Personal Philosophies of Remarkable Men and Women Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Relentless: Unleashing a Life of Purpose, Grit, and Faith Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Rabbit Effect: Live Longer, Happier, and Healthier with the Groundbreaking Science of Kindness Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Passages: Predictable Crises of Adult Life Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Fully Alive: Discovering What Matters Most Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Breaking the Age Code: How Your Beliefs About Aging Determine How Long and Well You Live Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5This I Believe II: More Personal Philosophies of Remarkable Men and Women Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5If I Live to Be 100: Lessons from the Centenarians Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5A Wonderful Life: Insights on Finding a Meaningful Existence Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5In This Together: My Story Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Sleep Fix: Practical, Proven, and Surprising Solutions for Insomnia, Snoring, Shift Work and More Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5It Ain't Over . . . Till It's Over: Reinventing Your Life--and Realizing Your Dreams--Anytime, at Any Age Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Gift of Adversity: The Unexpected Benefits of Life's Difficulties, Setbacks, and Imperfections Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Too Soon Old Too Late Smart: Thirty True Things You Need to Know Now Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5No Regrets Living: 7 Keys to a Life of Wonder and Contentment Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsFor-giveness is the Gift You Give Yourself Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/530 Lessons for Loving: Advice from the Wisest Americans on Love, Relationships, and Marriage Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Good Anxiety: Harnessing the Power of the Most Misunderstood Emotion Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5How to Be Sad: Everything I’ve Learned About Getting Happier by Being Sad Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Better with Age: The Psychology of Successful Aging Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5You Learn by Living: Eleven Keys for a More Fulfilling Life Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5A Long Bright Future: An Action Plan for a Lifetime of Happiness, Health, and Financial Security Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Total Memory Makeover: Uncover Your Past, Take Charge of Your Future Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5The Lighthouse Effect: How Ordinary People Can Have an Extraordinary Impact in the World Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Art of Friendship: 70 Simple Rules for Making Meaningful Connections Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5
Personal Growth For You
The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up: The Japanese Art of Decluttering and Organizing Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5It Starts with Self-Compassion: A Practical Road Map Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Paris: The Memoir Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Courage to Be Disliked: How to Free Yourself, Change Your Life, and Achieve Real Happiness Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Unfu*k Yourself: Get Out of Your Head and into Your Life Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5What Happened to You?: Conversations on Trauma, Resilience, and Healing Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Highly Sensitive Person Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The 48 Laws of Power Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck: A Counterintuitive Approach to Living a Good Life Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Finding Me: A Memoir Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Four Thousand Weeks: Time Management for Mortals Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5How to Do the Work: Recognize Your Patterns, Heal from Your Past, and Create Your Self Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Becoming Supernatural: How Common People Are Doing The Uncommon Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Radical Acceptance: Embracing Your Life with the Heart of a Buddha Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Perfection Trap: Embracing the Power of Good Enough Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Boundaries: When To Say Yes, How to Say No Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Banish Your Inner Critic: Silence the Voice of Self-Doubt to Unleash Your Creativity and Do Your Best Work Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Getting Things Done: The Art of Stress-Free Productivity Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Breaking the Habit of Being Yourself Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Crucial Conversations: Tools for Talking When Stakes Are High Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Bad Mormon Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Summary: Atomic Habits by James Clear: An Easy & Proven Way to Build Good Habits & Break Bad Ones Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5You Could Make This Place Beautiful: A Memoir Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Little Book of Hygge: Danish Secrets to Happy Living Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5
Reviews for Happiness Is a Choice You Make
2 ratings0 reviews