Still Groovin': Affirmations for Women in the Second Half of Life. - Review - book review

Still Groovin': Affirmations for Women in the Second Half of Life

by Ruth Beckford The Pilgrim Press, September 1999 $19.95, ISBN 0-8298-1337-3

In a youth-driven society, women over age 40 need support. They need to know that life can continue to be exciting and fulfilling. Ruth Beckford gives that support and encouragement in Still Groovin': Affirmations for Women in the Second Half of Life. Through the prism of her vast experiences as a woman and an artist, Beckford writes with a practical view of four main areas of life: health, empowerment, romance, and inner peace.

The book is set up in a simple, readable style with each section beginning with an overview of common thoughts and misconceptions about that phase of "middle age" life. The short readings begin and end with an affirmation that summarizes the thought. The layout of the book is concise, allowing the reader to start anywhere depending on what the reader needs at any given time.

While Beckford doesn't offer new information, her style is warm and engaging. She reminds the reader of important day-to-day details regarding health care, such as regular mammograms and drinking lots of water. She writes about how a lifetime of applied wisdom empowers one to live in a way that makes sense (not being out alone after dark) and has a spirit of adventure (letting oneself enter into a romantic relationship). The section on inner peace reflects today's popular spirituality, but gives a reader of any spiritual persuasion user-friendly principles. Beckford writes because experience has taught her that life does not have to lose its spice. A woman may slow down as she advances in years, but she doesn't stop growing. Ruth Beckford's active affirmations turn good intentions into a realistic plan for living.

Sharita Hunt is a writer and actor whose credits include the original Broadway production of For Colored Girls ... and her one-woman show A House is Built.

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