Gettin' Old Still Ain't for Wimps
by Karen O'Connor
Published by Harvest House Publishers
Click on book
cover to order
at Amazon.com
Reviewed by Julie Failla Earhart
What do you get when you combine the infamous anecdotes from Reader's Digest with the Bible? Gettin' Old Still Ain't for Wimps by Karen O'Connor.
I've carried this collection of "anecdotes and assurances" everywhere I've gone for the last three weeks. I read the little essays while waiting in line for fast food, at the doctor's office, while stopped at red lights, and even during commercial breaks of my favorite television shows. Gettin' Old isn't made to be read in one sitting. It's one of those books that you'll find on the coffee table or in the bathroom.
All are short, no more than four pages, followed by a Bible passage and the author's reflection, meant to inspire the reader to meditate on how the Bible can indeed be reflected in 21st century living.
However, the majority of the mini-essays fall short. Some are cute. The majority are let downs for O'Connor starts a good story--then abruptly ends it with a stereotypical and utterly predictable outcome.
How the idea of Gettin' Old Still Ain't for Wimps came about is as confusing as the chicken-and-the-egg scenario. Was it because Gettin' Old Ain't for Wimps was successful? Did she have a Bible passage in mind, then wrote a piece to reflect the passages and added a hastily written prayer to tie the two together and give the reader something to ponder? I guess any order would work.
Gettin' Old Still Ain't for Wimps is one of those books that people buy as gifts for people they don't to spend a lot of money on, don't know very well, or the ever-popular 50th birthday/middle-age rite of passage.
Thank heavens my family cut out the gift-giving frenzy for holidays and birthdays. I'd hate to unwrap Gettin' Old Still Ain't for Wimps.
Armchair Interviews says: Short stories that tie prayer into each one.