Joan Dye Gussow is a woman that recently turned eighty so time has given her life experiences to write about, plus being well educated she is a pioneer in the field of sounding the alarm about our food. She says people call her a pessimist often but she calls herself a realist.
The book GROWING, OLDER is a wonderful book to read for a woman my age. Gussow writes about her marriage in a reflective way that few women I have read have had the ability to do. Parts of what she says about the relationship rings so true to my own marriage but I have never had the words to express them. There were whole parts of their daily life she was in charge of because her husband did not like to deal with reality, make the hard decisions. The constant need for companionship and occupying the same space is another aspect that she discusses very well.
There a couple other chapters that are particular favorites of mine, Zucchini and A Fate Worse than Death. As most long term gardeners know, zucchini is a boring vegetable to deal with and chicken feed for some. Since Gussow lives off of what she grows in her garden she has made it a point to be an interesting cook. I copied the pages of the book out that include her recipes for zucchini! I have already got one of those Costata Romanesca growing this year in my garden.
The fate she fear more than death is being put in the hands of doctors before her death. She was a pre-med student so she has a strong understand of biology and chemistry. That chapter should be read by all people over the age of 50.
I read this book from the library but it deserves a copy on my bookshelf, I am getting my own copy to reread and reread.
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