Still Alive: A Temporary Condition

by Herbert Gold

Book Overview

+?Old age is a shipwreck,+? Charles de Gaulle once observed. Not so, says Herb Gold in this lively, often hilarious memoir of his first seven decades. He is clearly enjoying every moment to the... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1559708700
• ISBN13: 9781559708708
• Release Date: July 2008
• Publisher: Arcade Publishing
• Length: 249 Pages
• Weight: 1.00 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.0" x 5.8" x 8.4"

Customer Reviews

still alive

l have known the author Herb Gold for over 30 years, and have coffee with him M-F, he used to be a real lefty,but age has mellowed him somewhat,but he still is a terrible nag. another Jewish Mother.

A fresh memoir from a man who is not so fresh, highly recommended.

One doesn't survive three quarters of a century by hiding in their home. "Still Alive! A Temporary Condition" is Herbert Gold looking back on his long life and wondering where it all went to. With a Bohemian look at life and the changing times throughout the twentieth century and the dawning of the twenty-first, his imagination brings much cleverness and thought for readers to feast upon. "Still Alive!" is a fresh memoir from a man who is not so fresh, highly recommended.

Moving, humorous, uplifting

I laughed, cried, and reflected on life and aging throughout the book. It is serious without being morose, funny without being flippant, and in the end you treasure Gold's ability to withstand whatever life has tossed to him, emerging ever the optimist. Inspiring.

Out of Gold, a Life-Affirming Gem

Less a memoir than a series of essays on what it means to face aging gracefully, this wonderful book is more a self-portrait in the pointillist style. Gold has filtered out what isn't essential, has only included the facts of his life that are pertinent. It's invigorating to read how he spends his time now, always open to possibility, but unwilling to compromise. It is also a love story of intense power for his still beloved former wife, although they had been apart for over a decade before her death in 1991. His respect for that remarkable woman shine forth on every page.

hilarious and wise

This very funny and very wise book by Herbert Gold is a return to form for him, and a reminder of why his storytelling has been so popular for decades. Gold is one of the last true bohemians, and his having the wit to be baffled by his own survival makes this a very entertaining read. Aside from the great stories that he tells in this book, however, there is something new and deep from him--a wisdom about growing older, and about watching friends disappear. Whether it's in his story about Saul Bellow, or about the other friends who've either lost their liveliness--or their lives--Gold manages to be hilarious before you realize you've been powerfully moved by what you've read. A great read for everyone, I can't recommend this highly enough.