Review of “Say Yes! Flying Solo After Sixty,” by Pamela Hull. (2016) Paperback. Page Publishing, Inc. ISBN-10: 1683489721.
Pamela Hull’s new book “Say Yes! Flying Solo After Sixty” is an inspiring work that narrates the author’s experiences of loss and rebirth in our later years.
The book is a gripping personal account of the author’s life after her husband of 36 years dies of pancreatic cancer. Follow along as the author travels by herself to European cities, writes a book and moves to Manhattan. Enriched by strangers, she finds celebration in being alone, while she enters into passions old and new. Standing firm is her staunch refusal to accept a life of marking time devoid of vigorous well-being, revealing how neither age nor being single is an impediment to living a rich life.
What happens when, long-partnered and no longer youthful, we are suddenly left alone and uncoupled? Here is a book that embraces the will and the spirit of such a challenge. Here are stories of how an older man or woman may avoid a barren middle age. Of how to imbue our later years with heft, meaning and delight, self-renewal thick with surprise and discovery. Here are concerns that grievously affect the burgeoning aging community as most people over 70 now live alone, matters that resonate as well for retired couples.
“Say Yes!” is neither guide nor manual. Rather, it is the narrator’s intimate recounting of loss and aloneness. But also, the possibilities for a thrilling, reconfigured reality, an abundance of bountiful awakenings for wishful readers who may become heartened and emboldened.
Hull concludes by asking readers, “Do we latch on? Or do we accept a conventional stasis, a sedate conformity. A digging in from fear of the untried.”
The author, a former resident of New Rochelle, gave a presentation and had a book signing on December 7 at the Young Israel of New Rochelle’s “Ruach” Program. Over 40 persons attended.
Readers who wish to experience this powerful work can purchase “Say Yes! Flying Solo After Sixty” at bookstores everywhere, or online at the Apple iTunes store, Amazon, Google Play or Barnes and Noble.
