Independence Day, Steve Lopez
Independence Day, Steve Lopez
2 Rating(s)
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Independence Day
What I Learned About Retirement from Some Who’ve Done It and Some Who Never Will

Author: Steve Lopez

Narrator: Steve Lopez

Unabridged: 6 hr 54 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Publisher: Harper Horizon

Published: 11/01/2022

Synopsis

"Steve Lopez is insightful, ingenious, and often hilarious as he navigates one of life's biggest questions." --Michael Connelly, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Dark HoursFour-time Pulitzer Prize finalist and longtime Los Angeles Times columnist Steve Lopez explores the meaning of work and how it defines us in this captivating book that combines memoir, investigatory interviews, and practical application.Grappling with his own decision of whether to retire, Lopez uses his reporter skills not only to look inward but also to interview experts and peers to collect a variety of perspectives as he examines the true nature of a person’s time, identity, and ultimate life satisfaction.In Independence Day, Lopez talks to those who have chosen to extend their working life to its (il)logical extreme--people like Mel Brooks, still working at 94--those who have happily retired and reinvented themselves outside of the constraints of work, and those who would like to retire but can't because of financial constraints. He also turns to professionals on the matter, like two aging scientists, a geriatric specialist, and a psychiatrist, to understand the research-based reasons to retire.With his trademark poignancy, wisdom, and humor, Lopez establishes a useful polemic for himself and others in planning ahead, as he also evaluates questions of identity, financial limitations, and ultimately what to do with your life when the obituary pages are no longer filled with strangers.

About Steve Lopez

Steve Lopez has been a Los Angeles Times columnist since 2001 and is a four-time Pulitzer Prize finalist for commentary. He is the author of three novels, two collections of columns, and the New York Times bestseller and winner of the PEN USA Literary Award for Nonfiction, The Soloist. Additionally, Lopez's television reporting for public station KCET has won three local news Emmys and a share of the Columbia University DuPont Award.

Reviews

Goodreads review by JulieK

Not really what I was expecting - I thought it would be focused on experiences of people who retired and did or didn’t regret it, but it was more a memoir of him ruminating on the topic for a year. There were some worthwhile nuggets but also a lot of off-topic padding about things like prescription......more

Goodreads review by Translator

It's a clever trick, you see: pulling a number of newspaper columns you've written over the past year, mostly human interest stuff, with a common theme - people approaching their fourth quarter, so to speak, and dealing with the decision of whether or not to retire. But when it works, it works, and......more

Goodreads review by Onceinabluemoon

4.5 my husband recently retired, very much enjoyed this.......more

Goodreads review by Jeri

When I was a metro columnist for a mid-sized daily in North Carolina, I read Steve Lopez all the time. He was the star columnist for the LA Times, and I always looked for how he structured and told a story. Then, when I heard on "Fresh Air" talk about his new book, "Independence Day," I knew I'd gra......more

Goodreads review by Todd

Steve Lopez is a talented writer and the book reads well. However, I was looking for tools to assess retirement options and this read like a memoir about Steve’s personal journey to decision de his next steps around retirement. That just wasn’t what I was looking for.......more

Quotes

'In Independence Day, Steve Lopez offers us a master class in decision making. To a brilliant storyteller like Steve, a dry list of pros and cons simply won't suffice. Instead his personal quest becomes a journey of wisdom and soul-searching for us all. This is not only a book for anyone contemplating retirement, it is a book for all of us seeking the courage to make a change with insight and grace.' Rabbi Naomi Levy, author of Einstein and the Rabbi, founder of Nashuva

'Hugely entertaining and informative, personal and universal, fun and funny, wise and beautifully written, 'Independence Day' is essential reading for anyone contemplating -- or not contemplating -- retirement. It's about why we work and how we live and all that does and does not change as we age.' Dr. Louise Aronson, geriatrician, author of NYT-bestselling book “Elderhood: Redefining Aging, Transforming Medicine, Reimagining Life,” a Pulitzer Prize finalist

'I recommend this book to anybody. Not just a bunch of 67-year-olds.' Duff McDonald, The Tickle Yourself Podcast: Retirement and the Present Moment

'Steve Lopez has written a wise, witty and wonderful book on the question of retirement -- something I'll never do unless I'm forced to by the comedy authorities. However, unlike me, if you're considering it, READ THIS BOOK!' Mel Brooks, actor, comedian, and filmmaker

'Steve Lopez is a national treasure. He tackles the question of retirement with the humility, wit and lacerating insight that long ago made him America's best newspaper columnist. This is a smorgasbord of characters, incidents, and ideas, charming, funny, and often quite moving. It will make you think. It is an essential guide for all of us in life's gun lap, deciding whether to speed up, slow down, or wander happily off the track to trace patterns in the clouds.' Mark Bowden, contributing writer for The Atlantic, author of Black Hawk Down and Killing Pablo

'Steve Lopez is insightful, ingenious, and often hilarious as he navigates one of life's biggest questions. Independence Day should be read by every boomer on the same path and wondering what comes next.' Michael Connelly, New York Times bestselling author of The Dark Hours

'This is a work full of meaning for everyone measuring the days until they put down the tools of whatever trade they ply and walk off into the last quarter of life. It's proof that Steve Lopez should keep working because he's really good at what he does.' Mike Barnicle, Morning Joe Contributor and former Boston Globe columnist

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