The 50 Year Dash: The Feelings, Foibles, and Fears of Being Half a Century Old

By Bob Greene

Book Overview

A man turning 50 was asked if he really felt middle-aged.??"I don't feel middle-aged," he replied.??"I feel like a teenager who's been in a fight." That funny, chin-up, defiant declaration captures... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0385493010
• ISBN13: 9780385493017
• Release Date: May 1998
• Publisher: Crown Publishing Group (NY)
• Length: 304 Pages
• Weight: 0.60 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.8" x 5.6" x 8.4"

Customer Reviews

I have to be honest . . . I didn't get a chance to read the whole book . . .

Before I sent it to a friend with a rapidly approaching 50th birthday. But what I did read was exactly what I would expect from Bob Greene -- a variety of well-written, high-quality, witty stories that will be interesting to a broad segment of those approaching their 50th birthday! A really terrific book, well worth sending to those we love and reading ourselves.

The Fifty-Year Dash

As usual, Greene lived up to his previous books with knowledge and humor. The book was receives in good condition and in a timely manner.

On target!

I'm not quite there myself, but having been a Bob Greene fan since 1976's JOHNNY DEADLINE, REPORTER, I felt that I had to buy and read this one in advance of my milestone birthday. As usual, Greene is right on target with his observations.Introspection is something that many of us avoid, but Greene is right there nudging us to take a look at our innermost feelings and reactions to a variety of different situations. At 47, I've already experienced a good many of them, and I'm grateful to find out in advance about those that may be forthcoming. As usual, Greene's writing style is like a welcome long-distance call from your oldest and best friend--you hang on every word, you anticipate the outcome of a story, and you relish each other's happiness in describing the events of everyday life.Greene is the heartbeat of us all.

This is the book our parents' generation should have written

Bob Greene combines very special abilities: great talent to experience and observe; great talent to convey this acquired information. This book compares the changes in our bodies when we reach age fifty (mas o menos) with what we felt when we were younger. The cast of characters is familiar to those who read "Be True to Your School" (an expanded version of his diary in his junior/senior years of high school), and many of his columns through the years. Quite a few of his observations in this book were touched upon in earlier writings, but "Fifty Year Dash" allows him to condense these ideas into one book and be more expansive in his descriptions. This is a wonderful book, and one which I plan to give as gifts this Christmas.

Bob's insights are right on

I'm not 50, but I relate to 9 out of 10 of Bob's sensitive and insightful perspectives on hitting the big 5-0...They ring true. As Mencius wrote, "The great man is he who does not lose his child's heart." Inside, Bob is still 5 years old; who isn't