Find: Two Books for Grown-ups’ Big Birthdays

Friday, March 26, 2010

There are two great books for big birthdays, whether you want laugh with (at?) your aging friend or need something to pull you out of your own self absorption.

You’re Only Old Once, a Book for Obsolete Children by Dr. Seuss is perfect for a senior relative or a good-humored friend who can appreciate the exagerration. This book was actually released on the author’s 82nd birthday and inspired by his experience enduring a series of medical tests. If you’ve got a friend who’s complaining about an upcoming routine mammogram or your husband fears the colorectal screening (and what man doesn’t skip annual physicals for fear of The Glove), let Dr. Seuss offer a humorous look at the indignities of medical procedures. This book should be in every proctologist’s waiting room.

(I’ve ordered it as a 70th birthday gift for a favorite uncle and I’ve read it gleefully with the kids. It’s hard to say who enjoys it most, the kids or the grandparents who really relate to the tale.)

For your mom or a girlfriend who is horrified to be buying potions that claim to visibly reduce fine lines, Nora Ephron’s I Feel Bad About My Neck is a classic. I’d say it’s perfect for any woman facing the big 4-0 and pretty much any year after that. You know screenwriter Ephron from the Meg Ryan movies When Harry Met Sally, Sleepless in Seattle and You’ve Got Mail. Her most recent movie was last year’s Julie and Julia.

Believe me when I say the book is a treat for any woman who has ever tired of her purse and is especially funny for moms. It’s a short read and has been a best seller so long you can find it used with no trouble.

Note: Nora Ephrom relates my favorite ever “Aha! Moment” in Oprah. The lesson she shares is so true of us moms who feel like everybody’s problem is somehow ours to solve.