10 Must Read Books on Spirituality and Aging

Great Books

Sixty-three was a tough birthday for me. Following my husband’s new job, I left the comfort of my beloved cottage in a Los Angeles canyon for a Brooklyn high-rise populated by young people. Two things kept me going that year as I faced, wrestled and ultimately triumphed over the stereotypes of aging. The first was the journal I kept, turning me from victim to witness of the aging process and all that entails. The second was the series of books by older authors that found my way into my life. These books taught me that aging is not only a problem to be solved, but can be the very vehicle of transformation into deeper meaning and wholeness. I captured many of these encounters in my recently-published journal, Fierce with Age: Chasing God and Squirrels in Brooklyn. Here are ten books that showed me the way.

Carol Orsborn, Ph.D. is Founder of FierceWithAge, the Digest of Boomer Wisdom, Inspiration and Spirituality. Dr. Orsborn, who earned her doctorate in religion from Vanderbilt University, is the best-selling author of 21 books including her newest book: Fierce with Age: Chasing God and Squirrels in Brooklyn. (Spring 2013) Dr. Orsborn is a sought after speaker/retreat leader and spiritual director.

The Return of the Prodigal Son

Nouwen, Catholic priest and scholar is also author of Aging: The Fulfillment of Life, a prophetic call to society to transform ageism into caring. But Nouwen’s work on the Prodigal Son is, in itself, transformative. Rather than writing from the mountain top, Nouwen descends into the trenches of family relationships. He views his own life through multiple symbolic lenses, including identifying with both elder and younger siblings, father and son. The book is based on both the Christian parable of The Prodigal Son and the painting by Rembrandt which, in the words of “New Oxford Review” speaks to us “in the terrible beauty of the transformation to which it calls us.”