From Library Journal Both of these titles put a positive spin on growing older and offer encouragement to the over-50 crowd. Psychotherapist Gerike presents good practical advice about health， exercise， sex， and more， and she offers a particularly helpful chapter on ten ways to combat age discrimination. However， the format of little text and many cartoon drawings and occasional humor?which some readers may feel talks down to its audience?might detract from the overall power of the message. NPR commentator Weaver (The Girls With the Grandmother Faces， Hyperion， 1996) takes a more personal approach. A few early chapters describe her battle with alcoholism and her path to sobriety. Then Weaver talks about how returning to school， traveling， and writing helped her adjust to widowhood and continue to grow in the second half of her life. A chapter-long poem relates her adventures on a whirlwind book tour. Although both books offer valuable information， Gerike's book is a little too slim to recommend for most library collections; Weaver's book will be popular especially where her earlier book is doing well.?Marguerite Mroz， Baltimore Cty. P.L.， Md.Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information， Inc. From Booklist Frances Weaver， the guru of The Girls with the Grandmother Faces (1996)， has produced another feisty， flamboyant yet poignant account of life after 70. Written in her trademark self-effacing style， the book reveals Weaver's struggle to overcome alcoholism following her husband John's sudden death and her eventual realization that it is always healthier to look forward than backward. She chose writing as a means to think， change， and contribute to others' lives， and "old folks and self-publication" became new passions. Weaver goads other widows and widowers to dance， travel， volunteer， pursue new hobbies， and return to school. She liberally berates crabby， unproductive， uninteresting senior citizens who expect service and demand sympathy by urging them to adopt her attitude that "nobody can do it for you." The book， which even contains a 10-canto ode to her book tour， is a sonnet to self-worth， and no one who reads it will ever question the difference between being alone and being on your own. Patricia Hassler See all Editorial Reviews