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

Bob Greene (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 18, 1998

The 50 Year Dash is a wonderful book of reflections on everything that's part of life at fifty: looking at aches and pains as a growth industry, and seeing the constant onslaught of new pain relievers as a new version of the British invasion of rock groups in the 1960s; finding that the world is no longer sufficiently quiet, and that you're the one yelling "Turn that down!"; realizing you're older than James Bond ever was; hearing yourself say, "The fruit plate looks good," and meaning it; understanding that the one thing that seems to be going away from you the fastest is that first-time feeling--first job, first house, first kiss--and knowing that the best thing you can do for yourself is to find ways to keep finding those feelings again and again.

Between now and the year 2014, seventy-seven million American men and women--most of the baby boom generation--will turn fifty. That's about ten thousand birthdays per day. The 50 Year Dash is the perfect book for every single one of them.

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

A nationally syndicated columnist considers what's it like for all those baby boomers like himself to be way on the other side of the generational divide.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Booklist

You know you're approaching 50 when it's not as much fun as it used to be to pan Bob Greene. Sure, he's just as smarmy as ever, his brand of regular-guy profundity just as cotton-candy fluffy as it's always been ("Quadrophonic sound is dead and buried. The safety pin, on the other hand, will live forever" ). And yet, as Bob is ever so eager to tell us in this would-be-whimsical look at how you know you're 50, it's harder to stay angry about the absurdities of life once you hit the half-century mark. As Bob might put it, you know you're 50 when you're too tired to complain about the fact that entire careers can be forged out of endlessly reliving the good old days of 1964. That's what this latest Greene opus is about, too, of course, though this time it's seen through the fuzzy lens of a 50-year-old trying to cope with not being able to name the last 20 astronauts. As with so much of Greene's material, he occasionally hits on an amusing-enough conceit--like the melancholy realization that James Bond's pleasures are all bad for you--but it's rarely enough to sustain an entire . . . well, newspaper column. (Hey, this is still kind of fun, after all.) Finally, though, Greene's seemingly obvious failings don't appear to matter to the hordes of now-50-year-old baby boomers who have been buying his books all these years--and will no doubt buy this one. Nobody said reaching 50 brings common sense. Bill Ott --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 300 pages
• Publisher: Main Street Books (May 18, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0385493010
• ISBN-13: 978-0385493017
• Product Dimensions: 5.5 x 0.8 x 8.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #632,712 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars On target!, July 4, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: 50 Year Dash: The Feelings, Foibles, and Fears of Being Half a Century Old (Paperback)

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.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars A thought provoking look at how it feels to be 50 today., July 2, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: The 50 Year Dash: The Feelings, Foibles, and Fears of Being Half a Century Old (Hardcover)

In typical Bob Green fashion, he makes us look at the things that are on the fringes of our thoughts , but never seem to quite make it to the foreground without a little prompting. If you are not comfortable with the idea of being 50, this book probably isn't going to make things easier for you. On the other hand, if you can handle being 50, this book provides an insight into some of the things you are aware of (unconsciously, perhaps), but haven't really taken the time and energy to really think about. Nobody who reads this book won't see some part of themselves in the narrative. It is entertaining, funny, thought provoking, and, at times, disturbing.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This is the book our parents' generation should have written, October 26, 1998

By A Customer

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The 50 Year Dash: The Feelings, Foibles, and Fears of Being Half a Century Old (Hardcover)

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.