Growing Old Disgracefully: How to Upset and Perplex Your Children with Increasingly Erratic and Unreasonable Behavior [Paperback]

Rohan Candappa (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 1, 2004

Where's the fun in growing old gracefully? Humorist Rohan Candappa believes it's "far better to put your name down for a course of bad behavior, irresponsibility, and questionable fashion choices. And anything that winds your kids up must be worth having a crack at." Embarrassing and exasperating your kids doesn't have to stop when they become adults and move out of the house. Rohan points out that "If life begins at forty, then a sixty-year-old is not yet twenty-one. And think how much mayhem still lay ahead of you at that age. Act accordingly."Growing Old Disgracefully offers hundreds of pointers for making your sunset years seem like the dawn of your existence. Here are just a few: * Advice on dressing well: Lycra is always a good bet. Fluorescent Lycra, ideally. * Looking younger: Forget dieting, exercise, and plastic surgery. Instead, tell people you're fifteen years older than you are. * Confusing young 'uns: On a crowded bus or train, offer your seat to someone obviously much younger than you. * The best anti-aging cream: Ice cream! What other food makes you feel like you're eight years old again? * Making grandchildren your allies: Buy them presents that their parents have (sensibly) refused to buy them.Growing Old Disgracefully serves up plenty of irreverent fun for everyone (except your children).

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Rohan Candappa is the author of The Little Book of Stress (104,000 copies sold) and The Little Book of Wrong Shui (93,000 copies sold). Worldwide sales of Rohan Candappa's books total over 500,000 copies. A former advertising copywriter, Candappa lives in North London with his wife and their two children.

Product Details

• Paperback: 208 pages
• Publisher: Andrews McMeel Publishing (September 1, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0740741683
• ISBN-13: 978-0740741685
• Product Dimensions: 7 x 5 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 7.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,221,178 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

After many years working in advertising, Rohan Candappa is now a full-time writer. He is the author of several successful AMP titles, including the international best-seller The Little Book of Stress (125,000 net copies) and The Little Book of Wrong Shui (100,750 net copies). Now he writes funny books full of very bad advice when he is not hiding from his two children. Obviously, he is a little overweight, but he finds that black is a very slimming color.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Great gift, January 9, 2007

By 

L. C. Faulkner "Nanny" (Woodstock, GA United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Growing Old Disgracefully: How to Upset and Perplex Your Children with Increasingly Erratic and Unreasonable Behavior (Paperback)

I have given this book two times a a gift... once to someone turning 60 and another time to someone turning 50. They both got a great laugh from it and loved the book.

5.0 out of 5 stars Hilarious, Quick Read, October 25, 2009

By 

Christine T. Rosen - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Growing Old Disgracefully: How to Upset and Perplex Your Children with Increasingly Erratic and Unreasonable Behavior (Paperback)

Growing Old Disgracefully paints a comically picture about growing old and how the elderly can be rebels in their old age. Humorist Rohan Candappa brings his own life experiences to enlighten on the controversial topic of growing old with sarcasm and wit. Each new page offers senior citizens a new way to embrace their remaining years and not just wait around for the grim reaper. From dressing as a troubled teenager to legalizing marijuana for seniors, this book is delightful for all ages, especially for those coming to terms with growing older.
The general purpose of this book is to provide humor to an otherwise depressing situation. Old age and death go hand-in-hand in our society and many elderly persons are portrayed as just waiting around to die. However, this book calls the old to stop lying down and fight against existing stereotypes. Just because a person may have an AARP membership and live in a retirement community does not mean they cannot have any more fun experiences. This book is very relevant to the elderly population, because it can serve as a self-help book to those at a loss on how to deal with their growing age. Each new page offers a new anecdote on how to shock your children and still earn "cool" points with your grandchildren, like buying your grandchildren that unwanted puppy they always wanted. Likewise, Candappa conveys humorous suggestions on how to surprise unsuspecting strangers with unpredictable behaviors. For example, he advises seniors to go to a coffee shop and have the whole menu explained. To aggravate the cashier further the reader can then just ask for a simple coffee. All in all, this book is meant for those who want to grow old without growing up.