How Not to Become a Little Old Lady [Paperback]

Mary McHugh (Author), Adrienne Hartman (Illustrator)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 1, 2002

You can be little, and you can be old, but that doesn't mean you have to be a little old lady.

We've all seen her. She's hunched forward, her blue hair is tucked neatly under a plastic rain bonnet, she's clutching expired coupons, and she's discussing her latest health problems over lunch. She's a little old lady . . . and she's coming your way at 2 m.p.h.

Little old ladies have elastic waistbands on all their slacks. They save rubber bands, remember 15-cent McDonald's hamburgers, and have never seen a public rest room that was clean enough.

How Not to Become a Little Old Lady is for any woman who is proud to have escaped little old ladyhood, and it's the perfect, lighthearted gift to give women in danger of slipping into those awful little old lady tendencies. The charming illustrations from Adrienne Hartman perfectly capture the senior syndrome. Say good-bye to little old ladies who pass off their liver spots as beauty marks and say hello to this fresh and fun gift book.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Mary McHugh is a writer and regular contributor to SeniorWomen.com. She is the author of 15 books, including How Not to Become a Little Old Lady. Mary has written for Good Housekeeping, the New York Times, and Family Circle.

Product Details

• Paperback: 144 pages
• Publisher: Andrews McMeel Publishing; Original edition (March 1, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0740722131
• ISBN-13: 978-0740722134
• Product Dimensions: 6 x 6 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 6.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 2.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (21 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,150,115 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #93 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Entertainment > Humor > Essays

More About the Author

I live in Chatham, New Jersey and spend as much time in New York City as I can. I love that city! My husband and I have a date every Friday and have lunch in the city and go to a movie. especially foreign films. I love Cape Cod and hope to live there some day and look at the ocean while I write away on my laptop. I love Paris and go there whenever I can. I studied there for a year when I was very young and I even like the French. I have a one-woman act based on "How Not to Become a Little Old Lady," which I perform for women's groups and I do my impression of bacon frying, share my chocolate and wine diet, show illustrations from this book and my other humor books, and do a little tap dance at the end. I have a daughter who lives on Mercer Island, Washington and three grandsons who are perfect. My life is very full and I love talking to other writers.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

25 of 25 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Insulting book, January 7, 2009

By 

E. Reynolds (Vermont) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: How Not to Become a Little Old Lady (Paperback)

My daughter gave me this book for Christmas but said she hadn't read it, which made me feel a little better. Frankly, I'd rather be a little old lady than Mary McHugh, who trades on all the nasty things that have been said about women growing older. My copy is going into the trash, where it definitely belongs.

47 of 52 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Mean Spirited and Banal, December 21, 2006

By 

Mrs. Platt (New York will always be home.) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: How Not to Become a Little Old Lady (Paperback)

I purchased this book expecting a whistful, witty, wink and nod at older age, along with some genuine suggestions for maintaining one's vibrance in advanced years. Please be assured this book contains none of those things. Each page states a tired, much used, irrelevant or outright offensive cliche. If you've ever watched a sit com you've heard these same old lines over and over again. The narrative reminds me of a bad comedian doing his first minute at an open-mike night. I purchase this as a gift for my mother, but realized I couldn't possibly give it to her without hurting her feelings. Ageism at it's worst. Sadly, the writer maligns senior women as bigoted small-minded losers while failing to recognize her own emotional fears about aging and body image. Her tone is that of a sorority sister gossiping about what's wrong with anyone not in her peer group.

It's shocking that Andrews McMeel Publishing actually printed this "book". The illustrations are fine and surpass the writing to a degree. Unfortunately, that doesn't mean very much.

Wish I could send this back, but I'd lose so much on shipping it's not worth it. I don't know that I've ever recycled a book, but I wouldn't even feel right donating it to the library book sale.

14 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars We are not amused, December 31, 2007

By 

An Unfashionable Woman (San Diego, California) - See all my reviews

This review is from: How Not to Become a Little Old Lady (Paperback)

I read through most of this book while I was browsing at Borders, and I couldn't figure out WHY it was in the humor section. Guess I don't have much of a sense of humor.

As a crotchety old woman I would really be upset if someone gave me this book.

I confess that I am guilty of some "old lady" things. Yes, I do buy some at thrift stores, but I think I can still see well enough to know if there are food stains on them, thank you very much. And yes, I do try to give exact change to cashiers, otherwise I would be carrying around pounds of coins. But these are things I have done for years, and I'm not going to change now. I guess that that shows I am set in my ways.

I'm not sure who the target demographics for this book are: certainly not us curmudgeonly wrinklies.

If you want to buy a book for a "mature" woman, I would suggest that you find out her interests and try to find a book that she would enjoy. The most interesting book I have read lately was FOREVER BARBIE by M.G. Lord, but realize that would not be to everyone's taste.