An (apparently) famous journalist recounts a biography of his super-centenarian neighbor, Charlie White, who lived through perhaps more major changes in his 100+ years of life than have ever before been seen on the planet. A fascinating and inspiring read! Mostly what I got out of this was how Charlie’s optimistic attitude and sense of adventure and self-confidence served him well in every challenge he faced, from hitching rides across the country with no money and determining that he’d just get odd jobs as he went, to working as a doctor before and after antibiotics, to pioneering surgical techniques with sheer creativity and gumption—nothing overwhelmed this man. He just rose to the challenge.
I thought of numerous people who reminded me of Charlie as I listened, from famous individuals (Andrew Carnegie for one, since I’m also reading his biography now) to people I know in my own life now. I hope I’m a little bit like Charlie—I try to be. He had so many adventures because he was willing to take risks and put himself out there, trusting that things would simply work out. He had his share of tragedy too, for sure, but he never let it faze him—at least not the way von Drehle wrote it.
My rating: ****1/2
Language: none
Violence: none
Sexual content: none
Political content: none
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