| Mainstream Bestsellers | | • | The Last Lecture | | • | Eat This Not That!: Thousands of Simple Food Swaps That Can Save You 10, 20, 30 Pounds-or More! | | • | The Anti-Alzheimer's Prescription: The Science-Proven Plan to Start at Any Age | | • | A New Earth: Awakening to Your Life's Purpose (Oprah's Book Club, Selection 61) | | • | Eat This Not That! for Kids!: Be the Leanest, Fittest Family on the Block! | | • | Biology of Belief: Unleashing the Power of Consciousness, Matter, & Miracles | | • | Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association | | • | Crack the Fat-Loss Code: Outsmart Your Metabolism and Conquer the Diet Plateau | | • | The Secret | | • | Change Your Brain, Change Your Life: The Breakthrough Program for Conquering Anxiety, Depression, Obsessiveness, Anger, and Impulsiveness |
|
|
|
|
| Leap!: What Will We Do with the Rest of Our Lives? | 
 enlarge | Author: Sara Davidson
Publisher: Ballantine Books
Category: Book
List Price: $15.00
Buy Used: $2.86
You Save: $12.14 (81%)
New (35) Used (17) from $2.86
Avg. Customer Rating:  68 reviews
Sales Rank: 105512
Media: Paperback
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 336
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.5
Dimensions (in): 8 x 5.1 x 0.8
ISBN: 0345478096
Dewey Decimal Number: 305.244
EAN: 9780345478092
ASIN: 0345478096
Publication Date: February 26, 2008
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Condition: Our feedback rating says it all: Five star service and fast delivery! We've shipped four million items to happy customers, and have one MILLION unique items ready to ship today!
|
| Editorial Reviews:
Product Description
Thirty years ago, Sara Davidson wrote the phenomenal bestseller Loose Change, the definitive book about the boomer generation’s coming-of-age. Now this witty social observer has again turned her discerning eye to her contemporaries, with Leap!, a no-holds-barred, illuminating, and hopeful look at the choices and challenges we face and the roads open to us.
For many years Davidson earned a living as a successful journalist and screenwriter, but in her fifties she saw her life come apart: She could no longer find work, she endured a break-up with her partner, and her children left for college. For the first time ever, she had nothing to do. She felt adrift, but she found that she was not alone.
In Leap!, Davidson sets out on a passionate quest to learn how to do the coming years well. Drawing on her own experience and that of others, she explores such questions as
• How does a high-powered person learn to walk down the ladder gracefully?
• How can women continue to be sensual and not touch-deprived?
• How do we arrange to grow old with our friends?
• What will be the fire at the center of our lives?
• Why are we still here?
Davidson interviews people from across the country and from all walks of life, including such icons as Carly Simon, Tom Hayden, Tracy Kidder, Jane Fonda, Ram Dass, and Iman, as well as teachers, writers, psychologists, businesspeople, and spiritual leaders. The candid portraits are both inspiring and cautionary.
True to character, boomers will approach these years differently from previous generations, and there will be no single path. Some will feel free for the first time to take risks; others will embark upon a spiritual search; some will want to give back, to make the world a better place; others will want to play or make creativity a priority. But they will not fade quietly into the sunset.
With Leap!, Sara Davidson holds up a mirror for readers, allowing them to see not only themselves and those around them but their potential future. With Davidson as a guide, the possibilities are boundless.
From the Hardcover edition.
|
| Customer Reviews: Read 63 more reviews...
 LEAP September 18, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
Sara Davidson's LEAP carries one through from one sketch to the next. The
inspirations that come from each sketch motivates one into thinking about
the "rest of our lives". I have
recommended this book to several friends who will connect. It actually gives
a door opening to those who are still to reach the "age of what will I do with
the last 20 years or so of my life. Don't miss this book!
Inspirational and very well written book! August 30, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
I really enjoyed this book. This book gave me a new meaning to life. Always look forward to tomorrow, and at the end of the day, nothing really matters for everything is temporary. So enjoy every moment of your life!
By giving real life examples, the author demonstrates that it is never too late to start anew. Some people achieve more in their old age, so never give up, regardless of your age. She starts off by citing herself as an example. After writing several bestseller books and many successful TV scripts, the author found herself without a job. Her books, scripts, and magazine articles were being rejected. She thought that it was the end of the world. But it was not so. We are all given second, third, fourth, and fifth chances. And if need be, we can be given many more chances. The author soon reclaims her previous glory, and this book `Leap!' is now on the New York Times bestselling books 30 years after her last bestselling book, `Loose Change'.
The author draws on the experience of famous people such as Carly Simon (who ends up having a hit after many in the music industry gave up on her); Jane Fonda (she demonstrates that there is life after the smash hit `Barbarella), Iman (a model from Ethiopia who ends up being a sensation in New York and ends up marrying David Bowie); and many others. You will also hear stories from writers, professors, psychologists, and spiritual leaders.
The chapter on spiritual leaders was my favorite one, for I found it very controversial. One Indian guru says that organized religions are bad, for no one can tell you the path you should take. Every person should find his own path that leads to the truth. No two persons can take the same path. Put in other words, "truth is a pathless land, and it cannot be approached by any path whatsoever, by any religion, or any sect. The spoken or written word is not the truth...if an organization be formed for this purpose, it becomes a crutch, a weakness, a bondage, and must cripple the individual." (p. 244). To find the truth, we must be absolutely and unconditionally free! I found this concept interesting. This same guru abolished his own sect, despite the objection of his followers, for again, he was against organized religions and sects.
Another guru leaves all his worldly belongings and lives a life of spirituality and begging. He neglects his body so much that he does not feel the bugs eating at his body. Is this the way to attain the ultimate truth? Which path will you follow?
Who are we, and who is asking the question? Are we our body, or our conscious; or maybe both? When we reflect on our life, who is doing the reflecting? Who is observing our life? Who is the observer? Is the observer our conscious? I found those questions very intriguing. To find the answers to these questions is worth living every minute of our life, and this is what this book is all about!
I am by no means old, but I do constantly think about death. As the author explains, some Indian gurus recommend we meditate on death on a daily basis. We will all die, and we better accept this fact at an early age. Knowing that one day we will die should give us power. With death looming over our head, we are actually motivated to enjoy life for we know that one day it will all end.
By thinking about dying, I actually empower myself. Whenever things don't go the way I want them too, or whenever I am sad, lonely, or depressed, I think of death. I say to myself, "One day I will day, and none of this will matter." This thought is enough to put me back on my feet with zeal! Thinking of death is not such a bad thing after all!
It is never too late to enjoy life and start new careers. As the author explains, some people start new careers in their sixties and seventies! Others acquire new hobbies such as learning new languages.
The strange thing is that some people opt to end their lives rather than get old. Dying is one thing, getting old is another. It might be easier to accept death than a long life of suffering and inactivity due to old age. The author discusses this and offers real life examples.
The book ends with two pages entitled, "Reading Group Questions and Topics for Discussion." This is the first time I see this in a book (other than in text books), and I think it is a great addition for reading groups. Some of the discussion questions you will find:
1. Why was `surrender' painful for the author? Did her understanding of surrender change? (None of us should ever surrender. It is never too late to start anew. There is always light at the end of the tunnel).
2. Have you considered having plastic surgery or decided against it? Did reading the author's report on a face lift affect your thinking? (After reading her chapter on plastic surgery, I don't think I'd ever recommend it to any healthy person).
3. The author explores whether we're `hard-wired' to seek a romantic partner. What is your experience? (I personally think we are `hard-wired' to seek our other half!)
4. Davidson discovers a great range of sexual behavior after fifty, from those who give it up to those who discover new sensations. What intrigued or disturbed you about her reporting on sexuality? (The chapter on sexuality was intriguing and I learnt things I never knew. I am sure many readers will find that chapter both informative and enjoyable. The passages on the G-spot were quite informative).
5. The author says we're a society of workaholics, but the imperative is not merely to work but to align yourself with your purpose. How would you go about doing that? (Life is not all about work. What's the point of having a career and being successful if you are not happy? Our goal should be to attain happiness, not success. Success might be a by-product of happiness).
6. If you knew the world was going to end in two days, what would you do? (This is one of the most important questions in this book. Whatever you think you should do, DO IT NOW!)
7. Is there such a thing as `rational suicide'? (I am personally against suicide, but if I was terminally ill (God forbid) and saw the suffering of those around me as a result of my hopeless state, would I contemplate suicide to end the misery of my loved ones? If one commits suicide as a selfless act, would that be `rational suicide'?)
8. What's the purpose of a `life review'? (A `life-review' will make you the observer, separating you from `the you'. You are no longer `you' but the observer).
Note: If you purchased `Leap!' you may download the free workbook, which has exercises to help you define what's right for you in the years ahead. Go to saradavidson.com and click on `Free Workbook."
To sum up, I think the back cover of the book summarizes the importance of this book: "Davidson holds up a mirror for readers, allowing them to see not only themselves and those around them but their potential futures...and the possibilities are boundless."
 Complete Disappointment July 31, 2008
I would've given this book a "zero star" rating if that was available. It was new-age blather, and there are already lots of sources for that. It mainly consists of interviews with folks who were either rich or famous (or both), not a lot of relevance for the average person who wants to figure out what to do with our remaining years. When she went on the two-week volunteer session to India, and her fellow volunteers described the author as "spoiled, needy, demanding and condescending", they nailed it. I'd just add narcissism to that list of her traits. It seems this was her own quest for self-fulfillment, with little to offer us in terms of helping us find our own self-fulfillment. Very disappointed, could not recommend this book.
Leap-the book June 22, 2008
Very helpful to the baby-boomers...While written from a woman's point of view, it touches issues that must be common to men and women both.
A must read!
 Leap June 22, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
I have not finished this book but was a bit disappointed as I thought it would be a more general opinion. It seems to be more about the author's personal life rather than general observations...
|
|
|
Powered by Associate-O-Matic
| |
