cover image Secrets of the Centenarians: What Is It Like to Live for a Century and Which of Us Will Survive to Find Out?

Secrets of the Centenarians: What Is It Like to Live for a Century and Which of Us Will Survive to Find Out?

John Withington. Reaktion, $29.95 (256p) ISBN 978-1-78023-818-0

Veteran TV reporter Withington (Storm: Nature and Culture) follows up on a story he produced for British news program TV Eye in 1984 to explore the phenomenon of people living to 100 or beyond. Readers looking for “secrets” will be sorely disappointed—late in the book Withington states, “Experts in the field warn how difficult it is to draw general conclusions.” What readers will find is an enjoyable and well written, if somewhat oddly pieced together, narrative. Using a journalistic tone, Withington looks at the history of exceptional human longevity, from Biblical oldster Methuselah to Britain’s celebrity fogey of the 17th century, Thomas Parr, before moving onto the recent surge, relatively speaking, in centenarians. He then gives vignettes of both little-known (e.g., Misao Okawa, who lived to 117 and once said, “Eating delicious things is a key to my longevity”) and famous (e.g., Queen Elizabeth, the Queen Mother, who lived to 101) centenarians. He makes few definitive statements other than that women are far more likely to hit 100 than men, but ends strongly with a discussion of current research into extending human life spans. Although filled with interesting facts and lively characters, the book lacks an overarching perspective or argument to provide greater cohesion. (Oct.)