My Rating: Great Read - really, really liked it!
Synopsis: As she approached her fiftieth birthday, Tracey Jackson found herself bombarded by a catchphrase on everyone’s lips: “Fifty is the new thirty.” With a comedy writer’s training and a screenwriter’s eye for detail, Jackson skewers that particular myth with a hilarious, bare-knuckled, and ultimately practical appraisal of what middle age really means today. Jackson not only faces the elephant in the room, she puts it under a (very large) microscope, confronting the truth about death, work, and sex in what the French call the “third age.”
My Review: Tracey Jackson has an amazing talent for writing. Between a Rock and a Hot Place is too funny and yet sadly so true. I was reminded of Jenny McCarthy's book on pregnancy, child birth and first year of motherhood. The books were spot on and topics that no one wants to talk about! Tracey Jackson does the same thing....brooches subjects about being a "fifties" woman. My favorite chapter was Chapter 3, Sex, Estrogen, and Not So Much Rock and Roll. I am still in shock! Tracey is so open about herself. In between laughing so hard, I kept thinking I am so, so doomed. I am in my mid-forties with young children and always have at least one them in my bed.....so, I am just saying there isn't a whole lot of Rock and Roll going on now. Tracey, seriously, I only have five years for Rock and Roll?
I also really liked Chapter 5, If She's Fifty, Chances Are Alice Doesn't Work Here Anymore. At thirty, I thought us women had come such a long way (and I still believe that), but we also have such a long way to go. Chapter 5 confirmed that for me and it scares me silly. I also believe that some careers/areas of specialization are hit harder than others. It sets me in a panic to think that in 5 years, I could have a hard time landing a job, if I was unemployed.
Other favorites were Chapter 7, You Don't Look Fifty and Chapter 9, Maddening Men. They were both "laugh out loud" chapters. The entire book is filled with humor and accurate description of what it means to be "fifty" today. As Martha Stewart said, "if you're thirty, you should read this book; if you're forty, you should read this book; if you're fifty, you should definitely ready this book." Couldn't have said it better myself!
Author: A screenwriter for seventeen years, Tracey Jackson has written and sold films to all the major studios; her most recent writing credits include Confession of a Shopaholic and Lucky Ducks, a lecture-length documentary that she also produced and directed. She blogs on her own website and for the Huffington Post. She lives in New York City with her husband, Glenn Horowitz, and two daughters.
Connect with Tracey: On Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr, and her Website.
Wednesday, February 22nd: Helen’s Book Blog
Thursday, February 23rd: Peppermint PhD
Monday, February 27th: Living in the Kitchen with Puppies
Thursday, March 1st: For Such a Time as This
Tuesday, March 6th: Boarding in my Forties
Wednesday, March 7th: Sara’s Organized Chaos
Thursday, March 8th: My Book Retreat
Monday, March 12th: I Read. Do you?
Tuesday, March 13th: Silver & Grace
I'm so glad you liked the book! There's something about someone being so open and honest that's really refreshing!
ReplyDeleteThanks for being on the tour!
I thought the chapter on sex was incredible as well...talk about honesty!! Thank goodness somebody is willing to have this conversation with us :)
ReplyDeleteThis sounds like a great book. It's not always easy getting older. I'm adding this to my wish list.
ReplyDelete