Click on image to buy from Amazon.Com

The pop-culture mantra has it wrong: 50 isn’t the new 30, 50 is 50. And while today’s 50 may not look the same as one’s grandmother’s, one shouldn’t necessarily use a teenager as a role model either. Veteran screenwriter Jackson adopts a take-no-prisoners approach, with an Accept-o-Meter reading that tilts toward the kicking-and-screaming side. Forget your fountain of youth: today’s mature woman is more likely to need a battalion of specialists and a bucket of supplements just to keep up.

Along with losses (career, libido) come undesirable gains (crow’s-feet, creaky knees), and – thanks to hormone-replacement therapy and Botox injections, spinning classes and Spanx bodywear, mammograms and colonoscopies – the rituals and rigors associated with aging manage to seem simultaneously counterintuitive and counterproductive. Glib, gossipy, and genuinely gutsy, Jackson’s take on this middle-aged milestone will have any woman who is 50, approaching 50, or waving bye-bye in the rear-view mirror wondering, Who is this woman and how did she get inside my head? –Carol Haggas, Booklist

Editorial Reviews

“Finally, there is a voice of reality to counter the claims of a youth-oriented culture and put forward the idea that successful aging isn’t about denying reality…. Jackson writes with the humor of Nora Ephron, the honesty of a fiftysomething, and the reality of medical science.” (Library Journal )

“A fiercely funny book about a most unfunny subject-aging.” (Erica Jong )

“Tracey Jackson confronts the speed bumps of life with wit, brilliant insights, and the kind of common sense that leaves you wondering, ‘Now, why didn’t I think of that?’ Between a Rock and a Hot Place is more than a good read, it’s good company.” (John Berendt )

“Laugh-out-loud funny.” (O, The Oprah Magazine )

“Between a Rock and a Hot Place is sexy, witty, energizing, smart, and full of terrific advice…. Run, do not walk, to get the book, and then call your nutritionist, your GYN, your health club, your nearest Whole Foods, your mothers and daughters, and tell them all about it.” (Judy Collins )

“Glib, gossipy, and genuinely gutsy, Jackson’s take on this middle-aged milestone will have any woman who is 50, approaching 50, or waving bye-bye in the rear-view mirror wondering, ‘Who is this woman and how did she get inside my head?’” (Booklist )

“The cure for fear is laughter, and this book offers a powerful antidote to all the scary aspects of aging. Jackson’s stunning candor and sparkling high spirits will have women of all ages laughing as they confront everything from menopause to wrinkles, thanks to this funny, practical and engaging book.” (Susan Cheever )

Review

Between a Rock And a Hot Place, Why Fifty is not the New Thirty, is a memoir by comedy writer Tracey Jackson, a fifty-some year old Manhattan resident who was raised having most everything money could buy. Growing up in California, Ms. Jackson shares the bad diet & lifestyle of her elderly grandmother, who, in her fifties, sported a tightly-permed-&-gray hairdo, and wore baggy dresses to hide a frumpy figure created by years of eating sugary desserts.

Then Jackson describes her mother, who did just the opposite- jet-setting around the world in search of a fountain of youth and who, ultimately, signed up for an old-time face-lift.

(The author confesses she herself spent thousands of dollars on Botox injections and ultimately went under the knife to erase genetic imperfections and undo natural signs of aging.)

As someone of modest means and a budget, reading about the authors quest to find the perfect cosmetic surgeon started to grate on my nerves, because there are months I worry about paying the electric bill, and splurging the income I make being a nurse on temporary injections that could make my face less gaunt, is not going to happen anytime in my future.

But I continued to read the book. It held my interest. I read a chapter every night, and once, I even laughed out loud. (It was the chapter on Maddening Men.)

The book reads like a blog. It’s the authors rants and feelings about everything from aged-dating to how it feels to be an empty-nester. I agree with most of what the author says, and in the end, admit that Tracey Jackson, while appearing to be pampered, spoiled and self-centered at times, also has a keen eye and tells a good story.

I would recommend it to anyone in the 45-60 age range, but only if they aren’t shocked by harsh language that is used in the 3rd chapter. (In fact, I think the first several chapters took away from the book in general.) For those readers uncomfortable with in-your-face sex talk, just skip over the 3rd chapter and I think you’ll be okay. – Pamela V, Amazon.Com Customer Review

Advertisement

Vampire Ascending

by Lorelei Bell Sabrina Strong is a Touch Clairvoyant who knows a secret. She knows her mother was turned into a vampire when Sabrina was ten. Now that she is grown up, a powerful magnate in the Chicago business world hires her to reveal the identity of who relentlessly murders vampires in his ultra-modern stronghold of a hotel. [Read More...] – Including an excerpt of the first chapter.

Vampire Ascending is now available at Amazon.Com, Amazon.co.uk, Barnes & Noble, and any other good bookstore.