The Vintage Years:

Only recently have neuropsychologists and other scientists confirmed that age sixty and beyond may be the best time in life to take up an art form like writing, playing a musical instrument or a visual art like painting, sculpting or ceramics. Not only does the brain continue to grow new connections and become more efficient but wisdom amassed over the years enhances the expression of art. Add to that increased focus made possible by lifestyle changes and you have the ingredients for more satisfying, meaningful and creative Vintage Years. This fun-to-read book inspires, entertains and provides strategies to shape a vibrant future. Readers will:

​

• learn how expressing an art form maximizes brain robustness and general health

• find out why The Vintage Years are the best time in life to explore the arts

• identify life options that enhance the senior years with passion and new interests 

• meet more than twenty extraordinary women and men whose stories highlight their artists' journey—beginning in their senior years

 

The 2014 eBook version is available on all eBook platforms from eBook sellers. The Vintage Years eBook includes additional in-depth interviews, new research findings, and a chapter on singing, dancing and senior theater. It also includes a "Call to Action" section that provides a way to think about the reader’s journey by cueing their memory and preferred everyday behaviors through a series of questions to serve as a guide and help create some strategies that lead to action. 

 

PRE-PUBLICATION REVIEWS

“…Toder’s scientific acumen and the inspiration of these exceptional—yet everyday—elders will be sure to kick‐start readers’ explorations of their own late‐in‐the‐game creative potential.”

—Publishers’ Weekly (12/10/12)

“60 is the new 20! An inspiring look at the joy of learning new skills later in life.”

— Gary Marcus, Ph.D., Professor of Psychology, New York University and author of Guitar Zero: The New Musician and The Science of Learning

“I love this book! Its interviews and stories defy the ancient mores of age and inspire new beginnings and not endings.”

— Barbara Rose Brooker and author of The Viagra Diaries

“…inspirational and comprehensive…. The Vintage Years confirms my strong belief that it is never to late to learn and engage in arts and that by doing so we create a healthier, joyful, positive, more fulfilling life….”

— Biana Kovic, Cellist, Filmmaker (Virtuoso: It’s Never Too Late to Learn)

“There is little doubt that we, as a society, are in desperate need of new, optimistic and creative models of successful aging. The Vintage Years provides us with a vision of the future and ways to get there that are positive, practical, and make the future something to look forward to.”

— Louis Cozolino, Ph.D. Professor of Psychology, Pepperdine University and author of The Healthy Aging Brain

“…as its title suggests, the savor of fine wine. The Vintage Years is a brew to be sipped slowly and with appreciation; Toder brings a noticing eye to these portraits, and her gallery of "Inner Artists" is a pleasure to survey."

— Nicholas Delbanco, Professor of English, The University of Michigan and author of Lastingness: The Art of Old Age

“Toder’s book is not heavy on science; instead, it is a compilation of the engaging stories of more than twenty adults…an encouraging look at just how wrong the ideas about the aging brain have been and how joyful and life-affirming it can be to discover the artistry within—especially in the “vintage years.”

—ForeWord Reviews (Spring ’13)