Women Rowing North by Mary Pipher

I have been discussing WOMEN ROWING NORTH by Mary Pipher (Reviving Ophelia) with several staff members recently. Most of us had also read her piece, “The Joy of Being a Woman in Her 70s,” in The New York Times. There, she writes about the decades we have had to build resilience, noting, “Our happiness is built by attitude and intention.” Similar reflections appear in WOMEN ROWING NORTH which is subtitled “Navigating Life's Currents and Flourishing as We Age.” Pipher’s advice includes the importance of gratitude and fighting isolation by finding meaning in one’s life. She says, for example, “Our growth requires us to become skilled in perspective taking, in managing our emotions, in crafting positive narratives, and in forming intimate relationships. … building joy, gratitude, and meaning into every day.”

In a recent Wall Street Journal interview about her new book, Pipher comments that “in the title of the book, ‘north’ refers to winter and ‘rowing’ refers to the fact that it’s an effort, and if you are going to stay on course at this age you have to work hard. … If we don’t add new chunks of identity, if we don’t grow better, we grow bitter.” WOMEN ROWING NORTH received starred reviews from Library Journal and Publishers Weekly (“a work chock-full of wisdom and consoling messages”).  Oh, and look for an updated (25th anniversary!) edition of Reviving Ophelia which is scheduled for release in June, 2019.