Independence Day

What I Learned About Retirement from Some Who’ve Done It and Some Who Never Will

Author: Steve Lopez

New York Times bestselling author Steve Lopez explores the meaning of work and how it defines us as he examines the true nature of a person’s time, identity, and ultimate life satisfaction.

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Summary

New York Times bestselling author Steve Lopez explores the meaning of work and how it defines us as he examines the true nature of a person’s time, identity, and ultimate life satisfaction.

Description

"Steve Lopez is insightful, ingenious, and often hilarious as he navigates one of life's biggest questions." --Michael Connelly, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Dark Hours

Four-time Pulitzer Prize finalist and longtime Los Angeles Times columnist Steve Lopez explores the meaning of work and how it defines us in this captivating book that combines memoir, investigatory interviews, and practical application.

Grappling with his own decision of whether to retire, Lopez uses his reporter skills not only to look inward but also to interview experts and peers to collect a variety of perspectives as he examines the true nature of a person’s time, identity, and ultimate life satisfaction.

In Independence Day, Lopez talks to those who have chosen to extend their working life to its (il)logical extreme--people like Mel Brooks, still working at 94--those who have happily retired and reinvented themselves outside of the constraints of work, and those who would like to retire but can't because of financial constraints. He also turns to professionals on the matter, like two aging scientists, a geriatric specialist, and a psychiatrist, to understand the research-based reasons to retire.

With his trademark poignancy, wisdom, and humor, Lopez establishes a useful polemic for himself and others in planning ahead, as he also evaluates questions of identity, financial limitations, and ultimately what to do with your life when the obituary pages are no longer filled with strangers.

Critic Reviews

“'Steve Lopez has written a wise, witty and wonderful book on the question of retirement -- something I'll never do unless I'm forced to by the comedy authorities. However, unlike me, if you're considering it, READ THIS BOOK!'”

'I recommend this book to anybody. Not just a bunch of 67-year-olds.' Duff McDonald, The Tickle Yourself Podcast: Retirement and the Present Moment
Mel Brooks, actor, comedian, and filmmaker
'Hugely entertaining and informative, personal and universal, fun and funny, wise and beautifully written, 'Independence Day' is essential reading for anyone contemplating -- or not contemplating -- retirement. It's about why we work and how we live and all that does and does not change as we age.' Dr. Louise Aronson, geriatrician, author of NYT-bestselling book “Elderhood: Redefining Aging, Transforming Medicine, Reimagining Life,” a Pulitzer Prize finalist
'In Independence Day, Steve Lopez offers us a master class in decision making. To a brilliant storyteller like Steve, a dry list of pros and cons simply won't suffice. Instead his personal quest becomes a journey of wisdom and soul-searching for us all. This is not only a book for anyone contemplating retirement, it is a book for all of us seeking the courage to make a change with insight and grace.' Rabbi Naomi Levy, author of Einstein and the Rabbi, founder of Nashuva
'Steve Lopez is a national treasure. He tackles the question of retirement with the humility, wit and lacerating insight that long ago made him America's best newspaper columnist. This is a smorgasbord of characters, incidents, and ideas, charming, funny, and often quite moving. It will make you think. It is an essential guide for all of us in life's gun lap, deciding whether to speed up, slow down, or wander happily off the track to trace patterns in the clouds.' Mark Bowden, contributing writer for The Atlantic, author of Black Hawk Down and Killing Pablo
'Steve Lopez is insightful, ingenious, and often hilarious as he navigates one of life's biggest questions. Independence Day should be read by every boomer on the same path and wondering what comes next.' Michael Connelly, New York Times bestselling author of The Dark Hours
'This is a work full of meaning for everyone measuring the days until they put down the tools of whatever trade they ply and walk off into the last quarter of life. It's proof that Steve Lopez should keep working because he's really good at what he does.' Mike Barnicle, Morning Joe Contributor and former Boston Globe columnist

About the Author

Steve Lopez has been a Los Angeles Times columnist since 2001 and is a four-time Pulitzer Prize finalist for commentary. He is the author of three novels, two collections of columns, and the New York Times bestseller and winner of the PEN USA Literary Award for Nonfiction, The Soloist. Additionally, Lopez's television reporting for public station KCET has won three local news Emmys and a share of the Columbia University DuPont Award.