June 2015 book: Spring Chicken: Stay Young Forever (or Die Trying) by Bill Gifford

Amy has selected our June 2015 book. We'll be reading: Spring Chicken: Stay Young Forever (or Die Trying) by Bill Gifford. She hopes it will make for an interesting discussion.

ABOUT THE BOOK

SPRING CHICKEN is a full-throttle, high-energy ride through the latest research, popular mythology, and ancient wisdom on mankind's oldest obsession: How can we live longer? And better? In his funny, self-deprecating voice, veteran reporter Bill Gifford takes readers on a fascinating journey through the science of aging, from the obvious signs like wrinkles and baldness right down into the innermost workings of cells. We visit cutting-edge labs where scientists are working to "hack" the aging process, like purging "senescent" cells from mice to reverse the effects of aging. He'll reveal why some people live past 100 without even trying, what has happened with resveratrol, the "red wine pill" that made headlines a few years ago, how your fat tissue is trying to kill you, and how it's possible to unlock longevity-promoting pathways that are programmed into our very genes. Gifford separates the wheat from the chaff as he exposes hoaxes and scams foisted upon an aging society, and arms readers with the best possible advice on what to do, what not to do, and what life-changing treatments may be right around the corner.

An intoxicating mixture of deep reporting, fascinating science, and prescriptive takeaway, SPRING CHICKEN will reveal the extraordinary breakthroughs that may yet bring us eternal youth, while exposing dangerous deceptions that prey on the innocent and ignorant.

About the Author

Bill Gifford

 is a contributing editor for Outside Magazine and has written extensively on science, sports, health and fitness for Wired, Men’s Health, Men’s Journal, Slate, The New Republic, and Bicycling, among many other publications.

He has been features editor of Men’s Journal and executive editor of Philadelphia Magazine, and his work has been anthologized in Best American Sportswriting.

He is the author of “Spring Chicken: Stay Young Forever (Or Die Trying),” a personal investigation of the science of aging.

He is also the author of “Ledyard: In Search of the First American Explorer,” a biography of John Ledyard, the 18th-century explorer, traveler, and bon vivant.

An avid cyclist, skier, runner and eater, he lives in New York City and central Pennsylvania.

His grandmother, Doris, is nearly 100 years old, and he intends to get there, too. Or die trying.