This morning I read a NY Times opinion piece and a New Yorker short story, both of which focus on growing old while having Parkinson’s.
The NY Times article (“Aging in the Key of Humor”) is primarily a plug for Michael Kinsley‘s fun new book, Old Age: A Beginner’s Guide, in which Kinsley jokes a lot about his Parkinson’s and the fact that many Baby Boomers are slated for dementia – due to Parkinson’s or something else – if they live long enough. Watch out, America! Bingo!
The New Yorker story (“Three Short Moments in a Long Life”) is a bit of a downer. As, I suppose, many New Yorker fiction pieces are. In this case, in the final part of the story, the main character is 80 years old and has Parkinson’s. He keeps wishing for some other ailment to come along – cancer, pneumonia – so he needn’t die with end-stage PD. I found it perverse, but accept it as having literary value since it’s in the New Yorker. Which, I suppose, is perverse on my part. Decide for yourself! Let me know in the comments section how you responded. Click here: Bingo!
Enjoy!
Note: You can read one chapter of Kinsley’s book here: Bingo! (It was originally an article in the New Yorker.)
