Books by Pamela D. Blair

 

The much acclaimed book endorsed by the National Association of Baby Boomer Women and in Amazon.com's Top 100 Books in its category.

The Next Fifty Years:  A Guide for Women at Midlife and Beyond, by Pamela D. Blair, Ph.D.

“...this book began because I needed to read it.”

The Next Fifty Years contains over 150 short essays on a broad range of topics that are of particular interest and importance to women as they age.  Some of the essays deal with serious issues, others are meant to be entertaining and lighthearted.  As you read, you may laugh, you may cry, but most importantly you will realize that you are not alone.  Each essay is followed by questions with space to write in your reactions, feelings and/or what actions you might need to take.  Studies suggest that writing exercises such as these, which focus on deep thoughts and feelings about life events, can even reduce arthritic symptoms and increase immune function in healthy people.  Writing out thoughts and feelings also significantly improves the health of those with chronic illness. 

The Next Fifty Years also includes a study guide designed to assist book groups in providing a meaningful forum for the discussion of personal experiences and concerns.

Depending on where you are in your personal journey, a few of the topics may not be relevant to you.  Some may be difficult as you are encouraged to look at issues often ignored.  The topic may apply to you today or may apply to you in the future. You may choose to read the ones that relate to you at this time in your life and skip the ones that do not apply to you now.   For instance, you may not be a grandmother or a mother, so you would skip the essays on that topic.  You are encouraged to respond honestly.  Allow time for reflection on each topic and give yourself time to thoughtfully answer the questions.

The Next Fifty Years is designed to take you through a process of understanding yourself in relation to aging. The book promises to present the more hopeful, exciting and interesting aspects of aging alongside the more difficult ones.  It will encourage you to reinvent and re-vision yourself.  The first section, Our Thoughts, Attitudes and Cultural Myths, provides an overview of the wide spectrum of beliefs held by women and imposed by society regarding the aging process.   The second section deals with the inner life of self image, mind, emotion, fear, spirit and creativity.  Section III guides the reader  through examining love and relationships with friends and family, how we live, work and play, and manage our finances.  The final section, Looking Forward, explores ways to take the experiences and lessons of the first fifty years and use them to plan for the next fifty.

The Next Fifty Years is intended to be used as a personal journal---for your eyes only.  However, it can also be thought of as a written legacy that when completed, could be handed down to your daughters or to any younger woman with whom you have a relationship.  As you work through your feelings and write out your thoughts in the space provided, you will gain creative, practical ideas for your future.  You will gain deeper insight into how you might, with personal integrity, structure your next fifty years.

Some reviews from Amazon.com:

 
4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:
The Next Fifty Years: A Guide for Women at Mid-Life And Beyond, July 17, 2007
By  Dr. Tami Brady "Founder of Allies of Hope" (Calgary, Canada) - See all my reviews

The Next Fifty Years: A Guide for Women at Midlife and Beyond is a must have reference and guide for women over fifty years old. This book contains articles, reference material, and practical exercise on every imaginable subject from the self image and emotions through the spiritual and the creative self to dealing with family and personal finances. Each of these sections comes complete with meaningful quotes, first hand accounts from other fifty plus women, and a series of questions that the reader can ask herself relating to these important subjects. This book also comes with a study guide.

The Next Fifty Years: A Guide for Women at Midlife and Beyond is extremely complete. This book covers every possible topic that the reader could ever have imagined and a few they probably never knew existed. More importantly though, this book also details a lot of those questions we'd all like to ask or those feelings that we could never feel comfortable enough to share with friends or family. Complete empowerment for women.
 

 

 
8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
I turned 50 in February., April 8, 2007
By  Dorothy Patton (Las Vegas, Nevada) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Excellent read. I bought several books on "turning 50 etc." This is the BEST. I'm sending it to my girlfriend, who turns 50 in April. It is a book about reality and the future and real people. Read it you will see you are not alone.
 

 

 
12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:
I Love This Book!!!, March 30, 2007
By  Debra Cerbini (Westchester, NY, USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Picture sitting down to tea on a warm sunny porch in early spring with your favorite Aunt. She's honest, witty, full of important information delivered with love and affection which helps pave the way for your continuing growth and development. With The Next Fifty Years, Pamela Blair has officially become one of my favorite aunts, gently guiding me through the challenges of midlife with grace and humor. The essays, on every topic imaginable, are beautifully written and punctuated with fabulous quotes from women only. At the end of each essay, wonderfully thought-provoking questions transform this book into an interactive conversation where my journaled responses become part of the journey. Order this book, put the kettle on and pull up a cozy chair - you'll be glad you did!
 

 

 
13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:
Helpful, Thoughtful, August 18, 2006
By  Sari Martin (Somers, NY United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

The Next Fifty Years is witty, smart, thoughtful, down to earth and yet
spiritual in it's gentleness. A perfect interactive workbook for my
midlife and older clients who are always looking to find and accept
their truth, improve their self esteem and be supported. Thank you,
Pamela Blair for your helpful guidance.
 

 

 
25 of 26 people found the following review helpful:
A think-and-do book for cronehood, January 27, 2006
By  Mary-Minn Sirag (Eugene, OR USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This book is well timed for the crossing over of us baby-boomer women into the seemingly formidable midlife threshold. It is a fun read that entices its reader to accompany-and, years hence, to revisit-it into a ripe and rich old age that (we like to think) makes the young-and-promising positively tremble with eager anticipation and even a little envy.
As our youth recedes, we gain in wisdom-or so we fervently hope. This book provides a nice direction on topics to start cogitating about, if we aren't already saying "me too" at their very mention. Both held true for this 50-something reviewer.
The journaling pages add a new dimension to the author's musings and down-to-earth advice about how aging affects cultural attitudes, relationship to self and others in our lives, and logistical concerns. The think-and-do format seems designed for those of us (such as myself) who whittle away seeming eternities in waiting rooms ripping out and filling in self-diagnostic tests from women's magazines. This book is written with avid readers of women's magazines in mind.
This format helps with journaling, an increasingly valuable skill to those whose need for verbal processing exceeds the capacity of even our closest friends, therapists, not to mention our sanity.
Ms. Blair offers much practical wisdom on stress management, the more than occasional need to say "no", how to prune out obsolete junk and simplify-even how to sell your house and create a more comfortable and manageable living space for yourself. The author takes some of the sting out of certain unpleasantries-such as the death of loved ones, working retirement, parenting "old" children, employers' prejudices against older workers-by articulating and describing them, and creating a guided journal entry. Her tone is warm and motherly without being scolding or condescending. I would have liked more information on the logistics around the deaths of parents, but no reviewer can have everything.
It works best to take in this book as a self-paced mini-course, pausing at your leisure to dialogue with the author by filling in the journal entries as you journey through it. Though the content builds on itself, the table of contents' organization and the self-contained coherence of each chapter makes for a nice nibbler too.
 

 

 
14 of 15 people found the following review helpful:
A Winner!, November 8, 2005
By  Melinda M. Mouquin "Melinda Martin" (NY) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This is a winner! Wise, pertinent advice for all women who are
aging- every topic covered to enable graceful, joyful, healthy,
sexy aging with ample opportunity to record personal thoughts.
Includes a useful format for workshops. Is is an outstanding
all inclusive compendium for all women. Buy it today!
 

 

 
29 of 29 people found the following review helpful:
SHATTER YOUR AGING MYTHS, September 25, 2005
By  Patricia Dewitt "Patricia D." (Tucson, Az.) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This book has indeed encouraged me to re-envision my life for the years ahead. The essays by women who are successfully aging are short. There is room after each essay for journaling, answering specific question about the essay. This has made it possible for me to explore my beliefs about aging. I have made the book my own and have actually written on every page. The wide margins encourage note taking. Usually I will write in pencil so my material can be erased. In this book my comments are in ink. I have claimed the book as my own.
It is a book that I will give to my friends who are stuck in the myths of aging.
After reading this I know that I do not have to age like my Mother or Grandmother. My age now is 68 and I know now that I have many fulfilling years ahead of me.
This is the first interactive book i have seen on aging.
 

 

  Send me your thoughts on The Next Fifty Years

Inspirations for the Next Fifty Years, a new CD based on the book.  Click here for details.

 

 "Where does sudden loss take us?  It takes us to places we never asked to visit.  It takes us on uncharted, mysterious, unfamiliar journeys to the depths of our souls, where we clatter and crash about, slog through the molasses of grief and come out the other side.  That's all.  I am here to tell you that one can survive that mess and come out the other side and that although death surely ends a life, it never ends a relationship."  Excerpt from I Wasn't Ready to Say Goodbye:  Surviving, Coping & Healing After the Sudden Death of a Loved One, by Brook Noel & Pamela D. Blair, Ph.D., Champion Press, Ltd. 2000

 I Wasn't Ready to Say Goodbye:  Surviving, Coping & Healing After the Sudden Death of a Loved One, The Updated Classic by Brook Noel & Pamela D. Blair, Ph.D., Sourcebooks, Inc. 2008
This bestselling book has become an anchor for thousands who are navigating grief's journey after the unexpected death of someone they love. The Companion Workbook helps grievers explore their feelings and emotions and cope with grief's grip.  This is the first book to explore tragic and sudden loss, authored by two women who have lost someone firsthand. Featured on ABC World News, Fox and Friends and many other shows, this book acts as a touchstone of sanity through difficult times. The authors interview other tragedy survivors, share their own stories and provide over 30 pages of resources. They cover such difficult topics as the first few weeks, suicide, death of a child, when a body isn’t found, children and grief, funerals and rituals, physical effects, homicide, depression and many other subjects.

Excerpt from Chapter 14, The Loss of a Partner

 

 I Wasn't Ready to Say Goodbye:  Surviving, Coping & Healing After the Sudden Death of a Loved One, by Brook Noel & Pamela D. Blair, Ph.D.

A Companion Workbook, Sourcebooks, Inc. 2008

 

 

Living with Grief:  A Guide for Your First Year of Grieving, by Brook Noel & Pamela D. Blair, Ph.D., Sourcebooks, Inc., 2004

We can never truly be prepared for the death of a loved one.  In the wake of grief, we face a whirlwind of emotions, pain and physical symptoms. Best-selling grief authors Brook Noel and Pamela D. Blair, Ph.D. share the wisdom they have gleaned from their own personal experience and from working with hundreds of people who have survived loss. In this caring and compassionate guide, the authors walk you through the complicated emotions of grief's first year and offer a hand to hold in your time of need.  Let this book be your anchor as you embark on your own pathway through grief. 

You're Not Alone:  Resources to Help You Through Your Grief Journey by Brook Noel with Pamela D. Blair, Ph.D., Sourcebooks, Inc.

While we may feel alone in our grief, there are hundreds of books, groups and resources that can help us.  This book offers a comprehensive list of such resources, along with short reviews that highlight their many offerings.