At the age of 42, the author, a Beverly Hills plastic surgeon, beset by impaired vision, occasional memory problems and an aging physique, here reflects on his mortality. He presents recommendations for getting the most out of life, interspersed with thoughts about friends, sports, fame and his delight in eating well. Yuan's personal "big bang" theory is that life should be lived fully and that middle-age discontent sets in when one's mind is too quiet. While Yuan's advice is competently written and well meant, his remarks about his experiences with women express excessive self-absorption, as does his comment that "most people who know me envy me, even if just a little bit." His descriptions of plastic surgery, an "artistic discipline," and his enthusiasm for his profession are somewhat more interesting.
Copyright 1996 Cahners Business Information, Inc.
Product Description
Imagine standing in a child's room at your mid-point of life, staring into a mirror of truth and realising that the child you last saw through that looking glass now has thinning hair, bulging love handles, and an aching back. You may be halfway through life, but are you half-through living?Robin T.W. Yuan attacks mid-life and its fears with vigour, humour, and truth in a book of insightful and entertaining vignettes about foggy memory, failing vision, fading dreams, and an ageing physique. Sometimes sweet, sometimes poignant, occasionally biting, but always truthful, "Cheer Up ...You're Only Half Dead" is written with the eyes of a child, the mind of a philosopher, the artistry of a plastic surgeon, the grace of an accomplished violinist, and the insight of an enlightened middle-ager. Readers young, old, and in-between will nod with understanding and laugh with familiarity, while being encouraged to squeeze all they can out of life.