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A review by reads2cope
The Blue Zones: Lessons for Living Longer From the People Who've Lived the Longest by Dan Buettner
An interesting read, chosen by my partner on a road trip. Some of the advice was contradictory, and like some similar self-help longevity books, over-simplified. Alcohol is a killer, but you should drink red wine every night. Sun exposure can age and cause you cancer, but you should get a lot of sun exposure for the vitamin D. Stress is terrible for your health, but many of those interviewed survived traumatic wars and periods of poverty and other intense stresses.
Maybe it’s inherent in interviewing people who have lived so long, but the descriptions of the centenarians made me cringe with how they were othered and exoticised.
It also felt a little rude, the number of times the author was invited to stay for a meal and refused. I was curious how much research he did into each culture before he arrived at each location.
Finally, super weird to hear the Seventh Day Adventist lifestyle praised without criticism or much context at all. The most bland and example was talking about Kellogg without mentioning any of his eugenicist beliefs!
Maybe it’s inherent in interviewing people who have lived so long, but the descriptions of the centenarians made me cringe with how they were othered and exoticised.
It also felt a little rude, the number of times the author was invited to stay for a meal and refused. I was curious how much research he did into each culture before he arrived at each location.
Finally, super weird to hear the Seventh Day Adventist lifestyle praised without criticism or much context at all. The most bland and example was talking about Kellogg without mentioning any of his eugenicist beliefs!