Tag: health

Title: How Not to Become a Grumpy Old Bugger – A Bloke’s Guide to Living a Better Life

Author: Geoff Hutchison

Publisher: Affirm Press, 2025; RRP: $36.99

Review by: Frank Thompson, Ballarat Writers Inc. book review group

Geoff Hutchison is a retired ABC journalist, and broadcaster. At one time he was associated with the 7.30 Report and was a Foreign Correspondent reporter.

This book is about men, well, blokes, mostly older ones. Despite this, it is not exclusively for men. Wives, partners, family, and friends or anyone who knows someone with a grumpy disposition would find this book a guide to greater understanding. It begs the question, is there an opening for a book about grumpiness in women?

Geoff has written this book in a conversational, interviewer, broadcasting style. Initially, I found this a little off-putting. However, full marks for doing something different. I didn’t see any point in being grumpy about it, and eventually I warmed to it. Which I guess is what a lot of the book  is about.

The first chapter of the book asks if men are in crisis, which is also the title of the chapter. Geoff starts with a story about a time when he asked his father if he was happy and got the reply, “No, not really”.  The implication is that his father’s stoic unhappiness is intrinsically linked to grumpiness.

What follows is a discussion highlighting the move away from seeing men as the solitary breadwinners, defenders, and patriarchs. A move many men find difficult, and a major cause of grumpiness. However, change is inevitable; society and societal values are constantly shifting.

Geoff uses his own life experiences and relationships as starting points for various subtopics. He also draws on contacts from his ABC days to provide subject matter expertise. This is often presented as summarised/edited conversations. Contributors include author of Boys to Men and men’s counsellor Maggie Dent, Nick Bruining on money and finances, and for the delicate topic of sex, he consulted Dr Michael, a seventy-something specialist in male functionality.

The book does not include a list of contributors/interviewees. This is possibly because some wished to remain anonymous. The GPs he talked to about men visiting their doctors chose to use nom de plumes. However, at the end of the book there is a list of resources for anyone needing to talk to someone about their mental health or wellbeing.

Listen to Geoff Atchison introduce How Not to Become a Grumpy Old Bugger

@ Google Play Books

One of his sons gets a chapter to himself, giving a perspective from the younger generation.

Male violence, mostly violence towards women, gets suitable coverage. This is a complex topic, more than a book like this can fully explore. He is explicit about there being no excuse for violence against women. However, he does not let the subject overshadow the rest of the book.

Many of the themes and topics are familiar, for example, lack of purpose after retirement, many men’s reluctance to talk to a doctor, and men’s inability to share emotions and suffer in silence – except they aren’t always silent.  

I thought key messages in this book included: men need to learn to participate more in all aspects of life and living, participation is a two-way process, men should engage with partners and family more constructively, as well as with mates and the community, and be tolerant of change (they might find they like it).

Geoff is light-hearted in his rendering of the issues affecting men, but always respectful and tactful. Hopefully this will encourage those who need this book the most to read it.

Title: So You Want to Live Younger Longer?

Author: Dr Norman Swan

Publisher: Hachette, July 2022; RRP: $34.99

Dr Norman Swan has become well known in Australia over the past three years as a prominent Covid advisor and commentator. He is the host of Radio National’s Health Report and co-host of the acclaimed Coronacast. Dr Swan’s an award-winning broadcaster, investigative journalist and producer.

So You Want to Live Younger Longer is a book that covers a wide range of topics about health as we, as a community and culture, age. He not only focuses on older people but looks in detail at what people of all ages can do to maximise living healthier and feeling younger into their older age. This is not necessarily a book about finding the perfect recipe for beating the clock; it’s a book that looks at all aspects of longevity and health over generations. It’s a body of work that balances the broad aspects of health, genetics, lifestyles, age, and culture.

The book is presented in 10 parts which makes it easy to read. Statistics and research are used engagingly to broaden and reinforce what is known and what is still being suspected or worked on. The author explores a range of general health aspects: diet and its relationship to cultural and family background, poverty and postcodes most likely to have good and poor nutritional outcomes, family genetics, mental health, and the broader healthcare system issues.

Dr Norman Swan on knowing what’s good for you

@ the hawke centre, 2021

Food, and the many different diets and approaches, are explored in a refreshing and extensive manner backed up by recent studies and research. The section on medication and pills is fascinating and well substantiated. Exercise and its benefits and relationship to staying younger as we age is enlightening and an eye opener for those of us who are less than active.  As expected, ‘Bugs, Bowels and Hormones’ in part five provides fascinating reading. There is also a small section on plastic surgery which talks briefly about the stigma of ageing, particularly for women.

There is a substantial part of the book that provides information, some detailed, on general health issues, from high blood pressure to ‘fatness’ measures, alcohol, and sex. Mental health is addressed under the label of ‘Does the Mind Matter?’ Mental wellness and its relationship to living younger longer is explored, whilst the issues of sleep and its often-overlooked importance produces surprising findings.

On a practical level there is a wonderful guide called ‘Here’s what to do in your twenties’,  Also included is what to do in your thirties, forties, fifties, sixties, seventies, eighties, and nineties. These parts are instructive and encouraging. The book focuses on prevention and avoiding pitfalls in relation to general health. Norman Swan says it’s ‘hard to live younger longer if you die of a preventable disease first’.

The end note is a short nod to current environmental changes and the abuse of medicine. Swan is quick to point out the threats to our planet and the consequence of not doing enough to address environmental issues. He says, ‘So you want to live younger longer? We know how. Just gotta do it.’

This non-fiction book is professionally written with humour and wit as well as a down-to-earth approach from a practitioner who understands the difficulties surrounding remaining healthy and ensuring we live as young as we can for as long as we can. Reading this account was reassuring and educative. For those inclined to want more reading on the topics raised in the book, the notes and the index at the back of the book span 50 pages.

Dr Norman Swan writes as entertainingly as he broadcasts. His voice is confident and trustworthy, especially when he deals with tough health messages many of us would prefer not to know about.

Reviewed by: Heather Whitford Roche

Ballarat Writers Book Review Group July 2022

Review copy provided by the publisher