The Book of Charlie

TheBookgeekFrau

The Book of Charlie: Wisdom from the Remarkable American Life of a 109-Year-Old Man | David Von Drehle

Favorite of May: The Book of Charlie

#2025ReadingBracket

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TheBookgeekFrau

The Book of Charlie: Wisdom from the Remarkable American Life of a 109-Year-Old Man | David Von Drehle

pick

From before radio to the smartphone how the world changed and one man exemplified going with the flow. Highly recommended!

37/80

#BookSpinBingo @TheAromaofBooks

#MonthlyNonfiction2025 @julieclair

#ReadingMyTBR #Reading2025 @DieAReader

DieAReader 🎉Excellent!! 1w

TheAromaofBooks Woohoo!! 1w

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TheBookgeekFrau

The Book of Charlie: Wisdom from the Remarkable American Life of a 109-Year-Old Man | David Von Drehle

Swapping out my #DoubleSpin #MonthlyNonfiction2025 for a #BookSpinBingo nonfiction because mood reading 😂

TheAromaofBooks, julieclair

TheAromaofBooks Gotta go where the reading winds take you 😂 2w

TheBookgeekFrau @TheAromaofBooks Exactly!! 😁 2w

julieclair Flexibility is wonderful! 😊 2w

TheBookgeekFrau @julieclair It's better than moodiness 🤣 2w

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Robotswithpersonality

The Book of Charlie: Wisdom from the Remarkable American Life of a 109-Year-Old Man | David Von Drehle

pan

Okay, how do I put this delicately? I would much rather have had a) the story of this man's life written by someone else and b) a pamphlet consolidating Charlie's direct wisdom and any reasonable distillation of his life experience as teachings, because I'm pretty sure that's all the space that's actually required. 1/?

Robotswithpersonality 2/? Not only did the author feel it necessary to put in a fair amount of his own filtering and filler with opinions and historical facts which at a stretch might be considered context for the life events of Charlie White, but he went into what I consider to be gratuitous detail regarding the death of Charlie's father and his first wife. Maybe it's worth flagging that the nature retreat he went on as a boy may have included the trauma of sexual 2mo

Robotswithpersonality 3/? assault that Charlie didn't want to acknowledge, but I feel really weird about my perception that the author attempted to mortph that into a lesson of resilience. I'll be honest, Charlie's mom may have been a bit neglectful because as a single mother of that many kids she didn't have a choice, but I struggle to see any of the youthful experiences related as anything more than lucky escapes rather than adventures that teach bravery 2mo

Robotswithpersonality 4/? in the context of a mother who granted her son the gift of early responsibility and independence.
Despite championing Stoicism, the author doesn't wander too far into the 'rugged individualism' that has toxified modern American society, but I fear that interpretation is up for grabs among a biased readership.
The premise of writing a book to aid your kids in navigating the future based on how a man in the past navigated big changes hasmerit (edited) 2mo

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Robotswithpersonality 5/? is even heartwarming, but the tone of the book is uneven, to say the least.
Among the many tales of being a doctor in the earlier years of the twentieth century, the intern stories are appalling, while the realities of medical breakthroughs quickly falling to the wayside, leading to an understanding of IID, Iterative Incremental Development as a way to approach change seems valuable. The part where Charlie seemed to council on the side of 2mo

Robotswithpersonality 6/7 callousness when it came to ailing loved ones, including one of his wives dying of cancer, not so much.
I think if you're looking for general life wisdom, there are better sources. I think if you're looking for the story of a spectacular life lived across a recent swath of history, you should be prepared for a bunch of distressing moments, and to feel ambiguous about the subject at the end of it. 2mo

Robotswithpersonality 7/7 ⚠️child SA, mental health concerns, details of medical procedures, loss of loved one by cancer 2mo

GingerAntics Eh, this does not sound good! 2mo

marleed Oof! My IRL KC-based bookclub read this last year. I was one of only two (other being the host who recommended it) that liked it at all. I found the KC history interesting. Also my maternal grandfather went to med school in Chicago during that time. Both he and my mother have long since passed and this has me curious about his medical training. I always thought it a big deal he was plucked from Montana mines for medical school - but maybe not🧐 2mo

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marleed

The Book of Charlie: Wisdom from the Remarkable American Life of a 109-Year-Old Man | David Von Drehle

pick

Charlie White passed away on his 109th birthday in 2014. The author was neighbor and friend to this centurion and was regaled with 100 years of memories. I loved reading this but realize I‘m biased because there is many a Kansas City reference here. Also, my grandfather was a medical doctor (wish I knew his professional story better now) in the same era as Charlie so I found his description of pre vs post WWII doctoring fascinating.

Gabbymags123 Wow this book sounds fantastic 13mo

marleed @Gabbymags123 I really enjoyed it (recognizing my unique interests)! My IRL bookclub met last night (in Kansas City!) to discuss it. I was expecting everyone to love it but 3/4 the group didn‘t think Charlie (for various reasons) deserved this published book of praise. But when I think about it, my bookclub seldom concurs, as a whole, on the stars for NF 1st-person account books we‘ve selected for discussion - which makes for good discussion! 13mo

Gabbymags123 Have not read yet…. lol the list gets longer! 11mo

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Yenya1954

The Book of Charlie: Wisdom from the Remarkable American Life of a 109-Year-Old Man | David Von Drehle

pick

I really enjoyed The book of Charlie. I believe Charlie enjoyed life even when things weren‘t perfect. He figured out how to be successful in life after the untimely and tragic death of his father. He seemed to find ways to work for his goals. I almost felt as if I knew Charlie by the end of his life. If you‘re looking for a very good true story of a remarkable man, you won‘t be disappointed. 4.5/5

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Lcsmcat

The Book of Charlie: Wisdom from the Remarkable American Life of a 109-Year-Old Man | David Von Drehle

pick

I enjoyed this look at a long life well lived. There was a bit philosophy, a bit of adventure, and an attempt by the author to distill wisdom from this life to pass down to his own children.

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NovelNancyM

The Book of Charlie: Wisdom from the Remarkable American Life of a 109-Year-Old Man | David Von Drehle

pick

Written by a journalist, this is the story of Dr. Charlie White, born in 1905 who lived to be 109! Charlie's life was filled with heartbreak, resilience, optimism and in his words, luck. Such an interesting read that reflects on all the changes that occurred over such a long lifespan.

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Sara_Planz

The Book of Charlie: Wisdom from the Remarkable American Life of a 109-Year-Old Man | David Von Drehle

pick

David von Drehle moved to Kansas and found that his neighbor across the street was over 100 years years old. He starts to get to know Charlie, his family, and his remarkable life story. Charlie's life is one that mirrors the growth of the this country. The loss of his father, the Depression, the advent of the automobile, wars and his own medical education. His life and loves are chronicled in a way that allows the reader to chart history.

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kelli7990

The Book of Charlie: Wisdom from the Remarkable American Life of a 109-Year-Old Man | David Von Drehle

I‘m sharing this book I received in the mail today. This book is from Simon & Schuster. This book sounds interesting. I‘m looking forward to reading it.

On Sale: May 23, 2023 (That‘s today‘s date.)

#bookmail #happypublicationday

simonbooks

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