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Shane Flynn's Reviews > Outlive: The Science & Art of Longevity
Outlive: The Science & Art of Longevity
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by
This book has sections that contain invaluable information. But as a book it's 5x too long.
I saw this line in the acknowledgments section:
"my then publisher said my draft was too technical and lacked any sense of me as a person and my own journey to understanding the importance of longevity."
I wish publishers would stop this approach. Non-fiction books don't need a hero's journey. Often readers simply want the information. Adding a narrative just dilutes and prolongs the book.
I saw this line in the acknowledgments section:
"my then publisher said my draft was too technical and lacked any sense of me as a person and my own journey to understanding the importance of longevity."
I wish publishers would stop this approach. Non-fiction books don't need a hero's journey. Often readers simply want the information. Adding a narrative just dilutes and prolongs the book.
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Reading Progress
April 3, 2023
–
Started Reading
April 3, 2023
– Shelved
April 16, 2023
–
Finished Reading
Comments Showing 1-16 of 16 (16 new)
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Austin
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Jun 13, 2023 11:58AM
Yeah honestly Peter with no editor is probably 10x better.
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Wait'll this guy finds out that nobody's forcing him to read sections he doesn't want to
Wow! I had been looking forward to this book. Bummed.
Totally agree. Just want the info, not the personal history.
I keep hoping to find a TL;DR because I can barely make it through a few pages at a time!
Is this why we had to keep reading sentences that start with, “that’s why I [insert activity] daily for one hour”? Because if so, agree 100%. It was better as research and without the hero journey.
Surely you could read a medical textbook or scientific articles if you want that?
Well, Some people actually like reading......
Everything now is personal Art maths OMG
😱
Many are now being “canceled” because personally they are not politically correct
SICK OF IT !
Exactly. It's like finding a recipe on a food blog and you have to read through 3 pages of what the author should discuss with a therapist before you get to the ingredients...
I appreciated the detail provided about exercise, metabolic problems, cancer, etc. Too many health and diet books just tell you what to do and not why you should do it. His section about how diet research is often poor and misleading was especially appreciated, as was his recognition that there is no diet that works best for everyone.I didn't give it five stars because the section about emotional health was a radical turn from the scientific approach of the rest of the book.
I’m still reading it (about 75% of the way through so can’t comment on the emotional health section) but I agree with Jay in that the general information on lifestyle factors and conditions actually aids in the delivery of the actionable points. There is an incredible amount of what to do out there so I appreciate Attia’s attention to the “why though?” question
The only thing I liked about the book was the technical stuff
This is why I hate books written by journalists. They come from a culture where you can't start an article without some fucking personal vignette to establish "human interest."
I disagree, I digest and remember information much better when it's woven into relevant stories and engaging narrative.
