Why Biogerontologists Should Not Write Popular Books on Aging
Abstract
Book Reviews. Robert H. Binstock, PhD, Editor Cheating Time: Science, Sex, and Aging, by Roger Gosden. W. H. Freeman & Company, New York, 1996, 427 pp., $23.95 (cloth). The Clock of Ages: Why We Age, How We Age, Winding Back the Clock, by John J. Medina. Cambridge University Press, New York, 1996, 322 pp., no price listed (cloth). The Longevity Strategy: How to Live to 100 Using the Brain-Body Connection, by David Mahoney and Richard Restak. John Wiley and Sons, Inc., New York, 1998, 250 pp., $22.95 (cloth). Why We Age: What Science Is Discovering About the Body's Journey Through Life, by Steven N. Austad. John Wiley and Sons, Inc., New York, 1997, 244 pp., $24.95 (cloth). One of many things that distinguishes biogerontology from other sciences is that any citizen who has something to say about the subject usually can get it published. I don't know about you, but I wouldn't nave the chutzpah to think about writing a book on the current status of nuclear physics, corporate management, or microchip manufacture. Even if I did, I doubt that any sane publisher would risk its money publishing it. Yet, historically, lack of credentials has never inhibited anyone