Golden Years
What I've Learned from Love, Loss, and Reality TV
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- $19.99
Publisher Description
From beloved inaugural Golden Bachelor Gerry Turner, an uplifting memoir about a fresh start after heartbreak and a peek behind the reality TV curtain.
When his high school sweetheart and wife of over forty years passed away unexpectedly, Gerry Turner’s life was indelibly changed. In that moment, his and Toni’s shared vision of living out their retirement together was shattered. In the wake of this profound loss, Gerry had to move forward—for himself, for his daughters, and for Toni.
After years of grieving and uneven healing, Gerry finally felt ready to find the next woman he couldn’t live without—to help him take on new adventures and live out his golden years the way Toni would have wanted him to. When he applied to star in ABC’s The Golden Bachelor, he had no idea just how much his life was about to change.
In Golden Years, Gerry chronicles his grief after Toni’s death, his unbelievable experiences on The Golden Bachelor, and the life-altering lessons he took away from both. Rich with behind-the-scenes insights into filming the show and hard-won rules he lived by when putting himself back into the dating world, Golden Years tells Gerry Turner’s complete story for the first time.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Turner recounts his stint on The Golden Bachelor in this affable memoir. Three years after his wife of 43 years died, Turner applied for the show at the urging of his daughters and got the gig. Here, he focuses primarily on his experiences filming the show, marrying (and then divorcing) winner Theresa Nist, and navigating the inevitable backlash that comes with the reality TV spotlight. Turner's at his best when cataloging the emotional vertigo of having his first dates in decades be produced for millions of viewers: "As I slipped on a new crisp shirt and my Italian loafers for whatever insane mode of transportation awaited me," he writes, "I constantly reminded myself that I was a Midwestern bumpkin living the fantasy life of someone much richer and more fabulous." Though his aw-shucks tone mostly charms, readers may wish for a more candid approach in sections covering the contentious public reception to his and Theresa's 2024 divorce. Still, fans of the show will be thrilled by the peeks inside the reality TV circus. It adds up to a sweet testament to the difficulties and rewards of searching for love late in life.
