100 Rules for Living to 100
An Optimist's Guide to a Happy Life
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- $14.99
Publisher Description
On the eve of his 100th birthday, national treasure Dick Van Dyke brings us this autobiographical collection of stories, reflections, and life advice on how he’s maintained a zest for life.
Dick Van Dyke danced his way into our hearts with iconic roles in Mary Poppins, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, and The Dick Van Dyke Show. Now, as he’s about to turn 100 years old, Dick is still dancing and approaching life with the twinkle in his eye that we’ve come to know and love. In 100 Rules for Living to 100, he reveals his secrets for maintaining your joie de vivre and making the most out of the life you’ve been given.
Through stories of his pivotal childhood, moments on film sets, his expansive family, and finding love late in life, Dick reflects on both the joyful times and the challenges that shaped him. His indefatigable spirit and positive attitude will surely inspire readers to count the blessings in their own lives, persevere through the hard times, and appreciate the beauty and complexity of being human.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Actor and comedian Van Dyke (Keep Moving) offers poignant reflections on aging and health in this affable memoir. In 100 short, discursive chapters with titles like "Figure Out Who You Aren't" and "Speak Up for Your Family," Van Dyke marries wistful recollections with folksy wisdom. "No matter our current circumstances, we all have the capacity for a joyful and purposeful life," the 99-year-old actor writes, referring to the challenges of his short-term memory loss and vision-impairing dry macular degeneration. Between gleeful anecdotes about Van Dyke's 2023 stint on The Masked Singer (he competed as a giant gnome) and rapturous odes to his wife (whom he credits as the primary reason he has not "withered away into a hermetic grouch"), the account makes space for more melancholy memories. For example, Van Dyke writes bluntly about his alcoholism ("Cocktails were all but essential for pushing through social anxiety and having some fun"); the deaths of his teenage granddaughter in 1987 and adult daughter in 2017; and anger at his emotionally distant father. Mostly, though, this is a winning celebration of life and laughter.
