If No One's Looking, Do We Have to Try as Hard?: And Other Ponderings of Women Over Fifty

by Mary Hemlepp

By the time women reach their fifties, they've seen a lot of life. Many say it's the best time of their lives, filled with inner peace and contentment. For some, it's a jarring realization that their past is longer than their future. This leads them to think differently about the time they have left and what they want to do with it. In If No One's Looking, Do We Have to Try as Hard? , author Mary Hemlepp provides a snapshot of how some women over fifty think, what they look forward to, what advice they'd give to younger women, and how happy they are at this stage of life. It also includes life stories of women who've blazed trails, overcome adversity, and raised the bar. She explores issues relating to female health and fitness, relationships, finance, work life, and well-being. Based on interviews and informal discussions with hundreds of women, If No One's Looking, Do We Have to Try as Hard? communicates that getting older doesn't have to slow women down. Women over fifty are vibrant, busy women who enjoy life to the fullest.

108 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2012

Reviews

[Stephanie Dagg · Rating 4 out of 5]

If No One’s Looking, Do We Have To Try As Hard by Mary Hemlepp is a look a women’s lives once they reach fifty. It’s compulsive reading, and should probably also be compulsory reading for everyone since it gives such insights into the more mature female mindset. This is achieved with humor and a direct approach. The author starts by dismissing those prissy platitudes that are dished out so often and gets down to business at once. Yes, we’re in our fifties or beyond. Yes, most of our lives are behind us now. Yes, we can still make changes and be happy, possibly happier than we’ve ever been. There are chapters on happiness; beauty and sex appeal; health, wealth and wisdom, and worrying. Finally we have fifteen case studies that look very briefly at the lives of very different women.
Hemlepp gives us plenty of facts and figures to back up what she’s talking about in this book as well as the views of her contemporaries. This is a very slick and polished book. Whilst at times a few of the claims may not fit the reader’s profile, for example the author talks about how we all spend “thousands of dollars” on our appearance, generally the book is aimed well at its audience. The case studies are fascinating and some of them quite shocking, particularly that of an African-American woman who has struggled against society’s racist attitudes for most of her life. That puts things into perspective for the vast majority of us who might be feeling hard done by at what minor things getting older has thrown at us. So in summary, this is a very positive, inspiring and interesting book. You come away from it resolute about not “giving in to gray” but making the absolute most of being an older person.

[Bradley Scott · Rating 5 out of 5]

Author Mary Hemlepp has given voice to a once silent majority in her new book, "If No One's Looking, Do We Have To Try as Hard?" If fifty is the new forty, then that would mean women over fifty have been an overlooked force on our socio-economic radar and their time of silence has come to an end. This book is witty and informative giving us a glimpse into the lives of the women that helped to change the way women have been perceived in society since World War II. They were and continue to be pioneers for today's young women. Through research and interviews, Mary has culled information of a diverse cross section of women over fifty from around the country. The culmination of this work is a book in which these women could share their knowledge and advice to this next generation, while exposing how they are largely ignored by advertisers and the world at large as irrelevant. And that's just the first half of the book!
My favorite section of the book was the second half. The author offers up the real life stories of women over fifty. These women are mothers, sisters, daughters, grandmothers, and even the ladies in line with you at Starbucks. Their stories are the social commentary of the last half of the 20th Century up to now. These are lives of courage and overcoming personal issues and societal expectations. This is the voice of every woman and it is truly inspiring! I highly recommend this book, not only to woman over fifty, but everyone. There are nuggets of information and words to inspire that could provide any reader with "A HA" moments as another powerful fifty something woman named Oprah would say.