Two old Broads

by M.E. Hecht, Whoopi Goldberg

Written by renowned surgeon and expert on the art of aging, Dr. M.E. Hecht, with her friend Whoopi Goldberg lending her unique point of view, Two Old Broads is laugh out loud funny and?tells it like it is for all of us who left middle age in the dust and want to be present, positive, and as extraordinary as ever in our golden years.

Whoopi joins Dr. Hecht in a lively conversation about growing older with no apologies. Dr. Hecht, who passed away a few short months prior to publication, shares her 93 years of wisdom with Whoopi and their fellow "broads." Together, these two kindred spirits will help you:


stay active physically and mentally
make finalizing your will more rewarding than it sounds
navigate tricky subjects, such as whether you need a home aide
win friends and influence people or take a nap, depending on the day
discover joy in relationships even when your excretions outweigh your secretions
get up financially, physically, and emotionally after a fall
keep a sense of humor about getting older (of course!)
Imminently practical and?rooted firmly in the adage that getting older is not for sissies, Two Old Broads is the aging book for the ages. You've survived the past; why not embrace the present and prepare for the future so you thrive and find more time to laugh along the way?

Genres: Nonfiction, Self Help, Audiobook, Biography, Memoir, Health, Feminism

240 pages, Hardcover

Published November 8, 2022

Reviews

[Krista · Rating 2 out of 5]

So . . . is a Broad:
Feisty? You bet.
Fun? You bet.
Gutsy? You bet.
Incisive? You bet.
Original? You bet.
Even off color? You bet.
Call me a Broad? Please!
Call you a Broad? Consider this your invitation to join the club!

With a subtitle like “Stuff You Need to Know That You Didn’t Know You Needed to Know”, I expected Two Old Broads to contain some hidden wisdom about ageing from a woman’s perspective; and having Whoopi Goldberg as a coauthor (along with nonagenarian MD, M. E. Hecht), I expected it to have some degree of entertainment value. But I was wrong on both counts. The advice given is very basic, the humour is strained, and the tone is superior and argumentative: more than anything, this seems to be Hecht’s advice for how to remain independent and relevant in the face of one’s family or society’s best-intentioned efforts to put you out to pasture — and as money doesn’t seem to be an object for either of the authors, I don’t see how their advice relates to the average reader — with Whoopi intermittently throwing in her own “two cents” on a topic. Not recommended for anyone. (Note: I read an ARC through NetGalley and passages quoted may not be in their final forms.)

I’m not inclined to record much more than some passages that annoyed me for one reason or another. I found Hecht (despite having been a ground-breaking female orthopaedic surgeon; all respect for that) to be so unrelatable with her stories of using a personal shopper several times a year at Saks Fifth Avenue to remain fashionable throughout her career (she and Whoopi met at a show during New York Fashion Week) or how she noted when she was a child that the butler always humoured an eccentric old aunt’s quirks or even how she refused to accept patients if they said that they only sought her out because they “found my name on a popular magazine’s list of best surgeons”. Her pearls of wisdom for the reader included:

• You don’t have to retire from fashionable, appealing, or even sexy apparel because you’re over sixty. Beware: if you do, you’ll be asking for a pitying look, slower service, and never a “Good to see you.”

• You can gift your near and dear (especially the younger generation) with your wisdom. You may have to adjust the language you use by sprinkling in some digital mentions, hip phrases, or references to popular phone apps, but speak from the experience you’ve gained.

• Despite my stupidity in evoking the injury, I grant that I had some advantages in this situation: a hospital where I’d been on staff that gave me preferred status to receive an early surgery; a nursing and technical staff that handled one of their own with kid gloves; immediate attention; my choice of surgeon; and a private room.

At one point, when discussing how she shuts down conversations in which she feels the other is being condescending, Hecht writes, “I am known to use so-called ‘genius words’ in English, German, French, or Latin that few people understand. Others don’t have to know exactly what I’m saying to know they’re on the receiving end of my temper.” And that seems to explain why, throughout, Hecht uses vocabulary that doesn’t necessarily add to plain comprehension. She uses phrases like “Skipping a day or two won’t ablate their benefit” and “apelike four-limb ambulation”, but perhaps most tellingly, she uses the obscure word “armamentarium” in four different instances, which really seems to highlight Hecht’s perspective that old Broads are in war against their family and society for respect and independence.

I was also struck a few times by what seemed like plainly bad advice for the senior years:

• There are no worries about unplanned pregnancies. Therefore, there’s no need for condoms or other forms of birth control that may interfere with spontaneity and thought-free enjoyment. However, be sure to have a conversation about any positive (or for that matter, negative) experiences with STDs.

• I can think of numerous ways to resolve situations where the family says, “We don’t want you to,” when you want to. Take, for example, driving a car at an advanced age. You can either prepare for hostility and say, “It’s my car, and I will be its driver,” or take a more accommodating approach: “I have noticed some dings recently, so perhaps somebody should be my copilot.” You could also offer to take a new driver’s test, which should include a test of your vision. It’s bending over backward, but if that’s your relationship with your family, it certainly is a goody-two-shoes solution.

Meanwhile, Whoopi’s contribution is very small and includes such passages as her own thoughts on sex and dating:

I tell my dates, “I will Zoom date you, but I’m not gonna sleep with you. Not because you’re not cute, but because the idea of having to smell someone else in my bed — it can’t play.” That’s just me, and I’m consistent.

Or on the ageing body:

Stop trying to be cute and courageous. It’s time to tell the damn doctor what he or she needs to know. Okay? You’re too old to be futzing around holding things back. Tell them what they need to know — it will make your life easier.

I understand that Dr. Hecht passed away before Two Old Broads was published — and I intend no disrespect to her memory or legacy — but I found little of value (and much of annoyance) here. I’ll end as the book ends, with Hecht’s nightly prayer while falling asleep:

Let me take advantage of the things I’m good at
but minimize frustration at those I’m not.
Let me conquer short-term memory loss with the
practical means of using lists.
Let me convince those who care for me that there
are many things I can do safely, without help.
Let me remember and celebrate my experience and wisdom
purchased at the price of age.
Let me try the new, assuming it is interesting and physically within my ability.
Let me share my knowledge with my near and dear in quiet moments.
And last, I suppose, let me wake to the new day.
And so, lay down to sleep.

WHOOPI’S TWO CENTS
Please, God, let me wake up tomorrow. Amen.

And that I can relate to.

[Laura · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was expecting a book that was helpful, useful and interspersed with wit and humor. I got a book that was basic, bland and surprisingly presumptuous. The useful information was minimal and could have been a simple handout for older individuals. The assumption that everyone had the same or similar resources as the authors (a retired surgeon who grew up wealthy and a well known actor) was remarkable. More than once the reader was referred to their "gated community" for social or other supports. Skip this one.

[Trisha · Rating 2 out of 5]

I'm torn on how to rate this. On one hand, I can see the spirit behind this one. It's a hopeful view to help those struggling with getting older. It has some interesting tips to making doctor appointments and ways to still being active in your 60's.

But I just didn't connect with this one. The tips felt silly at times and I didn't find any humor in it. Things like making lists to ensure you get annual doctor appointments scheduled - I don't feel like these are tips that "old broads" need advice for. Many of us have been going to annual doctor appointments since we were teens and I've definitely been using list, calendars and planners to organize my life since I had kids. I thought this one would have tips about finding your own self worth, giving up the expectations of others. I thought I would be laughing a lot.

I did like that it highlighted, at one point, to double check you are still getting value out of your life. And if you don't feel like you are getting value, to start trying to incorporate new things - like new activities that may help you make new friends or making time for old hobbies to come alive again.

A huge thank you to the author and publisher for providing an e-ARC via Netgalley. This does not affect my opinion regarding the book.

[Lynn · Rating 1 out of 5]

I was given this book as a 60th birthday present. I found I am much too young for the advice given. Maybe in 20 years! But it was not well written and I found Whoopi’s sparsely interspersed two cents pointless. Her name was only on the book to help her friend sell it.

[Star Gater · Rating 2 out of 5]

Thank you NetGalley and Harper Horizon for accepting my request to read and review Two Old Broads.

Author: Dr. M. E. Hecht; Whoopi Goldberg
Published: 11/08/22
Genre: Self-Help

This didn't work for me. There was a list of seven points the book was going to make. A couple were obvious and there are several topics which make people uncomfortable, but still need to be talked about.

The book is dry. It was reading blah blah blah. It wasn't that I expected to laugh. I had high hopes of seeing tough subjects broached reasonably.

I feel like the seven points could have been put in a pamphlet garnering more success.

[Barbara J · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ohh, So True

At the age of 78, I devoured this book hungrily and laughing most of the time. The list of who I will get this book for got long. Aging with Grace is my motto. M.E. lists it so true! WhoopI, well you know, we just love her!

[Shannon · Rating 3 out of 5]

An insightful little book full of some great advice for women of an older age. I was a little disappointed that Whoopi didn't actually have much input/voice in the book - it was definitely more her 90 plus year old doctor friend who was the main author/storyteller and neither of them narrates the audiobook (forgivable since one is now dead but I was sad Whoopi wasn't on it at all). Still worth a read/listen, especially for older women wanting encouraging life advice.

[Libriar · Rating 2 out of 5]

Do not listen to the audiobook of this. Whoopi does not narrate her parts (not does Hecht as she died before the book was published.) The tone was off. Ultimately this felt like a checklist to aging and wasn't very engaging.

[Tamela Rich]

I had the great good fortune to work with Dr. Hecht as her editor.

Dr. H (as I called her) insisted on writing a book that would sit by the bedside and be read in bite-sized chapters in whatever order suited the reader. Trained as a medical doctor, Dr. H is a straight-shooter, a feminist, and an anti-ageist. This is on full display in my favorite chapter, "How to Train Your Keeper."

"At times you will find yourself in a 'thank you-no' position with respect to over–zealous, or over-solicitous help—particularly when it comes to the physical things that you really can
accomplish for yourself without trouble or hazard. Be sure in these moments to offer a big thank 'YOU, NO' to the takeover attempt."

She and her co-author, Whoopi Goldberg, had been friends since meeting at a runway show of Ralph Rucci's Fall Fashion Week Collection in 2010. Whoopi added two cents to selected chapters on everything from aging to dating and weight loss, and wrote a couple of chapters of her own, including "The Aches and Pains Hour."

Dr. H and I usually met twice a week via Zoom and she would open our work sessions with a little ditty from her Baltimore childhood, "Good morning to you, good morning to you. We're all in our places with bright shiny faces. Good morning to you. Good morning to YOU." At age 92, she learned not only how to meet by Zoom, but also how to collaborate on "Two Old Broads" using Google Docs. What a woman. Indomitable.

When she approved the final manuscript, Barnes & Noble ordered a limited edition to be signed by the authors. Four days after meeting her final obligation to the book, she went to her reward at the age of 93. "Two Old Broads" is quite a legacy.

[Leona · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a quick read enhanced by short comments from Whoopi. Dr Hecht sounds like an amazing force of nature and this book was a passion project for her. The advice is mostly common sense for those of us who are already 'old broads'. This would be good for someone needing confidence or affirmations. It also might be useful for caregivers and medical professionals to gain some insight into the mindset of older women.

[Holley S · Rating 4 out of 5]

I may be in my 20s but I picked this up and it was an enjoyable quick read. Major theme.. growing up is not that bad and you sure do gain the life experience you can share with others!

[Chantal O'Brien · Rating 2 out of 5]

I expected a funny (Whoopi!) and insightful book about aging as a woman. There are some nuggets of wisdom in this quick read, but also points of pretentiousness that were off-putting. Whoopi only, as she puts it at the end of the book, "chimes in," so it isn't as funny as I hoped. It felt like an informational lecture, at best, and being lectured at in the worst parts, not the funny and engaging talk between women that I hoped for.

[Yulia · Rating 2 out of 5]

I've picked up this book to get some wisdom about getting old, that I could share with my mom or even prepare myself for what comes after 70+. However this was a huge disappointment, absolutely zero new ideas or gotchas, super pretentious with examples I could not relate to (families with butlers, buying clothes at haute couture stores, talking to your family members from a position of CEO, etc). It was also advertised as funny - nope, another promise broken.

[Sandra O'hagan · Rating 2 out of 5]

The book was a little silly, not insightful and not funny. Not at all what I was expecting.
I really was expecting a humorous look at aging but got a boring list of things to expect and do that seemed a little juvenile. Even Whoopie’s 2 cents worth weren’t funny and seemed to be thrown in randomly with no real wisdom attached. This one was a disappointment.

[Becky Bea · Rating 2 out of 5]

I had heard all of the advice before.

[Corbin Hillam · Rating 4 out of 5]

Although written for “old broads” there was a lot of great advice for “old farts” too.

[Shawna Williamson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Such good info!

[Julie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Suggestions from the female 92-year-old doctor ME Hecht on how to age gracefully. Meant for an older broad, but I found it helpful in caregiving.

[teri zimmerman · Rating 1 out of 5]

worthless advice. stuff we all know and/or do already.

[Emily Johnson · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a great read for anyone that is aging…

[S. Nash · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a gift from a relative, but it was aimed at a much older audience. Yes, Dr. Hecht has great insight and experience, but I wish Whoopi Goldberg had more to say. I'm going to keep the book and revisit it when I'm actually an "old broad".

[Martha Bode · Rating 2 out of 5]

Co-written by Whoopi Goldberg and promoted as ‘laugh out loud funny’, I was kind of expecting to, you know, laugh. Whoopi’s words are few and far between, and may elicit a grin or two. Most of the book, written by friend M.E. Hecht MD, is like getting old fashioned words of wisdom from a favorite aunt who uses new fangled language like ‘stay hip’, and ‘use phone apps’. You will also get a brief history of girdles, bathing suits, and dentistry.

So …. Old Broads are feisty, fun, and gutsy. They should exercise, see doctors regularly and have sex if they want. But they don’t necessarily need to write a book about it.

[Renae Reed-Gordon]

Humorous, witty, laid back, insightful tips not only for old broads but for anyone wanting the most out of the one life and body their given. Short and sweet, highly recommended!

[Jean Voss · Rating 5 out of 5]

Just what I needed to read.

I'm an old broad as well. After reading this book I know I'm in good company! Dr. Hecht brought out many excellent points which I am now taking to heart.

[Leena · Rating 4 out of 5]

Two Old Broads is part memoire, part advocacy manual about living fully and aging unapologetically.

This book is centered around the theme that "social standards broaden with age" and encourages readers to take up space, raise their voices, and seek out excitement to defy society's narrow expectations of mature adulthood.

Organized into six parts (Broad Mentality, Broad Life, Broad Bones, Broad Well-Being, Broad Shoulders, and Broad Insights), each section contains comical anecdotes from Hecht and Goldberg, as well as chunks of practical advice. Threaded throughout the book is the theme that readers - of any age - should still be in charge of their own lives. This theme is most prominent in the sections that teach readers about medical advocacy, making autonomous decisions when caretakers and family want to assume control over "what's best for you," and making new friendships, dating, and sex well into and past your sixties.

Though many of the messages were strong, this book seemed a little confused about what it was trying to be, and wavered between wanting readers to be unapologetic about their age, while also on several occasions discouraging readers from speaking about and focusing on their age. While I understand the authors' point that age is just a number, there were a few points in the book where this contradiction seemed quite pronounced and I was left confused about the book's central tenet. Moreover, some of the sections seemed organized around the author's stream of consciousness instead of a more sequential flow of topics. For example, the "Broad Bones" sections went from body aches, to medical advocacy, how the author chooses her surgical patients, fearing anesthesia, safe forms of exercise, hearing loss, and dental phobia. As a reader, I felt like I was bouncing around without a strong transition from section to section.

Finally, the sections and anecdotes were not equally divided among Goldberg and Hecht. This book is mainly written by Hecht with a few paragraphs and sections from Goldberg sprinkled throughout. As a huge Whoopi Goldberg fan (I recognize that I'm biased here!), I'll be honest that I was slightly disappointed about this ratio.

Overall, I thought this book was informative, fun, and perspective-altering. As someone who is not entering mature adulthood quite yet, this book gave me a perspective on how to strengthen relationships with my parents and grandparents, and allowed me to reflect on how I can better center their needs, autonomy, and well-being.

I appreciate NetGalley and the publishers for sending me an advanced copy to review.

[Carol · Rating 3 out of 5]

I did not feel comfortable with the title. "two old broad..Stuff You Need to Know That You didn't need to know". Maybe, it is my midwest upbringing, but I would never feel comfortable calling myself an old broad. I think of myself as a senior woman instead. This book was written as advice to a woman in her sixties. Whoope Goldberg the co-author is in that age range. I was disappointed in the very little comment that she added to the different topics. Her comments were sparse, seemed honest but too little. My two cents was the title of one of her comments.

The advice that M.E. Hecht gave in her book, was frequently correct but I thought it that it could have been, more in depth. I would have liked to sit in with the two authors and ask in depth questions. On the chapter about You and Your Eyes, I felt that she was dissuading older women from getting a cochler implant. She said that operation was reserved for the "very, very young". I am friends with a woman is much older than me and she was very pleased with the results. I checked NIH and they reccommended the operation for the adults and children with profound hearing loss.

On other topics like dating, the advice could be improved by just saying "Be yourself". On clothing, I disagreed with the advice for women to always wear gloves. I remember wearing gloves to church when I was young on Easter Sunday but never when it was hot.

A lot of her advice was good common sense but I really wanted more depth. When the doctor discussed Alzheimer's and Dementia. She advised women to not worry about getting Alzheimers because it was not that common. With her very short discussion, I did not feel that she had the needed expertise. I would have preferred that she left the topic out of the book. I think that if I sat down with her when she and Whoopee were writing the book. I would told to her to stay with orthopedic advice.

[Claire · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a quick, interesting and didactic read for those of us who are 60 years of age and beyond. It's written by a retired orthopedic surgeon, Dr. Mary Ellen Hecht and her co-writer, Whoopi Goldberg.

The book offers good advice, mostly by Dr. Hecht, on how to amass your life experiences and not consider yourself a number for an Old Broad can be legitimately crotchety as long as she always coats it with charm. The book also contains an element of wittiness, especially when Whoopi chimes in to give her advice. For me, it was as if I were listening to Whoopi's voice in my head whenever I read any of her comments. They certainly put a smile of my face.

It's an overall good read with many helpful suggestions. For an Old Broad, and with all due respect, Dr. Hecht had a lot of insight and knew how to share that knowledge with others.

[Gloria · Rating 3 out of 5]

Two “old broads” who became friends later in life offer alternating perspectives on creating a world full of zest and sparkle in the senior years. These award-winning women, a physician and a well-known TV and stage personality, combine their wits and bold life experiences to invite women to live with as much inventiveness as possible.

Practical tips like how to work with doctors and discuss difficult issues with family members are juxtaposed against lifestyle approaches such as accentuating the positive, indulging in artistic dates and hiring some help. Actively defy age exclusion! Pursue social connections and continuous learning. A good life may be as simple as laughing more and checking for hearing loss.

This was written through the lens of the isolating pandemic, which is allegedly over now, so some of that feels a bit irrelevant. It is also clear that these are two very wealthy ladies which they more than imply when they talk about New York fashion shows, multiple homes, and hired help. Just a bit hard to relate to all that.

However, these authors submit a series of reminders for self-care and preventative as well as spirited living. While this advice is not new, it is a fun, often sassy reminder, that no one is just a number.

[Darlene · Rating 3 out of 5]

I had high hopes for this book. After all, Whoopi. Need I say more? I hoped for sassy and smart. And I hoped she'd do her own narration. Instead, listed for narration are Devon O'day, and Jackie Schlicher. I don't know that I heard two different people. They both sounded like teens to thirty years old and spoke without a feeling of relating to the information given.

About that information. We old broads already know most of the suggestions given. We've lived long enough to figure it out. The author didn't get how those with disabilities and low income can follow much of that advice.

Okay, there might be a thing or two to learn, but I wish there were far more discussions about aging while female.

I can remember reading everything about menstruation at twelve. I couldn't get enough of pregnancy and giving birth. We did have Our Bodies Ourselves to learn about our biology and psychology. But then we are left in a desert of drying parts. Try figuring out what your private bits should look or feel like after a certain age. Go ahead Google it! All you find is a bunch of porn. Not helpful!

So I guess I'm happy someone has done something. Please more. And if Whoopi, please let it be Whoopi!!!!

[Adrienne]

No rating. I picked up a couple of things, but overall I have been doing all that and more to keep myself active and well. It's a guide. Others may very well benefit from reading this.