Book Review and Giveaway: Inclined Elders by Ramona Oliver | Lone Star Book Blog Tours


INCLINED ELDERS

BY RAMONA OLIVER

Publisher: BookBaby
Publication Date: July 24, 2020
Pages: 246 Pages
Categories: Nonfiction / Positive Aging


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THIS BOOK WILL BE INVALUABLE IF YOU:

· Have a desire to continue living a purposeful life, no matter what your age.

· Are interested in learning how to maintain a positive attitude from adulthood to elderhood.

· Want to learn how to create a living legacy and serve as a role model for future generations.

WHY EMBRACE AN ATTITUDE OF INCLINE?

For the first time in history we are not only living longer, everyone has an important choice to make: commit to a meaningful, purposeful life of “Incline” as we get older or believe that a new stage – one of steady “decline” – is inevitable. What is not helping is that in the media and society in general there continues the somewhat negative connotation surrounding the concept of aging. And while, at least not now, we cannot do anything about the chronological process of becoming 60, 70, 80 years and beyond, we can change the mindset for it. Embracing change and looking at life with a keener sense of curiosity will lead to living with increased courage to live life to its fullest.

Inclined Elders is a call to action for you to opt for Incline. Not only for your personal fulfillment, but also to help fuel a social “legacy” that increases the number of positive older role models in everyday life. I have written this book to inspire, inform, and challenge you. By the time you reach the last page, I hope you will have made a new choice: to become an inspiring example of a life of Incline so our society relinquishes – once and for all – the notion that aging is synonymous with “decline,” “decrepit,” “senile,” and “over-the-hill.”

In this book over 50 men and women ranging in age from 40 to 100 share their tips and techniques on how to live a life of Incline. Their strategies are supported by scientific evidence from the fields of Positive Psychology, Anthropology, and Sociology.

WHO ARE INCLINED ELDERS?

We are the women and men who have made a conscious choice to ignore society’s negative mindset of “decline” and “over-the-hill” as we age. Instead we embrace a positive mindset of continuing to Incline and climb ever upwards.

Serving as vibrant role models, the Inclined Elders I spoke to for this book are leaving their own unique legacies of wisdom and inspiration for future generations. There needs to be more of us like them to effect real social change. So why not Incline too? There’s an amazing view from up here. Come with us and see for yourself.

Purchase: Amazon | Barnes and Noble | Apple Books

*Paperback Use Coupon: AUG31PB
*eBook Use Coupon: AUG31EB
How many of us have heard people joke about being “over the hill”? “Put out to pasture”? “In my twilight years”? We as a society have relegated people past a certain age to a slow downward slide from middle age to death. Many people think their later years bring nothing but a trip to the nursing home, there to sit and wait for the Grim Reaper to knock at the door. And since medical science is allowing us to live longer, the prospect of decades of withering away, seen as a doddering elder, good for not much of anything anymore, is bleak.
But getting older doesn’t have to be like that! As I’m right about middle-aged myself, I jumped at the chance to read and review Ramona Oliver’s book, Inclined Elders: How to Rebrand Aging for Self and Society. The basic premise of the book is simple: We don’t have to fade away as we get older. Instead of declining, we can choose to Incline – to move onward and upward, stay active, stay involved, and stay positive.
Oliver’s book is broken into three broad sections: Attitude, Growth, and Empowerment. Each section is chock-full of the experiences and inspiring stories of people who have chosen to continue to be active learners and experiencers of life as they have gotten older.
The Attitude section focuses on what we can do internally to continue to Incline as we get older. One of my favorite stories here is that of Carolyn, who found a way to “dance” even when religious restrictions didn’t allow for dancing. (I grew up in the Baptist church, so I can relate to that, a little bit.) The stories look at characteristics like curiosity, courage, gratitude, and resilience.
The Growth section has an external focus and relates ways in which we can choose to interact with others around us. Stories here touch on topics such as connections, community, culture, and wisdom. I loved Lee’s story, reading about all of the challenges she overcame and how she made wise choices as she grew older.
The Empowerment section focuses on leaving a legacy and living as a role model to the generations coming behind us. The people whose stories are told in the book do this in a variety of ways, from setting a higher standard for their children through their own education, to overcoming introversion and volunteering to help others with disabilities, to creating a program that helps children learn to make life decisions on their own. These stories were particularly uplifting, because who among us doesn’t want to think that, when we leave this earth, we will leave something of value behind?
Each chapter had questions for personal reflection, designed to help the reader move toward his or her own life of Incline. I haven’t worked through them all yet, but I will re-read and take time to answer them all. The book is also packed with helpful resources, many of which I’ve made note of to go back to and work through. I read an ebook version of Inclined Elders for the blog tour, but I’ve enjoyed it so much, I’m going to pick up a hard copy. (And if you’re interested, scroll on down and enter the giveaway to win your own copy!)
This book is excellent for anyone who’s getting to the midpoint of life, or even younger people who have parents that may benefit from the wisdom found here. It is a glorious guide to making your later years even more fabulous than your younger ones, and a great reminder that we’re not all doomed to waste away and slide into the grave quietly. Like Def Leppard says, “It’s better to burn out than fade away.” So I’m going to put this book into practice and Incline and shine!
Five big stars, y’all. It’s good stuff.

Ramona Oliver has long been a passionate educator with former roles as a human resource manager/director, career coach, and director of outreach for St. Edward’s University. As a human resource director for many years, she championed the professional development of employees. While serving as president of the Austin Human Resource Management Association, she led a team that designed, developed, and implemented an award-wining leadership program. In addition, she launched a workforce readiness committee that partnered with community organizations to implement workforce readiness initiatives. At St. Edward’s University, she promoted lifelong learning and the adult undergraduate and graduate programs to older adults in the Austin community.

Ramona currently serves as an advocate of positive aging. Rather than accepting a mindset of decline, she is passionate about living life with an attitude of Incline. Ramona has been published on the Changing Aging website, offering posts with titles such as “Can We Please Stop Calling It Aging,” “What Are We Missing When We Settle for Life Stages?” and “Leave a Legacy and Live It Now!”

Ramona is a recipient of a Book Excellence Award for her current book, INCLINED ELDERS: How to rebrand aging for self and society. It has been recognized for high-quality writing style, book design, and overall marketing appeal.

She earned her Master of Business Administration from St. Edward’s University. Ramona lives in Austin, Texas where she enjoys practicing yoga, Pilates, Tai Chi, and Nia and participating in various community groups.

Website | Facebook | Instagram | LinkedIn

Twitter | Amazon Author | Goodreads Author

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GIVEAWAY! GIVEAWAY! GIVEAWAY!

FOUR WINNERS:
2 winners: autographed copies of
Inclined Elders.
2 winners: Kindle copies of
Inclined Elders.
Giveaway ends midnight, CDT, 7/17/21; US only.

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2 Responses to Book Review and Giveaway: Inclined Elders by Ramona Oliver | Lone Star Book Blog Tours

  1. “Incline & shine!” I love that. Great review! I’m just barely in and nodding my head in agreement to EVERYTHING. Thanks for sharing!

  2. Maryann says:

    Great review that makes me even more eager to read this book.

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