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When we’re young, it seems as though we and everyone we love will live forever. But as we get older—as loved ones pass away and even we begin to experience the aches and pains of an aging body—we realize that that’s not the case. In his latest book, Navel Gazing: True Tales of Bodies, Mostly Mine (But Also My Mom’s Which I Know Sounds Weird), writer and comic Michael Ian Black discusses his own experiences with illness and aging.
Black’s latest book finds him contemplating mortality—his own as well as his mother’s, as she fights a heartbreaking battle with cancer. As his mother goes through one treatment after another, it makes Black realize that not only is his mother dying, but he’s slowly but surely in the process of dying, too. So as he reflects on the unhealthy decisions of his past, he embarks on a quest to improve his health and his physique while searching for some kind of exercise-induced enlightenment in the process.
It may be categorized as a humor book, but Navel Gazing isn’t what readers might be expecting. This isn’t just a comic’s wacky reflections on health, exercise, and aging. It’s a bittersweet collection of thoughts on life, death, and the quest for meaning.
Not only does Black discuss his mother’s deteriorating health, but he also touches on his relationships with other relatives and their own deaths: his father, his grandmother, his troubled aunt and her young son. He talks about his views on suicide and his own health concerns, too. And, in the process, he might cause you to come down with a serious case of hypochondria. All of this talk about sickness and aging bodies could very well make you feel aches and pains and illnesses that aren’t really there. Mostly, though, it might make you feel sorry for the author—not just because his mother is not-so-slowly fading away, but also because he seems to be missing something. In all of his experiences, he seems so desperately searching for something to give his life meaning—something that he even admits is most likely God.
This is all deep, heavy stuff. But, of course, it’s not all deep and heavy. It’s sometimes quite humorous, too. In the midst of the sickness and death and searching for enlightenment, there are also stories about joining the gym, trying to find the perfect sport, and even the author’s attempt at starting a high school punk band. And together, these memories and observations make for a thoughtful, heartfelt, amusing, and generally relatable read.
If you’re looking for a good laugh, you’ll probably be disappointed (and even depressed) by Black’s latest literary adventure. Though it has its funny moments, it’s often surprisingly gloomy. But it’s also a perceptive look at middle age, heath, and mortality.
Listen to the review on Shelf Discovery:
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