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		Von Drehle, David, 1961-

	Subjects
		White, Charlie, 1905-2014.
		Von Drehle, David, 1961- -- Friends and associates.
		Journalists -- United States -- Biography.
		Centenarians -- United States -- Biography.
		Older men -- United States -- Biography.
		Male friendship -- Biography.
		Longevity -- Biography.

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		Von Drehle, David, 1961-

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		The book of Charlie ...

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		305.261092 V946b

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		Von Drehle, David, 1961-
		White, Charlie, 1905-2014.
		Von Drehle, David, 1961- -- Friends and associates.
		Journalists -- United States -- Biography.
		Centenarians -- United States -- Biography.
		Older men -- United States -- Biography.
		Male friendship -- Biography.
		Longevity -- Biography.


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The book of Charlie : wisdom from the remarkable American life of a 109-year-old man / David Von Drehle.

by Von Drehle, David, 1961-

View full image

Simon & Schuster, 2023.

305.261092 V946b

White, Charlie, 1905-2014.

Von Drehle, David, 1961- -- Friends and associates.

Journalists -- United States -- Biography.

Centenarians -- United States -- Biography.

Older men -- United States -- Biography.

Male friendship -- Biography.

Longevity -- Biography.

9781476773926 (hc.)

Alternate title:

Wisdom from the remarkable American life of a 109-year-old man

1st Simon & Schuster hardcover ed.

194 p. ; 22 cm.

A veteran Washington journalist recounts his long friendship with Charlie White, the centenarian next door who, sharing his good and meaningful life, mastered survival strategies that reflect thousands of years of human wisdom as his sense of adventure guided him through a century of upheaval.

"In this feel-good entry, Washington Post opinion editor von Drehle (Triangle) collects life lessons from an enigmatic centenarian neighbor. Eager to help his children navigate the modern world, von Drehle sought a role model who’d weathered massive cultural shifts—a “true surfer on the sea of change”—and found one when his family moved next-door to then-102-year-old Charlie White (who died at 109, in 2014). Von Drehle befriended the former doctor and listened to stories from his life, which included train-hopping across the U.S. as a teen in the 1920s and working on cutting-edge anesthesia techniques in the ’40s. Von Drehle explains how White balanced optimism and realism, as when he decided to specialize in anesthesiology (at a time when almost no doctors did so) after recognizing the days of house-call doctors were dwindling. White also embraced uncertainty when he abandoned his medical practice at 36 to serve in WWII—an acceptance of the unknown that’s important in today’s volatile professional climate, the author writes. While White’s verbatim advice is sometimes trite (“Nobody’s going to do it for you. You’ve got to do your own paddling”), von Drehle’s detailed rendering of White’s life—especially his front-seat view of (and sometimes participation in) groundbreaking medical developments—is fascinating, and the men’s friendship affecting. This has a lot to offer."--Publishers Weekly.

David Von Drehle is a columnist for The Washington Post, where he writes about national affairs and politics from a home base in the Midwest. He joined The Washington Post in 2017 after a decade at Time, where he wrote more than sixty cover stories as editor-at-large. He is the author of a number of books, including the award-winning bestseller Triangle: The Fire That Changed America. He lives in Kansas City with his wife, journalist Karen Ball. They have four children.

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