Eternity Soup: Inside the Quest to End Aging

Needs more balance 2010-07-04

Reviewer: Tomas

The main point I would like to make here is that there are ideologues in any field, who push agenda rather than truth. This is no less true in the field of Life Extension/Anti-Aging. Critser exposes a number of these and rightfully so. However, the problem I always have with books like this is that they tend to skirt around the GOOD albeit less sexy stuff, the valid Anti-Aging research. One might get the idea from this book that Anti-Aging pursuits are governed by crackpots and leave it at that. That is the lean of this book. Because the upside of anti-aging research is not presented as rigorously, it would seem that the author also has an agenda. Regardless of those who drag the field down due to agenda, profit, and wishful thinking, I predict that within 20-25 years significant increase in human life span WILL become a reality, not to mention the amelioration of many diseases. It may seem improbable, but that is my opinion. The controversies, lack of evidence, and misguided agenda pointed out in Critser's book will then be long since moot. Research will proceed regardless.
At the end of one of his chapters, while pointing out how quirky (sic) Aubry de Grey might seem to a bunch of British fellows, he quotes someone as saying "those baby-boomers should just accept limits". If we indeed accept limits, we would still be hunter gatherers, many of us dying from infectious disease around a paleolithic firelight. Could you imagine suggesting to someone 100 years ago that you would be able to whip out a small piece of plastic from your pocket and talk to someone with it living 3000 miles away? WE SHOULD NEVER ACCEPT LIMITS (and in fact history has proven that we don't). Regardless, some of us don't and never will, the rest will simply reap the fruits of that labor, including the longer and healthier life we enjoy today.
In a nutshell, there are those who simply accept the so called normal course of aging, and some who don't. Right now, even if we don't we still die, however, in times to come it is this latter group, through trial, error and often misguided notion, that will ultimately breakthrough conferring a longer healthier life.

To long life.....

Surprisingly Disappointing 2010-05-08

Reviewer: bro

I read all of the reviews here and thought that this book was a must read. But after finishing it, I was disappointed. I mulled on that opinion for a while, not wanting to damage this book's perfect review record so far, but it has been several weeks since I finished the book, and I was simply not impressed with it. Some people found the author funny, but I found him to be a bit silly and lacking objectivity. I expected more concrete information, but just when I thought he was going to draw a solid conclusion about a topic based on facts, he moved on to another topic, only to do the same thing again and again. The author also pokes fun at certain key players in the field, but this book does not offer any definite direction for the field of anti-aging medicine in its own right. At best, it is an ambivalent introduction to the field that is both subjective and a little boring. It is a book written by a layman for uncritical laymen. I enjoyed, "Ending Aging" by De Grey and Rae much more, even if Critser practically characterizes De Grey as a drunken and egotistical crackpot. Hopefully something better will come along soon, as things are moving along quite quickly in the scientific literature.

Critser Reveals the Scientific and the Silly 2010-04-06

Reviewer: Thomas C. Di Liberto

Greg Critser provides the reader with a map to navigate through the confusion of diets, medications, regimens, therapies, and supplements for extending life. This technical as well as historical discussion of gerontology trends is illuminating, but it is also made entertaining by Critser's personal experiences, his critical but very human perspective, and his wit. I was most interested in the author's curious interviews of the various anti-aging scientists and gurus and his wry but fair observations of the people that attend the many symposia on the subject. This is a book whose agenda is not to proclaim that it's all good or that we should dump it all into the quackery bin; Eternity Soup is an excellent navigational guide through the oftentimes mystifying world of the life-prolonging movement.

An Engaging Story of Human Desires and Science Abuse 2010-04-01

Reviewer: Michael White

Critser has written an extremely engaging book. As a biomedical researcher myself, I find it hard to get interested in popular books about biomedical science, but Eternity Soup had me hooked all the way through.

The book includes some excellent discussion of past and present anti-aging science, and some cautionary tales about taking findings in basic research and prematurely applying them to human health.

I highly recommend this, because it has everything: interesting personalities, engaging writing, and a hefty dose of both clinical and basic biomedical science.

Read This Book 2010-03-29

Reviewer: Tommy Thompson

This book entertains on many different levels. Greg has the gift of parsing out the science like a tasty and well prepared meal which he interleaves into his journey through the world of antiaging medicine. On another level, the characters in this book are very funny. It's like Mark Twain has rebirthed himself as a science writer in the form of Greg Critser. And finally it's really about humanity; the limits and possibilities; the poignancy and paradox. I loved this book and highly recommend it.