- Whoopi Goldberg’s new book, Two Old Broads, which she co-wrote with late hip surgeon and medical trailblazer M. E. Hecht, tackles the hard truths of the aging process—in a hilarious way.
- The book aims to tell those 60 and older the “stuff you need to know that you didn’t know you needed to know” about the aging process.
- It releases November 8 and is currently available for pre-order.
Whoopi Goldberg always keeps it real. Especially when it comes to health and aging. In her new book, Two Old Broads, she offers up her own definition of the term “pro-aging.”
The collection of essays, which Goldberg co-wrote with late hip surgeon and medical trailblazer M.E. Hecht, suggests that maybe 60 isn’t the new 40 after all. Maybe 60 is what it is—a period that presents difficult decisions, embarrassing declines, and yes, sometimes scary situations. And guess what? That’s OK.
Two Old Broads: Stuff You Need to Know That You Didn’t Know You Needed to Know
Two Old Broads: Stuff You Need to Know That You Didn’t Know You Needed to Know
In other words, Goldberg, 66, and Hecht, who died at 93 shortly before the book was finalized, were not afraid to approach the good, bad, and ugly of aging in their writing. In fact, they deemed it a necessary conversation for current times.
“Why can’t we treat 60 as 60 and be proud of it?” the book reads. It’s aimed at people 60 and older, as well as “those of you who have not yet attained the advantage,” to offer tips, or as they put it, “stuff you need to know that you didn’t know you needed to know” about the aging process.
What kind of tips, you ask? Well, the pair discuss a little bit of everything: how to stay active physically and mentally, finalize your will, navigate taboo subjects “such as whether you need a home aide,” and discover joy in relationships “even when your excretions outweigh your secretions.” (Yep, they went there.) Other topics covered include friendship, recovering financially, physically, and emotionally from a fall, and how to laugh amidst all the hurdles getting older brings.
“A book like this is just what the doctor ordered,” the intro reads. “With one of us (Whoopi) writing as a woman in her 60s and one of us (Dr. Hecht) writing as a woman in her 90s, we dish truths and tales, each sharing our Broad experiences that show wisdom, spirit, intelligence, humor, sensibility, and most importantly, our collective, extraordinary ‘Broadness.’”
In her author’s note, Dr. Hecht writes that, in her middle age, no one talked about aging. “Numbers were all-important—if you were a certain age, people thought they knew all they needed to know about you,” she writes. “Both Whoopi and I hope that as you read the pieces herein, you’ll find that numbers—in and of themselves—are pointless. It’s what you know, think, share, and imagine that make a really great Old Broad.”
Goldberg adds that her portion of the book was written during COVID-19 quarantine—a time of frustration, confusion, and growth that she says gives her words a particularly “crotchety” (and therefore, probably hilarious) lens.
When the Sister Act star recently introduced the book on The View, co-host Sunny Hostin, 53, asked candidly: “How do you know you’re an old broad? Because I’m feeling like maybe I am, but I’m not sure.” Goldberg replied with a smirk: “You would know.”
Two Old Broads releases on November 8, and is currently available for pre-order.
Kayla Blanton is a freelance writer-editor who covers health, nutrition, and lifestyle topics for various publications including Prevention, Everyday Health, SELF, People, and more. She’s always open to conversations about fueling up with flavorful dishes, busting beauty standards, and finding new, gentle ways to care for our bodies. She earned a bachelor’s degree in journalism from Ohio University with specializations in women, gender, and sexuality studies and public health, and is a born-and-raised midwesterner living in Cincinnati, Ohio with her husband and two spoiled kitties.
