I read thirty-six books about old age and reflect on the preciousness of relationships and the value of each day.
I'm so glad that we can still look forward to tomorrow.

"Reading Old Age" is a work selected for the Gyeonggi Content Agency's '2025 Gyeonggi Province Excellent Publication Production Support Project.'

This book is a reading essay written by a writer in her 40s who developed an interest in old age through her interactions with her mother-in-law. It records the diverse aspects of old age discovered in 36 books.
Through the insight and wisdom contained in this book, we help you let go of your anxieties and worries about old age, and build a bridge of positivity and optimism from middle age to old age, promoting well-aging.

In December 2024, South Korea finally entered a super-aged society.
Although our society is increasingly concerned about the elderly and aging, there is still a lack of social awareness that would lead to specific and practical countermeasures.

It is only when we reach our fifties, when our parents are in their late seventies, that we begin to see the problems of old age and begin to recognize them as our own.
As we reach our 60s, we begin to feel a gradual decline in physical function, starting with presbyopia, and a gradual weakening of socioeconomic leadership, and we begin to face real anxiety and worry about old age.
Once you pass the age of 70, anxiety and worry become a reality, and although you try various things called "well-aging" to solve various problems you face, the problems of old age become too much for you to handle alone.

Author Seo Min-seon, who expressed her interest in old age in the book “Love” in 2024, stemming from her affectionate relationship with her mother-in-law, began reading various books related to old age in order to appeal to society’s interest in the issue of old age.

He wrote the manuscript by connecting the specific and practical content gleaned from his reading of books in various fields, including essays, novels, picture books, comics, poetry, humanities, and social sciences, to the landscape of old age that he personally experienced.
"Reading Old Age" presents the issues of old age, collected from a total of sixty books, thirty-six on-theme books and twenty-four reference books, categorized and interpreted from the author's unique perspective so that anyone can easily relate to them.

This book provides a comprehensive and easy-to-understand overview of the various issues that cause anxiety and worry in old age, such as aging, serious illness, dementia, care, life-sustaining treatment, jobs, and economic issues. It is a friendly guide to a happy old age, providing useful information and inspiration to readers who are just starting to take an interest in old age.

My mother-in-law, born in 1933 and who inspired me to write “Reading Old Age,” unfortunately passed away at the age of 92 in January 2025, while I was finishing the manuscript.

“After spending your 40s with a sense of anxiety and realizing that you are no longer young, your 50s come.
Physical strength declines, illness approaches, and loneliness gradually sets in.
Then, when you reach your 60s, you are startled by the realization that you have become old.
And without even having time to feel the loss of being old, we embody aging and disease.
And before I know it, the end of my life begins to appear.
Old age was not a given.
Some people grow old naturally, but others die before reaching old age.
To reach old age, you must experience countless good fortunes and countless misfortunes.
Only then can we truly become old.”

"Reading Old Age" introduces thirty-six books that offer diverse perspectives on old age, carefully revealing the issues of old age that our times and individuals face.
The problems of old age are broadly categorized into four categories as follows.

Part 1 is about health issues and economic survival, the biggest challenges of old age.
The biggest concern for the elderly is health issues.
Among them, I looked at books that dealt with dementia and severe illness.
The next concern is the question of economic survival.
It addresses the economic and psychological problems faced after retirement.
Part 2 looked at books dealing with family and networks.
Aging affects not only the individual, but also each member of the family and the relationships between them.
In addition to problems in family relationships, we also looked at problems in friendships and social relationships.
Part 3 deals with death and care, which are of great interest to older people in their 80s and older.
We examined the essence of 'well-dying', a term commonly used these days, and provided an opportunity to reflect on the meaning of existence.
Part 4 presents a positive perspective that can help you fill your old age with happiness.
Although aging tends to relegate the elderly to the position of mere weaklings in need of protection, it also fosters the mindset that they can still enjoy a wise and affectionate old age by utilizing the diverse experiences and wisdom of the years as masters of their own lives.
We talked about the courage to understand life wisely and to perceive the problems we face positively.