Skip to content
Vendor
Mohrbooks Literary Agency
Sebastian Ritscher
Original language
English
Categories

THE BOOK OF CHARLIE

David Von Drehle

The Book of Charlie chronicles the author's friendship with his extraordinary neighbor, Charlie White, who died at age 109.
Tracing the life of Charlie over the years of his life, the book is an unintentional guide to happiness and longevity. It's also a book about surviving and thriving through adversity and revolutionary change, much like we face in today's fast-paced world where technology is changing the way we live and the pandemic challenges our very lives.

Charlie's way of life was simple but it got him through the best and worst days of his life:
- Do the right thing
- Work hard
- Spread joy
- Take a chance
- Enjoy wonder
And most of all, just plow on through adversity to find happiness.

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 Post in 2017 after a decade at Time magazine, where he wrote more than 60 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".
Available products
Book

Published 2023-05-01 by Simon & Schuster

Book

Published 2023-05-23 by Simon & Schuster

Comments

The Book of Charlie looks at universal truths through the lens of one man's long life.

An original and highly readable account of a splendid American life.

Feature and Interview - 'In conversation with David von Drehle'... Read more...

There is something rather magical that David Von Drehle - one of our nation's most gifted chroniclers of history - met up with Charlie White, who lived longer than anyone you'll ever know. This Kansas City-set story is about goodness and the American spirit. It is also about time, and the graciousness in which a life can be lived on this green earth.

A marvelous parable of resilience and durability, full of surprises and grace notes. David Von Drehle is among our most astute observers of the human condition, and in Dr. Charlie White - physician, centenarian, bon vivant - he has found a large character worthy of his talent.

Animated Book Jacket Read more...

I gotta recommend this book, filled with history, wisdom, common sense, and laughs galore. I wish I had lived across the street from Charlie AND that I make it to 109! Read more...

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.

Charlie made an art out of living; in much the same way, Von Drehle - with eloquence, care, respect, and admiration - makes art out of Charlie's life story... This deeply engaging personal portrait of a remarkable centenarian also offers an absorbing account of the inventiveness of U.S. citizens - and the U.S., as it continually strives to evolve and improve.

Italy: Longanesi

No one writes as well about as many things as David Von Drehle, and his excellence is fully displayed in this slender examination of a well-lived life. In an era that elicits, by rewarding, incessant disparagement, he shows the beauty of elegant praise. You will never forget Charlie White, who was 102 when he came to Von Drehle's attention.

In every era, an author writes a genuinely original, formula-shattering book. David Von Drehle has done this in The Book of Charlie, a serious history of the last 100 years. Charlie is told through the personal story of one man, an accidental neighbor in Kansas, finding joy and what matters. I don't think it spoils the ending to divulge some of Charlie's lessons learned: 'Practice patience. Smile often. Savor special moments. Be soft sometimes.'

As is true of Charlie himself, this book is not just about goodness but grit, not just kindness but courage. It is also a shining example of the magic that can happen when a master storyteller with a deeply inquiring mind finds a subject that has hidden within it a million tantalizing opportunities to learn, to question, and to grow. To say that The Book of Charlie is inspiring is a vast understatement. I am a better person for having read it.

Part of the series "Politics & Prose" Read more...

Youtube feature Read more...

David Von Drehle's book is a monumental achievement cloaked in the experience of one ordinary American man of his time. In this stunningly true story, 100 years worth of American eras become breathakingly intimate experiences, history becomes personal, and a neighbor becomes a figure of deep nobility. You will never look at the folks next door the same way again.

Tom Hanks promoted the book at his 2,300 person event in Tulsa, OK, on May 13: This is an astounding book about an astounding friendship that I wish I could've had... One of the finest pieces I've read in a long time. It's a slim volume, but you'll carry around its heart for the rest of your life. Read more...