Turning 50: Quotes, Lists, and Helpful Hints

You're not over the hill--it's just taking you longer to get to the top.

Mick Jagger did it. Paul McCartney did it too, and Tina Turner made it in a short skirt and red lipstick. But when it happens to you, chances are you'll find it hard to believe. Reaching the big Five-O is more of a milestone than other birthdays, but what does it really mean? Gloria Steinem says that fifty is what forty used to be. So if your birthday candles set off the smoke alarm, don't despair--dig into this warm and funny collection of celebrity quotes, lists, interviews, and tongue-in-cheek advice. Here's all the wit and wisdom of many who have already reached the half-century mark, hilariously (or hysterically) gathered to remind you that you're not alone, and that the best is yet come.

William K. Klingaman is the author of several books of cultural history, including 1919: The Year Our World Began and 1929: The Year of the Great Crash.