In this episode, celebrated children’s book author, poet and memoirist Judith Viorst brings her irrepressible wit, humor, and insight to every age and stage of life. We talk about growing up, raising children, and living well - including the story of how her family gave up Christmas. She reflects on her lifelong love of “messy” characters, from Max in Sendak’s Where the Wild Things Are to her own Lulu. Her wisdom and advice is especially meaningful as we take stock of the year and set our intentions for the year ahead.

In Making the Best of What’s Left: When We’re Too Old to Get the Chairs Reupholstered, Judith confesses, “I never ever send a text while driving, and not just because I don’t know how to text.” She discusses the afterlife (She doesn’t believe in it, but if it exists, she hopes her sister-in-law isn’t there). She complains to her dead husband (“I need you fixing our damn circuit breakers. I need you! Could you please stop being dead?”). And she explores the late-life meanings of wisdom and happiness and second chances and home. With a wit that defies age, Viorst navigates the terrain of loss.

Judith Viorst is the author of the beloved Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day, which has sold some four million copies; the Lulu books; the New York Times bestseller Necessary Losses; and four musicals. Judith has written books for each decade of life after twenty, including: It's Hard to Be Hip Over 30 & Other Tragedies of Married Life, Forever 50 & Other Negotiations, I'm Too Young to Be 70 & Other Delusions, and Nearing 90 And Other Comedies of Late Life. Now in her nineties, Judith writes about life’s “Final Fifth” in her latest book Making the Best of What’s Left.

Judith Viorst’s Five Books:

1. The Assistant by Bernard Malamud

2. Where the Wild Things Are by Maurice Sendak

3. The Odyssey by Homer (Robert Fagles translation)

4. I'll Be Right Here by Amy Bloom

5. Making the Most of What’s Left: When We’re Too Old to Get the Chairs Reupholstered by Judith Viorst

Other Books Mentioned:

- The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett

- Brundibar by Maurice Sendak

- The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas

Other Episodes featuring Children’s Book and YA Authors:

- Gayle Forman on Judy Blume, Taylor Swift, and the Innate Goodness of Young People

- Dara Horn on Being the Lorax at Her Seder Table

- Rob Kutner on Writing for the Daily Show, Conan, and How Comedy and Judaism Overlap

- Jeremy Dauber on Jewish Literature, Pop Culture, and What the Horror genre Reveals About America

The Five Books is a podcast that celebrates the role of books in Jewish culture. Through author interviews, we delve into Jewish identity and discover each author’s favorite novels. Join us every week for new Jewish book recommendations! Some of our episodes have included conversations with Rabbi Sharon Brous (Senior Rabbi at IKAR, and author of The Amen Effect), Yael Van Der Wouden (author of The Safekeep), and Dara Horn (author of People Love Dead Jews.)

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Hosted by Tali Rosenblatt Cohen

Produced by Odelia Rubin

Editorial and website support by Amelia Merrill

Artwork by Elad Lifshitz of the Dov Abramson studio

Music by Dov Rosenblatt and Blue Dot Sessions.

Judith Viorst on Happiness, Agency, and the Art of Aging