{"id":4610,"date":"2018-06-29T08:20:49","date_gmt":"2018-06-29T12:20:49","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.silvercentury.org\/?p=4610"},"modified":"2018-06-30T06:42:09","modified_gmt":"2018-06-30T10:42:09","slug":"the-secret-diary-of-hendrik-groen-83%c2%bc-years-old","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/78.142.243.82\/~silvercentury\/2018\/06\/the-secret-diary-of-hendrik-groen-83%c2%bc-years-old\/","title":{"rendered":"The Secret Diary of Hendrik Groen, 83\u00bc Years Old"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Hendrik Groen – Michael Joseph, 2016<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Do you ever imagine a typical day in a care home? According to 83-year-old resident Hendrik Groen, there is no such thing. He\u2019s keeping a diary of life in the North Amsterdam pensioners\u2019 apartments, and no secret is unwritten, including what he wishes he could say aloud if he were not so unfailingly polite. Hendrik\u2019s diary is fiction but reads like autobiography. Facing aging head on, Hendrik and friends find humor where they can, whether it be dumping cake in the aquarium or watching the \u201cold biddies\u201d loosen the salt shaker on an unsuspecting dining companion. That\u2019s not to say the diary is all fluff. Hendrik labors over buying the right mobility scooter and ponders the ethics of euthanasia when friends are ill. We can learn a great deal from Hendrik; his contentment comes from the give-and-take of genuine friendship, having a sense of purpose and always having a plan to move forward. The book is so thoroughly delightful and big-hearted, I can\u2019t wait to read the sequel, On the Bright Side<\/em> (2018).<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Do you ever imagine a typical day in a care home? According to 83-year-old resident Hendrik Groen, there is no such thing. <\/p>\n

Read more The Secret Diary of Hendrik Groen, 83\u00bc Years Old<\/span> ›<\/span><\/a><\/div>\n

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