Customer Reviews
Complete Disappointment 
2008-07-31
I would've given this book a "zero star" rating if that was available. It was new-age blather, and there are already lots of sources for that. It mainly consists of interviews with folks who were either rich or famous (or both), not a lot of relevance for the average person who wants to figure out what to do with our remaining years. When she went on the two-week volunteer session to India, and her fellow volunteers described the author as "spoiled, needy, demanding and condescending", they nailed it. I'd just add narcissism to that list of her traits. It seems this was her own quest for self-fulfillment, with little to offer us in terms of helping us find our own self-fulfillment. Very disappointed, could not recommend this book.
Leap-the book 
2008-06-22
Very helpful to the baby-boomers...While written from a woman's point of view, it touches issues that must be common to men and women both.
A must read!
Leap 
2008-06-22
I have not finished this book but was a bit disappointed as I thought it would be a more general opinion. It seems to be more about the author's personal life rather than general observations...
DUD 2008-04-02
Personally, I thought the book was a huge disappointment. I was looking forward to reading about ideas on "What will I do with the rest of my life". What I read dealt with people who have made millions of dollars and what THEY did with the rest of their life. I don't have money that is disposable like these people and I think the book was highly overrated! I can't travel to other countries to check out a new place to live, I can't build my dream home, and I certainly don't know any of these people personally. What a waste of my reading time.............
Leap! A must read for those entering a new phase... 2007-12-22
A great read! Poised on the brink of my next phase in life- after 30 years with the same organization - Leap! provided me with some thoughtful, well-written and entertaining answers to that increasingly nagging question, "What to do with the rest of my life?" A must read for those 50 somethings entering the next phase. Perhaps her next book will deal with that age old question, "What is the meaning of life?"
Our Life Stories Written in 3-D 2007-11-14
Thirty years ago, Sara Davidson wrote the phenomenal bestseller
Loose Change, the definitive book about the boomer generation’s coming-of-age. Now this witty social observer has again turned her discerning eye to her contemporaries, with Leap!, a no-holds-barred, illuminating, and hopeful look at the choices and challenges we face and the roads open to us.
For many years Davidson earned a living as a successful journalist and screenwriter, but in her fifties she saw her life come apart: She could no longer find work, she endured a break-up with her partner, and her children left for college. For the first time ever, she had nothing to do. She felt adrift, but she found that she was not alone.
In
Leap!, Davidson sets out on a passionate quest to learn how to do the coming years well. Drawing on her own experience and that of others, she explores such questions as
• How does a high-powered person learn to walk down the ladder gracefully?
• How can women continue to be sensual and not touch-deprived?
• How do we arrange to grow old with our friends?
• What will be the fire at the center of our lives?
• Why are we still here?
Davidson interviews people from across the country and from all walks of life, including such icons as Carly Simon, Tom Hayden, Tracy Kidder, Jane Fonda, Ram Dass, and Iman, as well as teachers, writers, psychologists, businesspeople, and spiritual leaders. The candid portraits are both inspiring and cautionary.
True to character, boomers will approach these years differently from previous generations, and there will be no single path. Some will feel free for the first time to take risks; others will embark upon a spiritual search; some will want to give back, to make the world a better place; others will want to play or make creativity a priority. But they will not fade quietly into the sunset.
With
Leap!, Sara Davidson holds up a mirror for readers, allowing them to see not only themselves and those around them but their potential future. With Davidson as a guide, the possibilities are boundless.
From the Hardcover edition.
a book to return to over and over again 2007-11-14
I borrowed this book from my local library and now I'm about to order a copy to keep (and mark up) and a copy for a friend. It's very satisfying when an excellent writer like Davidson puts into words the confusing feelings and longings that have been swimming around inside you. She makes the questions interesting and compelling:what are we going to do with the rest of our lives? are we ready to step down the ladder? do we have to settle for gray, quiet little jobs? I love how she explores these questions. The stories and insights got my creative juices flowing and helped me feel not so alone. Thank you Sara!
Stephanie
"Leap" Changed My Life 2007-11-07
"Leap" came into my life at the most incredible time. I like so many others have gone through a divorce, loss of an business, and I am a recent cancer survivor. I was at an emotional crossroads so to speak when I read Sara Davidson's book.
Her honesty and insightfulness was just what I needed at the time. She inspired me to make several changes in my life and to move fearlessly forward in creating a new life. I have since moved to Mexico, started a new career, and a new relationship.
I highly recommend that everyone read "Leap". All of us at some point get to a place of deep reflection and it is comforting to know that we are not alone.
I so appreciate Sara's work and will be looking forward to her next book.
Loved this book! 2007-10-11
Great book! Sara Davidson gives the reader a renewed vision of a present and future filled with hope and possibility. Anyone searching for courage and meaning in their life,(not just boomers) will do well to read this eloquent, insightful and humorous account of fellow travelers. Personally, i was very surprised and ultimately thrilled that so many of the experiences and desires,(especially the author's) were the same as my own. It was wonderful to know there are kindred spirits out there and i found it extremely encouraging. I think many of us are grateful to Sara for "putting our soul quest" into words.
Highly recommended 2007-10-10
I thoroughly enjoyed reading Leap! Davidson reflects on aging, sex, love, bodies, career, community,spirituality, and world view and interviews dozens of other Boomers about their lives and views.
Many of her interviewees were well known during when the older Boomers were coming of age, such as Jane Fonda, Tom Hayden, Paul Krassner, Carly Simon, Gloria Steinem, Cheryl Tiegs, Ram Dass, and Andrew Weil. Others lived less in the public eye, but contributed vitally to the arts, healthcare, spirituality,and education.The insights -- both Davidson's own and those of her interviewees -- are thought provoking and fascinating.
Some people have criticized the book for being too much about celebrities and too little that applies to rest of us. I disagree. Learning how the people who helped to shape our world view decades ago are doing now, what they're thinking, how they look back and forward, how they cope with their own aging in a world that, in most cases, has moved past their contributions, is fascinating and valuable.
Joan Price, author of Better Than I Ever Expected: Straight Talk About Sex After Sixty
Better Than I Ever Expected: Straight Talk About Sex After Sixty
