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Books With Characters in Their 80s
Whether you’re participating in the Lifetime of Reading Challenge, or simply interested in reading books with elderly characters in their 80s, we’ve curated a diverse list of recommendations! Our list of eighty-something books includes a mix of memoirs and novels with octogenarian protagonists.
What is an octogenarian? The definition of an octogenarian is a person between 80 and 89 years old.
Some of the titles on our list are deeper books about growing old that address the challenging aspects of aging, while others are funny fictional books with an elderly lead character. Some of those characters spend a portion of the book reflecting on their long lives and the changes they’ve observed over the years. We’ve also included several memoirs that provide first-hand perspectives on aging, and advice on how to get the most enjoyment out of each year.
In selecting titles for our list of novels with elderly characters, we’ve focused primarily (but not exclusively) on contemporary stories that help us understand what life in your 80s is like in today’s society. In addition to reflecting a wide range of life experiences, the main characters also vary in ethnicity, religion, class, background, lifestyle, and more.
Books with Elderly Protagonists in Their 80s
Sign Up for the Lifetime of Reading Challenge
Sign up for our email list below to receive a free printable tracker for the Lifetime of Reading Challenge. Our weekly email newsletter helps you stay on track with friendly reminders while still allowing you the flexibility to read at your own pace.
Printable Version of the Challenge Booklists
Readers who support The Book Girls’ Guide through our Buy Me a Coffee (BMAC) membership site as Inner Circle or BFF members can access printable versions of the reading challenge book lists. As we update the Lifetime of Reading Challenges throughout the year according to the challenge schedule, the lists will become available in a single-page printable format for our BMAC members.
We offer two membership levels. Both our BFF members and our Inner Circle members get access to the single-page printables for the year-long reading challenges. Visit our Buy Me a Coffee membership page for a full list of benefits for each level.
Our BMAC members help cover the cost of running the challenges so we can keep them free for everyone!
Book Lists By Character Age
Links to our book recommendations for all twelve of the Lifetime of Reading challenge prompts can be found below:
- Books Spanning a Character’s Lifetime
- Books With Characters in Their 90s and 100s
- Books With Characters in Their 80s
- Books With Characters in Their 70s
- Books With Characters in Their 60s
- Books With Characters in Their 50s
- Intergenerational Novels: Books that Connect Generations
- Books With Characters in Their 40s
- Books with Characters In Their 30s
- Books with Characters in Their 20s
- Books with Teenage Characters
- Books with a Child Protagonist (Bildungsroman Novels)
80 Somethings: Living in the Moment
Throughout the Lifetime of Reading Challenge, we’ve written an intro like this about each decade of life. In each age group, up through the 70s, our research finds that people generally don’t view themselves as old. And they specifically reject terms like senior and elderly. But after the age of 80, that perspective seems to shift. And that’s good news because a new study shows that people with a positive attitude about getting older actually live longer and have better mental health.
When psychologist Katharine Esty turned 80, she decided to interview other 80-somethings, and she published her findings in a book called EightySomethings. Over a period of three years, she spoke to 128 octogenarians about life in their 80s, and she discovered that most felt happy. Even those dealing with pain and disease generally felt at peace and reported experiencing less anger, worry, and stress than they did in past decades. Most of Esty’s interviewees said they had few regrets in life. Those with regrets typically pointed to wishing they’d changed jobs/careers or that they’d opted to leave an unhappy marriage sooner than they did.
We’ve all heard that one of the keys to happiness is to slow down and live in the moment. With the demands of work and family life, however, that often feels hard to do. Esty finds that when you reach your 80s you have likely already experienced major loss, and you understand that the future is short. This reality makes it easier to focus on and enjoy the present.
Additionally, reminiscing has been proven to have very positive benefits for octogenarians and their loved ones alike. Recalling happy memories, and especially sharing those memories with others through engaging conversation, helps seniors improve their outlook on life and find even greater satisfaction in their old age. Of course, in sharing those memories, they are helping to pass on and preserve family and cultural histories. Reminiscence therapy – which helps individuals remember the past through sight, sound, taste, touch, and smell – is often used with Alzheimer’s and dementia patients to reduce agitation and stress while boosting their mood.
Global Perspectives on Aging
Studies have found – not surprisingly – that a culture’s attitude toward older citizens can have a profound effect on the well-being of that population. Orb Media conducted a study that used a five-point scale to rank each country’s attitudes – 1 being very low respect and 5 being very high respect. Orb found that the global average is 3.75, with individual countries ranging from 2.75 to 4.8. Hungary and Uzbekistan tied for the top spot with a respectable score of 4.8, and Pakistan was also very near the top. The United States, on the other hand, was in the bottom 10 countries, tied with Venezuela as having the eighth worst attitude toward its aging population.
