Published in the Asbury Park Press 05/18/05

Harriet May Savitz's latest story spans more than 70 years. It encompasses dozens of lifetimes, and is set in locations across the globe. It deals with topics ranging from death, disease, war and activism to love, sex, family and aging.

She said it's one of the bravest things she's ever written.

The book, "More Than Ever, A View From My 70's," is a collection of essays reflecting on Savitz's life.

"Within each of us is a story that needs to be told," Savitz said. "Writing has always been my medium."

The Bradley Beach author has written more than 21 books, is a contributing author of the Chicken Soup series, a co-founder of the Philadelphia Children's Reading Roundtable and a recipient of the 1981 Pennsylvania Outstanding Author Award.

"I got fired from every job I ever had," she said. "Writing is what I was put on this Earth to do. It's what I'm great at and what I love."

Savitz believes "More Than Ever" will speak both to and for a generation that she believes often is ignored, and hopes the book will help instill an awareness that the avenues open to seniors are limitless.

"A large portion of society views retirement as the beginning of the end, and that's just not true," Savitz said. "Sixty to 90 is thirty years, a long time. Today's seniors are getting remarried, starting new jobs, and basically starting new lives."

Savitz believes that the only people who can change the mores of society are senior citizens themselves.

"We can't let ourselves be lumped in a pile," she said. "We need to change the way we're spoken to, thought of and talked about. We are not going to let age be the end of it. Senior citizens need to know that they can become more than just who they were."

She encourages them to take their duties as elders more seriously and hopes that through her writing, she can help nurture a sense of pride in aging that will help elevate that level of commitment.

"There are a lot of seniors who feel that their jobs are over," she said. "We have an obligation to be role models, not to sit around and wait for the end."

Savitz's commitment to fight for her generation goes further than words on a page, as she has agreed to donate a portion of the profits from "More Than Ever" to the Alzheimer's Association of Greater New Jersey in Denville.

Another topic frequently dealt with in Savitz's books is the issue of the disabled. Several of her books — "Fly Wheels Fly," "Wheelchair Champions," "On the Move," "The Lionhearted" and "Run, Don't Walk" — wrestle with the issue of society's perceptions of the handicapped.

"My generation saw a cure for polio. We saw the wounded veterans that came back from World War II," Savitz said. "It was an issue that a lot people wanted to ignore, and then all of a sudden coudn't anymore."

Two of Savitz's books, "Is a Worry Worrying You?" — a children's book — and "Dear Daughters and Sons, Three Essays on the American Spirit," were written in response to the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.

"9/11 struck a common denominator that affected everyone in some way or another. It also changed me, as a person and as a writer," said Savitz, adding that the attacks struck a chord with her generation, a generation that lived through Pearl Harbor. "It reminded all of us of day we hoped we'd never see again."

At 71, Savitz has survived cancer, the loss of her husband, and a century of political and social turbulence.

"Writing is my healing process. It's how I've coped with widowhood, cancer, 9/11 and every other traumatic thing in my life," she said. "It's how I make sense out of this senseless world around me."

For more information, visit www.harrietmaysavitz.com on the Web.