key, to using a floppy disk and opening and closing software, etc.--a book that truly starts at the beginning for someone totally new to computers. While there are numerous guides out there that attempt to address this need, my student had been frustrated with every one he had tried (including ones that came immediately to my mind such as the Dummies series). I came across Young@ Heart as a very promising text, and suggested the title to my student. He was thrilled with it. He said it was the only book of the many he had tried that really addressed personal computing from square one.
Based on this successful "road test", I will be carrying around my own copy to the classes I teach, and recommend it highly. Hopefully the "for seniors" aspect won't put off people of all ages with a need for a very well done beginners' guide to computing.
If you are reading this, maybe YOU aren't a beginner, but I bet you know someone who has asked for help getting started. You may not remember all the stuff that is confusing and mysterious as a beginner. Or you may not be geographically close enough to look over their shoulder as they work. Try using this book--or give it as a gift.
Rating: 
Summary: Young at Heart: Computing for Seniors
Review: I bought this book for my 78-year-old mother who's never used a computer on a regular basis, and the reviews are mixed. On the one hand, the book gives lots of basic information about what to look for when buying and setting up a computer, Mac vs. PC, tips on saving files in a word processor, and simply what a computer is capable of.
That said, I found two big drawbacks:
1. In trying to cover so much material, it may be overwhelming for someone who's just getting started and who's afraid of the computer. Sections on MIDI music and virtual reality may provide more information than is necessary. And ironically, having covered so much material, one glaring omission is a section on how to simply USE a mouse!
2. This is no fault of the authors, but the book is noticeably out-of-date. Technology changes so fast, and a 1996 book about computers is akin to a 1965 book on automobiles: basically the same driving instructions, but enough differences to make you scratch your head or just laugh. True, many seniors probably end up inheriting second-hand computers running Windows 95 or other older operation systems. But the section on the World Wide Web feels as though it was written in a different century (which it was!).
Overall, the book is good, but I would supplement it with hands-on basic training and perhaps another, more up-to-date book about the Internet.
Rating: 
Summary: Great book - BUT ...............
Review: Young@Heart - Computing for Seniors is an excellent book for anybody who needs to know every little itty bitty detail, in order to really get started with computers. All other books that I have read have frustrating gaps that leave one not knowing how to get from A to B; not so with this book.
Everything imaginable is covered, leaving no mystery unturned.
My only two gripes are what I consider to be quite important though.
First of all the title does not encourage other age groups to consider this book, and that is a big mistake. This book is about the best I've come across, and it shouldn't be assumed by the authors that the rest of us simply don't need it; we DO.
Another really sad drawback about this book is that it was originally published in 1996, and I can't understand why it hasn't been updated since then.
Please, Ms. Furlong and Mr. Lipson, can you do something about this????????
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