Amy Cohen

"Between the Lines" interviewed Amy Cohen, author of The Late Bloomer's Revolution.

The interview opens:

What’s A Late Bloomer?

It’s simple — a Late Bloomer is someone who discovers his or her strengths later than expected. I’m convinced that George Elliot was speaking to Late Bloomers when she said, “it’s never too late to be what you might have been.” I love that idea, especially since I’ve discovered there are all kinds of Late Bloomers. Who knew? I only found out because every time I mention the book title someone says, “That’s me! I’m a Late Bloomer too!”

So people say, “I’m a LATE BLOOMER too!” Can you talk about that?

Apparently, everyone is a Late Bloomer in some way. It really is a revolution. One of my favorite stories is about a guy who worked in Hollywood throughout his twenties. An assistant on a TV show, he felt his life was going nowhere. Then one day he ordered the wrong lunch for the show’s star, who was furious. When the assistant found the tuna sandwich stuffed into his coffee mug he quit on the spot. He enrolled in law school and became a civil rights lawyer. I love that story because it manages to be both inspiring and dishy. Another woman had been a stay at home mother in her thirties. She had always wanted to be an interior decorator, but worried she was too late to start a new career. Now she owns her own company.

When I wrote the book I had no idea how many people would identify themselves as Late Bloomers — I thought it was just me. I met a woman at a party who said, “You wrote a book about Late Bloomers? I decided to have a child at forty-five and I got pregnant the first try!” Then there was a seventeen year old boy who told me he didn’t talk until he was three and now he’s going to Yale. Another man said that in high school, “I was the short, chubby kid who took forever to go through puberty. I didn’t get hair on my face until last week,” he laughed. “And I didn’t lose my virginity until I was twenty.”

I love hearing people’s Late Bloomer stories. It’s fantastic. They’re eager to share their stories and say, as I did, “Don’t get discouraged! There’s hope!”

Read the entire interview.

--Marshal Zeringue