Writer who called himself the "world's oldest rebel" has died

Calling an obituary a motivational story may seem odd on the surface, but you can’t help straightening your back and resolving to be a better person after reading about the late Harry Leslie Smith.

Smith wrote his first book, a memoir, at age eighty-seven, featuring such life experiences as surviving the Great Depression, fighting in World War II, and the gradual losses of loved ones.

1923 was published in 2010, and Smith not only followed it up with four more books, but also gained acclaim for his regular columns in the Guardian.

The self-proclaimed “world’s oldest rebel” was working on his sixth book when he passed away Wednesday at age 95.

Read more about him in the New York Times.