This book is a refreshing and different look at menopause in that it never once suggests that menopause is a disease that needs to be treated with HT.

Life changing. I was alternately nodding vigorously and being on the verge of tears with every paragraph.

If you are in menopause or peri-menopause or really if you’re a woman at any stage of life, read this book. This is a collection of thoughtful and thought provoking chapters that have me thinking about my body, my femininity, and my humanity in new ways.

This was a tough read for me, and even more difficult to review. I thought this would be more about the author's experiences going through menopause, and it was to a degree. But I also thought it would go more in-depth about what to expect, and what are the safest options when considering or not considering HRT. Alas, these were my own misconceptions.
I was angry and uncomfortable throughout much of this book. The author was brutally honest, and her language was not apologetic; she wanted the reader to feel uncomfortable.
I am just as bewildered by what to expect when menopause comes my way because this book did not answer any of the questions I thought it would. Instead, I read about patriarchy and how I'll still have to contend with it long after I am passed reproductive age. 2.5

I really want to like this book and I did have moments where I definitely connected with the author but I struggled to keep up with the diary concept.
I believe Darcey Steinke had some wonderful moments of insight and discovery on the topic of menopause but she left me pretty much in the dark room that I started in.

I didn’t know I needed to read this until I did.

I guess straight women would like this book?

Is it really about menopause, or is it about the lives of women who live with men and who think that "general culture" (a term the author uses) means "what men think about women"?

Made me a bit more nervous about menopause and a LOT more curious about the matrilineal organization of whale pods so I’d call it a win.