cover image Placer de Ser Mujer, El

Placer de Ser Mujer, El

S. Buzzi. Juventud, $34 (0pp) ISBN 978-84-261-3181-2

A journalist and radio/TV personality who has written widely on women's topics for the print and TV media in Spain, Buzzi here offers a concise, well-organized guide to menopause. She walks women through the basic physical, emotional, and social changes in store for them. Beginning with a chapter of questions and answers to the most fundamental issues on women's minds and ending with a glossary of terms, Buzzo's book uses personal testimonials from Spanish women to illustrate her points. She explores how society views the aging process in men and women and the unfortunate impact that negative stereotypes of menopausal women have on a woman's ability to adjust and accept the aging process with grace. Chapters on the symptoms of menopause, the impact of hormones and hormone replacement therapy, diseases related to the onset of menopause, and the effects of menopause on a woman's role in the family and in society provide a full discussion. The clear lay reader's language, illustrations and graphics, simple organization, and use of bulleted information make this a readable and useful book on a topic of interest to many women. An excellent companion to Silvia Plager's more inspirational Nosotras y la edad (We Women and Age, Criticas, Fall 2001). Recommended for all public libraries and bookstores. Yolanda J. Cuesta, Cuesta MultiCultural Consulting, Sacramento, CA