Nosotras y La Edad

Accomplished Argentine writer Plager shares her ruminations on her experiences as she ages. Now in her 50s, she writes about menopause, becoming a grandmother, and being sexually active. She presents her ideas in a collection of short meditations on the varied psychological responses women may have to the aging process, providing words of encouragement for those who may feel devastated by the onset of menopause and the prevalent negative stereotypes of older women. Plager scatters personal anecdotes and literary references throughout. She offers the witticisms of feminist greats like Greta Garbo, Indira Gandhi, Virginia Wolf, Jane Austen, and Chavela Vargas for inspiration, along with pop cultural ""lessons"" from aging celebrities such as Melanie Griffith, Sharon Stone, and Cristina Onassis. Overall, Plager does a fine job of reaching out to a wide array of women, from lesbians or heterosexuals who have not become mothers to mothers in traditional nuclear families. In essence she is reaching out to a breed of ""nuevas abuelas"" (""new grandmothers"") who aren't ready to give up feeling like women. Those concerned about their own psychological reactions to menopause and fans of the author's books, such as Al mal sexo buena cara (A Positive Face on Bad Sex, Planeta, 1994), will be interested in this book. Recommended for public libraries. Lisa M. Reynolds, Indianapolis-Marion Cty. P.L., IN