Celebrity memoirs, along with sci fi, cozy mysteries, Harlequin romances, and anything about sports (except those involving underdog teen or kid teams) are on my do not touch list. This should be easy to understand. I don't watch TV beyond Channel 5 news. I see very few movies. And my interest in celeb gossip matches Tobago's in befriending the dog next door. So when Brooke Shields Is Not Allowed To Get Old showed up in my inter library loan stack I wondered what I was thinking when I ordered it.
But I had ordered it. I decided to skim the introduction...
...and unexpectedly I was hooked. Shields reads the room. She knows who she is addressing and how to hold our interest. Her tone is intimate and candid. She combines personal narrative with research studies. And there is precious little name dropping.
The woman calls bull shit. In this country we're still in deep denial when it comes to ageism. She describes its
manifestations and consequences quite eloquently. Having been on the front line of this war for decades, I find it thrilling that someone with actual name recognition is also in the trenches. And she assuages fears that it's all downhill after menopause. And speaking of menopause...
...she actually does. A perfectly natural process is still a taboo topic in our society, even among many doctors. Shields tells us about the wide variation of what's normal during this transition, ways people can improve their experience of it, and why we need so much more research. For this section alone the book is well worth buying for those who are headed toward or in "the change".
Another change almost universally dreaded by mothers is children growing up and leaving home. Shields does a thoughtful discussion of the depth and complexity of feelings this transition evokes. And she reminds us that if the baby daddy is still in the house parenthood isn't the only changing relationship.
And she hits on the ultimate aging taboo: sex. We've moved away from the movies that show mom and dad retiring to separate beds (if not bedrooms) after a chaste kiss. But we still have a long way to go.
If you're an older woman or nonbinary you should buy this book or at least borrow it from the library. If you're anything like me you'll find it affirming, validating, and liberating.
On a purrrsonal note, I got really great news this morning. I got 100% on my first solo presentation for capstone. I worked really hard on it.
A great big shout out goes out to me from me. I am very proud of how far I've come since the stroke. I hope you can give yourself a shout out when you accomplish something you've worked really hard for.
Jules Hathaway
Sent from my U.S.Cellular© Smartphone
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