Menopause hit Darcey Steinke hard. First came hot flushes. Then insomnia. Then depression. As she struggled to understand what was happening to her, she slammed up against a culture of silence and sexism. Some promoted hormone replacement therapy, others encouraged acceptance, but there was little that offered a path to understanding menopause in an engaged way.
Flash Count Diary is a powerful exploration into aspects of menopause that have rarely been written about. It is a deeply feminist book, honest about the intimations of mortality that menopause signals but also an argument for the ascendency, beauty and power of the post-reproductive years in women's lives.
"A fiercely intelligent trawl through menopausal waters that is not afraid to confront the intricacies of the female body and mind. There is a beautiful precision to the writing"
CATHY RENTZENBRINK
"A searingly intelligent, richly imagined, deeply moving memoir and exploration of menopause. This is not like anything I have ever seen on the subject . . . [Steinke] takes her body, our history and nature itself seriously . . . I was incredibly stirred, educated and inspired by this book . . . I love this book. I admire this book. It's fierce, and it's important"
ELIZABETH GILBERT
"Many days I believe menopause is the new (if long overdue) frontier for the most compelling and necessary philosophy; Darcey Steinke is already there, blazing the way. This elegant, wise, fascinating, deeply moving book is an instant classic. I'm about to buy it for everyone I know"
