Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #1070408 in Books
• Published on: 2004-09-15
• Released on: 2004-08-31
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 246 pages

From Publishers Weekly
As she turns 50 and enters menopause, Florida writer and glass artist Blair begins a journal to chart her physical and emotional transformations. There are tedious complaints about hot flashes, sleepless nights and weight gain—a kvetch-fest thankfully relieved by Blair's descriptions of family life. She adores her husband, a kindred artist: "We are mystic misfits, married to the same visual path and passion." Although they have no children, Blair is the primary caretaker for her aging mother—and, for a time, for her stepfather, too. If you haven't guessed by now, this is not your mother's menopause. Blair's tone is both brazen and New Age, and readers will either delight in or despair of sentences that begin: "10:43 am Farted my way through yoga class and fell asleep during final relaxation.... Woke up thinking I miss my red friend, my Moon Time, my flowers, Auntie Flo." The journal's funniest and richest parts come when Blair compares her life as a teenager in the late `60s and early `70s with her current lifestyle. When she can't remember where she parked her car, she wonders if it's part of aging or an acid flashback brought on by rereading the `60s classic Be Here Now. The work's journal format is limiting—this might have worked better as a narrative memoir. Still, baby boomers will relate.
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Customer Reviews

If you are still young and have never thought of Hot Flashes don't get this book; it's slow and sad.
Disappointing, monothematic, redundant, slow.... Dramatically slow, it made me want to scream.
I didn't enjoy this book, the 1st chapter or two were all right filling me in with knowledge of the processes I might go through in 20 years' time but after the 2nd chapter it just gets boring and sadistically slow.

There are no other voices here except for that of the writer, and even though it is extremely courageous to write your truth like this, with raw nudity and extreme detail (there are descriptions of everything the mantelpiece, the chairs, the weather, the dreams and monotonic passing of days and nights, trouble holding the house down with mom and step dad staying there full time, the color of the sky, the need for chocolate as a mood enhancer, and the power of Mother Earth, etc.) it didn't do it for me AT ALL.

I don't recommend it unless you are suffering from body changes and memory loss or you have already been through "The Change"... basically DO NOT BUY it unless you have something to share with the author on menopause, otherwise you'll just be frustrated with the ultra slow pace of this book and will crave chick lit with a vengeance.

The personal memoir of one woman's experience with menopause
Thank You: Your Opinion Means Nothing To Me is the personal memoir of one woman's experience with menopause. Retelling physical, emotional, and spiritual stresses and trials with a twist of humor and the candor that comes from enduring sustained tribulation, Thank You: Your Opinion Means Nothing To Me is a sober and insightful reflection upon what it truly means to grow old, accept oneself, and find one's voice. From adjusting to her elderly mother moving back in, to the miffed realization that her sex drive is in neutral, to exploring revelations of mortality in flesh and spirit step by step, Thank You: Your Opinion Means Nothing To Me involves the reader by virtue of its very nonchalance in addressing everyday concerns as well as larger than life issues.

Excellent Book!
I absolutely LOVED this book! I'm a twenty-six year old female and far from menopause, but this isn't just about menopause, it's about life and learning to deal with, and accept, the changes that come with it, which Blair amazingly guides the reader through. Her voice is powerful, filled with attitude and wit. Some of the crazy thoughts she shares are thoughts we all experience, but don't always talk about.

This has been one of the most inspirational books I've ever read! I slapped post-it's on just about every page so I can refer back to the quotes. Though this isn't a self-help book, the wisdom and inspiration have stuck with me more than any self-help book I've read. It has given me insight as to what to expect during menopause, how to deal with life changes, and most of all, living in the moment. I already find myself applying the following quotes, "Only I can control my thoughts. I don't have to think about anything I don't want to. I can change my mind. Why not? Everything else is changing" and "Emotions are merely signposts. Let them guide you, but keep them out of the driver's seat."