If you’ve ever wondered how other women face the challenges and weirdness of aging, this book is for you. It’s a reassuring read.

Know that I am objective. I paid to hear Renee Fisher speak, and I also paid for my copy of the book.

It was only after I left the event and read the book that I realized what a gem I’d purchased.

I am a little obsessed by the process of aging, in case you hadn’t noticed, so a lot of books on the subject have crossed my desk. Many are very good. I referenced a few of those good books at the end of this post about how Jane Fonda is afraid of the aging process (but not afraid to sell us a book about how to be brave and authentic.)

In Saving, Renee, Jean and Joyce are not unafraid, but they are smart and tough enough to face it with their eyes open and then come back to tell us about it. They are thoughtful and introspective.

The book is structured in a very useful way. Each of the chapters begins with information about a particular topic and then all three of them write about their personal experiences with it. Examples of chapters are Rational Women Repeating Irrational Patterns, Our Mothers, Dating and Mating, and Sexuality and the Big Five-Oh! At the end of each chapter are exercises you can do individually or with friends, maybe even a book club, to explore that issue and how it is affecting you. I gather from listening to Renee that this is a good way to find yourself, or the pieces of yourself that went missing in your early years. When you find those pieces, they aren’t always pretty or smooth, but they’re valuable for self-discovery.

Because of this book I was able to ask my mom some sensitive questions about body functions and how she has aged, and thus what I might expect. We also laughed when I read some bits out loud, like when a lover fondled Joyce’s mastectomy prosthesis. It didn’t do a thing for Joyce, but the lover got all excited. Luckily they laughed about it.

From that example you can tell that these authors pull no punches. Aging can be scary and isolating, but they lay out their experiences for you and invite you to join in. It’s entertaining and informative. I laughed and I cried, literally.

Joyce, Renee and Jean did us all a favor by writing this book. You might want to do yourself a favor and read it.

Kindle readers can email me at Lmspreen@gmail.com