A fearless verbal and visual tour of menopause that’s equal parts Vagina Monologues and Bridget Jones"s Diary, this book candidly explores a subject that is still largely taboo, confronting head-on the fact that women "of a certain age" feel discarded and undervalued merely because they have entered the next normal stages of life — peri-menopause, menopause, and all that lies beyond. The authors don’t whine, blame, or gloss over the facts, instead talking with other women, like themselves, with warmth and wit. Unlike many books in this category, Ripe is not a compendium of clinical information. Quotes, quizzes, a menu of symptoms and therapies, mock-screenplay excerpts, recipes, illustrations, photographs, and found material are woven throughout to reveal the myriad ways of looking at and understanding society’s — and more importantly, women’s — feelings about aging and maturing. Ripe makes it clear that this phase of life is rich in often underappreciated beauty that is much more than skin deep.