Twirlit Book Review: Shmirshky by E

By Jennifer Hudock on March 5th, 2010

As women, most of us have been waiting for menopause since we got our very first menstrual cramps and PMS. Now that I’m in my mid-thirties, perimenopause is knocking on my door, and that sweet release from menstruation is definitely not all we had hoped. Menopause is different for every woman, with a wide variety of dreadful symptoms that have been known to drive women over the edge.

When I was offered the chance to check out Shmirshky by E, I was excited. Now that I’m coming up on the big change, I want to read every book I can get my hands on about menopause. The unfortunate thing is that I’m not a doctor, so a lot of the terminology goes right over my head. Shmirshky is much simpler. E is not a doctor or an expert, but she is a woman who’s gone through menopause.

One of E’s goals with the book was to reach out and encourage women to admit they are not fine. As women we have a tendency to shrug things off, even when it feels like we’re spiraling out of control because we don’t like being anything less than 100%. How true is that? Personally, I hate getting sick because it cuts into my productivity time, so often I ignore illness and signs that something might be wrong. Through allowing ourselves to admit we are vulnerable, E says we become fearless because we educate ourselves and know what to expect.

There is an abundance of advice, well-researched and chock full of easy-to-understand terminology, in this book. E’s taken the liberty of adding footnotes to explain unfamiliar terms at the bottom of every page, so you don’t have to skip to the back of the book to find out what she’s talking about. She’s also added a healthy dose of humble humor about her own hellish journey through menopause.

So, what’s a Shmirshky? The opposite of an Erlick, of course. I’m a Shmirshky, and chances are if you’re reading this, you’re a Shmirshky too. To find out what it really means, I recommend you read the book. Just knowing that every woman out there will eventually go through this in her own way is a comfort. Shmirshky encourages us to embrace the knowledge out there and prepare ourselves, something our mothers and grandmothers weren’t taught to do. In fact, many of them were told to hide what they were going through because issues of femininity and sexuality were best left in the cavern of hidden mystery.

Shmirskhy is an easy, but informative read. In fact, I sat down and read it through in about an hour, but I will definitely be going back to it again and again, and I think you will too.

And check out this video of E: