A menopausal memoir

the long version

The only extended, first-person narrative about menopause, A Menopausal Memoir: Letters from Another Climate explores the connection between menopause, mourning, and memory through fictional letters written to nine different addressees. The letters explain the author's own experience of having a hysterectomy (without her permission) during surgery for endometriosis and being thrown into instant menopause. Herrmann expresses her experiences differently in each letter based on the recipient's gender, sexual identity, and age, revealing the complexities of accepting menopause. Psychotherapists, psychologists, physicians, medical students, academics, and those interested in women's health and women's studies will receive insight into one woman's experience and will learn how our bodies mold our sexual identity and shape many aspects of our lives.