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thestoryowl's review against another edition
5.0
I needed Ada’s pleasant warm engaging voice to walk me through this new phase of life I’m entering. The information is grounded and practical and the stories made me feel so much less alone.
furey's review against another edition
3.0
2.5 stars. Depressing AF. We can’t sleep because we are worried. We don’t like how we look, what we weigh, our spouses, our divorce, our singleness, our careers, our parenting skills, caring for our parents and our kids. There is no cure but the author is cured. Ok.
theshaggyshepherd's review against another edition
4.0
Why We Can't Sleep // by Ada Calhoun
Despite being younger than the target audience or the topic of her research, I still am glad to have read this book. Ada Calhoun, herself in the middle of a mid-life crisis when she first started writing this book, wrote about the many reasons that keep a lot of Gen X women up at night: finances, relationships, employment, children, parents, health, etc. While I don't have to worry about some of those things myself yet, the writing style still made me feel like she was talking to me anyways, helping me understand members of my family, my friends, coworkers, and acquaintances. While I don't generally fact check sources in books like this (there are just too many books for me to read to spend time on that) and therefore can't speak on the validity of her claims, many things do seem to make more sense to me now and I feel a little less apprehensive about reaching that age than I did before (hah). Her research once again shows though how much more focus there is on men's health and well-being, not that I am surprised by that in any way. I really liked that she tried to refrain from giving advice as much as possible but rather presented ways that helped her or a friend as examples on how to find your own way through those struggles.
Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for providing me with a free copy in exchange for an honest review.
Despite being younger than the target audience or the topic of her research, I still am glad to have read this book. Ada Calhoun, herself in the middle of a mid-life crisis when she first started writing this book, wrote about the many reasons that keep a lot of Gen X women up at night: finances, relationships, employment, children, parents, health, etc. While I don't have to worry about some of those things myself yet, the writing style still made me feel like she was talking to me anyways, helping me understand members of my family, my friends, coworkers, and acquaintances. While I don't generally fact check sources in books like this (there are just too many books for me to read to spend time on that) and therefore can't speak on the validity of her claims, many things do seem to make more sense to me now and I feel a little less apprehensive about reaching that age than I did before (hah). Her research once again shows though how much more focus there is on men's health and well-being, not that I am surprised by that in any way. I really liked that she tried to refrain from giving advice as much as possible but rather presented ways that helped her or a friend as examples on how to find your own way through those struggles.
Thank you to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for providing me with a free copy in exchange for an honest review.
mg_in_md_'s review against another edition
5.0
Sometimes the right book comes into your life just when you need it. This was the book I didn't know that I needed and now I want to get copies of it for all of my friends who are middle-aged Gen-Xers. Heck, I want to get copies for my Boomer and Millennial friends, too, because we should all be talking about it! I cannot wait until its January 2020 release and hope that I get to discuss it with my friends soon after it is published. I'm not typically a re-reader, but this is going to be one of those books that I plan to revisit. I didn't realize how much I needed a book like this, but it made me feel connected to other women my age in a way I wasn't expecting. It was almost like the author had interviewed me and translated things I've been thinking, feeling, and experiencing at this stage of my life onto the written page. The perspective it provided was just what I needed; it feels good to know that I'm not alone and I hope this book ends up being a conversation starter when it comes out.
When I read the book's description, I thought it sounded interesting but wondered if it would be focused mainly on the issues of married, middle-aged Gen-X women with children. Since that's not my experience, I was hesitant but still curious enough to give it a try. I'm so glad that I did. While it does deal with those issues, it also talks about the challenges of child-free, single middle-aged Gen-X women, too. I felt like even the chapters that weren't specifically about my own experience were still incredibly illuminating and spoke to me in ways I wasn't expecting.
I liked the way the material was presented and the amount of research that went into this book; the material was easy to digest and covered a range of issues (including the myth of having it all and feeling guilty if "all" isn't had (and the fact this doesn't apply to men), work, deciding not to work outside the home, family, being single, being married, having kids or not, promotions, hormone fluctuations, perimenopause, and menopause). It didn't feel like a dry recitation of facts, but rather an objective portrayal of what middle-aged Gen-X women are feeling and why. This isn't just a retelling of the author's own experiences (or those of her friends) in navigating mid-life. When she included anecdotes about herself, I felt they were relevant to the points she was making and didn't feel preachy or judgy. The balance was just right.
Many thanks to Grove Press for allowing me to read an early copy of this book via NetGalley.
When I read the book's description, I thought it sounded interesting but wondered if it would be focused mainly on the issues of married, middle-aged Gen-X women with children. Since that's not my experience, I was hesitant but still curious enough to give it a try. I'm so glad that I did. While it does deal with those issues, it also talks about the challenges of child-free, single middle-aged Gen-X women, too. I felt like even the chapters that weren't specifically about my own experience were still incredibly illuminating and spoke to me in ways I wasn't expecting.
I liked the way the material was presented and the amount of research that went into this book; the material was easy to digest and covered a range of issues (including the myth of having it all and feeling guilty if "all" isn't had (and the fact this doesn't apply to men), work, deciding not to work outside the home, family, being single, being married, having kids or not, promotions, hormone fluctuations, perimenopause, and menopause). It didn't feel like a dry recitation of facts, but rather an objective portrayal of what middle-aged Gen-X women are feeling and why. This isn't just a retelling of the author's own experiences (or those of her friends) in navigating mid-life. When she included anecdotes about herself, I felt they were relevant to the points she was making and didn't feel preachy or judgy. The balance was just right.
Many thanks to Grove Press for allowing me to read an early copy of this book via NetGalley.
afanella's review against another edition
3.0
There were parts of the book that definitely did not resonate with me, but there are parts that will stay with me for a while. Some of the early chapters felt repetitious but the later ones have more relevant information.
cdale8's review against another edition
3.0
2.5, really. I read this the same year it was published, but felt that while the author acknowledged the range of Gen X as 1965 to 1979, the focus was really on those that experienced their tweens and teens in the early 90s and are now just entering perimenopause/online dating/end of fertility rather than the 50+ set that are sending kids off to college, becoming grandparents, or going through their parents' estates. I mostly enjoyed the later chapters that dealt with things like menopause and the HRT debacle of the early noughts with the Boomers, mid-life examinations of Gen X responsibilities (to both career, kids, and parents - and grandkids), divorce in Gen X and how that differs from other generations with respect to the childhood experiences of the 80s, and the still-present glass ceiling. I find it telling that the author forgets about the Silent Generation -- between the Greatest Generation and the Boomers -- because these were, by and large, the parents of early Gen X, and could be rather disaffected themselves. They were born during the Great Depression and before the US entered WWII, but were not old enough to realize their place in that history. They were tut-tutted by the Greatest Generation that made WWII sacrifices and rebuilt the post-war economy, but then already had family responsibilities during the time of the civil rights movement, Free Love, and Vietnam. It is no surprise, then, that the older Gen X (1965-1972) would be different than the Boomer-raised younger Gen X. For the life of me, in less than a week I have forgotten what the earlier chapters were about without having to skim back through, because the theme all seems to run together: We can't sleep because there's too much to do.