The madwoman in the Volvo : my year of raging hormones

A 2014 New York Times Book Review Notable Book From an "imaginatively twisted and fearless" writer ( Los Angeles Times ), a hilarious memoir of middle age. In a voice that is wry, disarming, and totally candid, Sandra Tsing Loh tells the moving and laugh-out-loud tale of her roller coaster through the change. This is not your grandmothers menopause story. Loh chronicles utterly relatable, everyday perils: raising preteen daughters, weathering hormonal changes, and going through the ups and downs of a career and a relationship. She writes also about an affair and the explosion of her marriage, the pressures of keeping her daughters off Facebook while managing the legal and marital hijinks of her eighty-nine-year-old dad, and a despairing withdrawal to a tiny cabin where she combined wine and Ambien, paralyzing her arm into a claw. In one outrageous chapter, a hormonal Loh finds herself trekking to her preteen daughters school to confront a ten-year-old bully half her size. In another she attempts to subsist on only zero-calorie noodles and the occasional fat-free yogurt in a hopeless effort to vanquish added midlife weight. In The Madwoman in the Volvo Loh speaks hilariously and honestly about her life as a mother, a daughter, and an artist. She recounts her journey through a tumultuous time of life, trying to maintain appearances during an epic hormonaland that means physical, emotional, mental, and spiritualchange. The upbeat conclusion: it does get better. Writer, Performer, And Radio Show Host Loh Speaks ... About Her Life As A Mother, A Daughter, And An Artist. She Recounts Her Journey Through A Tumultuous Time Of Life, Trying To Maintain Appearances During An Epic Hormonal--and That Means Physical, Emotional, Mental, And Spiritual--change. The Upbeat Conclusion: It Does Get Better--dust Jacket Cover. Prologue: Gloomings -- Burning Woman -- Bridges -- Menopause, Old -- Menopause, New -- Life In The (happiness) Projects -- Gym Dandy -- A Brief Discussion Of Manopause -- Parenting Adolescents During Perimenopause, Or Medieval Times -- Bench Warrant For My Father's Arrest -- Losing It -- The Shit Hits The Fan -- Couples Therapy Round 117 -- Rental Dog -- House Cat -- The Sudden Death Of My Father -- The Caregiver's Journey -- Ladies Of The Lake -- The Great Retreat -- Dinner At Home -- Dr. Valerie -- The Wisdom Of Menopause -- The Contents Of My In-box -- Turning Fifty -- Old Lady Running -- Menopause Tips. Sandra Tsing Loh. "In a voice that is wry, disarming, and totally candid, Sandra Tsing Loh tells the moving and laugh-out-loud tales of her roller coaster through 'the change.' This is not your grandmother's menopause story. Loh chronicles the utterly relatable, everyday perils: raising preteen daughters, weathering hormonal changes, and the ups and downs of a career and a relationship. She writes also about an affair and the explosion of her marriage, while managing the legal and marital hijinks of her eighty-nine-year-old dad. The upbeat conclusion: it does get better."--Back cover. A writer, performer, and contributing editor to "The Atlantic" humorously chronicles her experiences going through menopause while dealing with the end of her marriage, her preteen daughters, and the hijinks of her eighty-nine-year-old father