"What Every Woman Should Know About Fertility and her Biological Clock" by Cara Birrittieri

This is a very in-depth book about fertility for women.  It explains how 20s are the best time to have children and that most women's biological clocks start to run out around 35.  This isn't to say women can't have natural children in their late 30s or early 40s.  It simply means that the odds are not in one's favor, especially if one's mother was unable to have children that late.  The author explains several types of Assisted Reproductive Technologies (ARTs), egg freezing, IVF, and so on.  She also encourages readers to get their fertility levels tested via something called an FSH test.  Apparently, the higher the level of FSH in the blood, the less fertile a woman is.  Whether we like it or not, the biological clock is real.  While science has advanced greatly, doctors can only do so much.  This book gives a lot of practical advice but is also a wakeup call to women to think twice before delaying having children for too long.

 

"Irreversible Damage" by Abigail Shrier

Transgenderism is increasingly popular in today's media.  It is more talked about and accepted than in earlier generations.  While Shrier has no issues with transgender adults living the life they want for themselves, she is extremely concerned about the recent increase in transgenderism amongst teen and preteen girls.  Throughout the book, Shrier explains how many girls going thru puberty may be uncomfortable with their body, have trouble fitting in, and experience unpleasant emotions.  To make sense of all this, they go online and find transgender social media "influencers" who sing the praises of "transitioning".  In many places, minors do not need proper psychological evaluation or parental consent to start taking hormone pills or undergo transitional surgery.  Some go so far as to chop off their chests and take medication that renders them infertile.  Sadly, there are girls who transition to boys that come to regret their decision later in life.  While critics may say this book is transphobic, I don't think that's the case.  The author is very supportive of transgender adults and of the broader LGBTQ+ community.  She is simply concerned about young girls being influenced to transition who are not actually transgender.  Strier also emphasizes the difference between a child who has expresses gender dysmorphia consistently from a young age (without social media) versus a child who suddenly expresses gender dysmorphia around puberty (when exposed to social media).  Both should be treated with care to understand the root cause of unhappiness.  Many influencers talk about people who transitioned and love it.  Few influencers talk about people who transitioned and came to regret it.  

"The DNA of Healing" by Margaret Ruby

This book focuses on what the author calls "energy healing".  Just like how animals are bred and domesticated for certain traits, in some ways people are too.  If your ancestors were happy, there's a good chance you are predisposed towards happiness.  If your ancestors were angry, there's a good chance you are predisposed towards anger.  The author goes into several examples of people who had unexplained "blockages of negative energy" which ended up linking to trauma in their lineage.  Once they neutralize that and focus on what they do want instead--called manifesting--then they can move forward with the life of their dreams.  Part science, part new age philosophy, this book gave me a lot to think about.  If you have a certain idea about who you are, who you should be, what you deserve, and what is possible for your life, where did that come from?  Is that truly what you want or rather what you've been conditioned to believe? 

 

"Cured" by Jeffrey Rediger

Whenever someone gets the unfortunately news of a deadly prognosis, it can seem as if all hope is lost.  They are given so many months to live and are told to just accept their fate.  However, for Doctor Rediger, his journey of spontaneous healing has made him rethink what so many other physicians have been taught.  Throughout the book, readers are given case studies of people who defied all odds and went on to live years beyond their initial prognosis.  Their methods are unique and varied.  Some upended their diets and went on extreme nutritional programs, some took a sabbatical to a Brazilian healing center, some left toxic relationships, some used therapy, some meditated, and some simply refused to believe they were hopeless.  Doctor Rediger cites several medical journals and studies to back up the claims in this book.  He also makes it clear that spontaneous remission of disease is the exception rather than the norm and that patients should not disregard conventional western medicine.  There is a fascinating chapter on the placebo effect, as well as the impact of stress vs love on the psyche.  Overall, this book gave me a lot to think about.  The mind-body connection is a complex one that scientists are only beginning to understand.  Not everyone will be "cured" and even those who are will eventually die at a later point in time.  I wouldn't say this book is anything super controversial about upending the medical establishment.  Instead, it is a wakeup call to patients and doctors to go beyond the "normal" and encourage others with real science-based hope.  Bravo Doctor Rediger, bravo.  

"Deep" by James Nestor

I had never heard of freediving before reading this book.  Apparently it is the sport or spirituality--depends who you ask!--of diving deep in the water without gear.  There are no scuba masks or oxygen tanks.  All divers rely on is their breath, and some can hold theirs for upwards of fifteen minutes while diving to depths of 300+ feet below the surface!  Nestor goes into the science of how freediving works and how one can learn to extend their capacity to hold their breath.  There are also special techniques for alleviating pressure in one's body since the deeper one swims in the ocean the more intense the pressure becomes.  Nestor shares the frightening accounts of people who have taken freediving too far in attempts to set world records--some have becoming permanently paralyzed, some suffered brain damage, and some even died.  Alongside the fascinating field of freediving, Nestor also elaborates on much of the cutting edge science surrounding sea creatures.  Since many free divers interact with wildlife, a few have actually started their own research.  Readers go with Nestor as he explores underwater submarines, hears dolphin clicks, and swims with whales.  Overall I learned a lot from this book and it has renewed my interest in the ocean. 

"Letters to my Palestinian Neighbor" by Yossi Klein Halevi

I read this book as part of a book club that focused on the Middle East.  As the title suggests, the book is a series of letters from an Israeli Jew to his Arab--presumably Muslim--Palestinian neighbor.  With tensions being high in Israel and decades of failed peace attempts, countless people in the Holy Land feel hopeless.  Halevi goes into the history of the land of Israel, its borders, its wars, its offers for peace.  He also explains how the terror organizations preventing peace harm people on both sides.  He gracefully dances the line between defending Israel and sympathizing with Palestinians.  In a generous offer of goodwill, he has even translated the book into Arabic for free so that more of his "neighbors" can read it.  

 

"The Big Lie: Motherhood, Feminism, and the Reality of the Biological Clock" by Tanya Selvaratnam

 

Oddly enough, a book written about the woes of feminism is actually written by a feminist herself.  Who would have guessed that!  The author shares much of her personal journey with infertility.  She explains how she assumed she would be able to have children later in life but learned the hard way that things are not so easy.  While many celebrities claim to have kids into their 40s and 50s, Selvaratnam explains that many are not open and honest with the media.  Some have surrogates, others have donor eggs, and a few can simply afford the most expensive fertility treatments money can buy.  However, for the average woman, it will be increasingly difficult to have kids past age 35.  In a sad turn of events, Selvaratnam also chronicles her journey of cancer and eventual divorce from her then husband.  This book is a wake up call to women everywhere.  While schools teach extensively on how to prevent pregnancy, few if any educate females on the biological clock.  Like the author, many women will find themselves in a situation one day where they are ready to have kids but physically can't.