In On Being 40(ish), 15 women muse on what being 40 years old--give or take--means in their lives. This anthology, edited by freelance writer Lindsey Mead, offers diverse viewpoints and concerns but as a whole aims to inspire. As Mead writes in her introduction, "These are not reflections on the dying of the light, but rather a full-throated celebration of what it means to be an adult woman at this moment in history."
The contents are varied, including celebrations, uncertainties and elegies. Some writers mourn losses, some rejoice at new beginnings; some are concerned with the existential, some more lightheartedly concerned with changing appearances. Lee Woodruff writes about her mother's 40th birthday, her own and what she hopes to pass down to her own daughters. Taffy Brodesser-Akner writes about time, which "happens no matter what you're doing with it." The quickness with which years pass is a theme across these essays, as is the victory involved in aging: "by forty, we know who we are," Jill Kargman writes. "When we are young, we are diluted versions of ourselves. We become balsamic reductions as we age--our very best parts distilled and clarified."
Allison Winn Scotch writes about accepting the unexpected when a devastating injury interrupts plans for a trip to Mexico. She closes: "I worried that my injury would upend everything. It turns out that it did." And that's a happy ending.
On Being 40(ish) is mostly about happy endings; or the ongoingness of life--its not ending at all, not yet. This is an anthology for women of all ages and all perspectives. --Julia Kastner, librarian and blogger at pagesofjulia