Grown Woman Talk: Your Guide to Getting and Staying Healthy

This addition to the growing library of woman-centered approaches to aging mixes science with playful chapter titles based on songs; they’re put together in a playlist so that women can rock out even when they’re feeling hot from menopause—or bothered by racist, classist, and sexist double standards related to medical care. Malone, the chief medical officer of Alloy Women’s Health, reminds readers that an individual doesn’t always have full control over their own health; medical biases, lack of access to care, and other systemic issues lead to racial health disparities and mean that healthy eating and exercise aren’t enough to keep people well. As a result, she gives guidance designed to empower women to advocate for themselves and to utilize everything available to them without demanding superfoods or cost-prohibitive wellness trends. She cautions that when physicians—and wellness influencers—focus on weight and BMI, they neglect real health concerns. For example, a doctor might “prescribe” weight loss when a woman comes in for a concern requiring more nuanced health management or a different diagnosis.