Crones Don't Whine

September 22, 2003
Bolen, a psychiatrist and professor at the University of California Medical School, believes that women need to stand up for their rights, wants and desires and can't afford to be complainers or whiners. Explains Bolen, the author of The Millionth Circle and Goddesses in Older Women, "To be involved and engaged in life is a juicy proposition. Every juicy crone taps into a wellspring or a deep aquifer of meaning in her psyche." They are, according to Bolen, smart, compassionate, courageous and humorous. In these brief essays, she offers commonsense wisdom, calling on women to empower themselves, but also to fight against any emotional demons or problems they have. For example, in discussing women who have been abused or otherwise have some secret from their past that they're ashamed of, she writes, "At some point in their lives, most remember fearing that this truth would become known. Crones, however, also recall when and with whom they broke this taboo of silence as the beginning of feeling whole. To speak the truth is to be able to say, this is who I am." Fans of Bolen's quirky, spiritual tone will find these words comforting. However, much of the text discusses why women need to be juicy crones without offering much practical advice to improve one's life.

October 1, 2003
Many books seek to convince women over 50 that calling themselves "crones" is a positive next step in female development, e.g., Ruth Gardner's Celebrating the Crone, Dorothy Morrison's In Praise of the Crone, and Barbara G. Walker's The Crone: Women of Age, Wisdom, and Power. In the latest and most direct of the genre, Bolen (psychiatry, Univ. of California Medical Ctr.; Goddesses in Every Woman) dedicates a chapter to each of the 13 qualities that she feels crones should cultivate-among them, follow your heart, speak the truth, never whine, never grovel, laugh, and savor the good. These traits and more, she believes, can be fostered during the last phase of life because it isn't an end but a time of becoming. Rather than be bitter and unhappy, Bolen urges readers to spend time being who they were meant to be and who they want to be-points that are well said and well taken. Highly recommended for all public libraries and for academic libraries with women's studies programs.-Mary E. Jones, Cty. of Los Angeles P.L., Agoura Hills

Copyright 2003 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.