I was excited to see The Knowledge being offered by Netgalley as and E-ARC as I had been looking for a copy to buy but had no luck locally (since bought myself a physical copy) - Dr Arif I know better from her presence on local BBC Radio which also discussed her book coming out. I was not disappointed in that it was everything I had heard it was and more. It's the kind of book that as a woman you can pick up and put down throughout your life stages and learn something relevant to the you now - whether that is puberty, fertility or the menopause and beyond. I have learnt so much and I do so wish that this book had been around when I was a little bit younger.

If it's not apparent I really really recommend this book as a must read to anyone who wants to learn more about women's health!

I would say this book is a must-own. There is so much information within which was not taught to me while I was at school & the stuff about the menopause was particularly enlightening. This book is also catered to everyone so there are passages aimed at trans people, passages aimed at Muslim, Asian, Afro-Caribbean people & others.

I’ve not come across Dr Arif before (I’m not someone that watches daytime television) but I found her tone factual & relatively easy to understand. Our doctor does seem to have some quite strong opinions which come out in places but this seems to be around getting people to advocate for themselves more so isn’t really a bother.

This isn’t the sort of book that you sit & read (though I did for the purposes of the review), instead it’s something you dip in & out of as necessary. I’m definitely thinking about getting it to keep on my shelf for future.

Thank you to the author, publishers & NetGalley for access to this arc in return for an honest review.

I certainly wish I had had this book 50 years ago. The knowledge very easy to understand with clear and simple information and illustrations from menstruation to menopause - it’s informative, engaging and the illustrations are brilliant.

With a very inclusive quality, I do like dr. Nighat Arif's tone of voice, even with a hint of humor here and there. The topics she covers are very wide, even mentioning EDS and FGM for instance. However, somehow I expected a bit more depth - some subjects were a bit generic. But overall, I think this can be a really helpful book if you start looking for information on peri-, post-, and menopause generally, no matter your background or walk of life.

And then there is the issue I've personally got difficulties with because of statements like:

'Perimenopause is a natural transition that we should celebrate, because it means we made it to our second spring.'

Somehow society these days emphasizes that we should celebrate all parts of life, even or especially the ones that we women are having difficulties with.
How can I be ill with ME for well over 18 years, struggle with menopausal anxiety on top of that and still revel in this stage of my life? For me this borders on toxic positivity, but I'm not there yet to actually label as such. I just don't understand how well-educated, feeling women who are in touch with all the misery we (all women, regardless skin color, troublesome health, background, history, sexuality, identity) suffer from the patriarchy can cheer us on while some of us might have trouble simply getting through a difficult day?

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for a copy of the book.