The Smart Woman's Guide to Diabetes by Amy Stockwell Mercer is a practical guide to life with diabetes. This book is for women with both type 1 and type 2 diabetes. It covers issues from adolescence to old age.
Pros
- Easy to read
- Comprehensive
- Relatable
- Nicely organized with easy to find information
- Lots of input and contributions from respected well-known women in the diabetes community--both professional and lay people
Cons
- None
Guide Review
Amy Stockwell Mercer has type 1 diabetes and is the mother of three young boys. She has been a member of the online diabetes community for many years. This book provides information for women of all ages with type 1 and type 2 diabetes.
The book claims to offer "authentic advice on everything from eating to dating and motherhood." The authentic advice comes from respected members of the medical community as well as well-known online diabetes community members and lay people who have been living with the disease.
This is not a very large book, but I was surprised how complete and comprehensive it is. It is very nicely organized, allowing a lot of important information to be packed into a nice portable book. It gets right to the meat of the matter while still being a good read.
The book covers personal issues such as dating, sex, marriage, motherhood and body image. It even covers subjects such as travel, work, and school. Again, we get the information from someone sharing their own experiences with us making it more personal and relatable.
When you visit your doctor, you usually get one-size-fits-all information. In addition, your physician does not have the time to give very much practical life or coping advice. It is up to you to do additional research and find information for your own unique situation. I always encourage friends with diabetes to start on a journey of self-education via books, magazines, internet searches and peer support groups.
Often gender-specific information is limited in texts or restricted to a small blurb. Because of this, some information often comes as a surprise to women who have had diabetes for a while. For example, did you know your menstrual periods are affected by diabetes and vice versa? Do you know how birth control pills can affect you? This is very handy and important information, but unfortunately much of it is not well-known. Obviously, there is enough gender-specific information to, well, fill a book and the author has done an excellent job of this.
Another impressive feat is that usually dry factual medical information and statistics seem more interesting as they are interspersed within the context of the personal experiences of the author and others. It feels as if you are chatting with a group of friends who truly understand what it is like to live as a woman with diabetes and it does not get boring or become a chore to read.
This is not the first book aimed at women and diabetes. Lois Jovanovic, M.D., had written a well-known book called The Diabetic Woman that is a part of my own library and I have recommended it for years. For a while, that was one of the few resources available for women.
I'm glad that women with diabetes now have another book to put on the shelf. I highly recommend this one.
The Smart Woman's Guide to Diabetes Chapter Titles
- Diagnosis
- Managing Adolescence
- Diet
- Eating Disorders and Body Image
- Exercise
- Dating, Sex, and Marriage
- Working Girl: Diabetes at Work and School
- Travel
- Pregnancy
- Motherhood
- Aging Gracefully
