Living Somewhere Between Estrogen and Death

Johnson, the evangelical Christian Erma Bombeck, explores with her characteristic wit and grace the redefinition and rediscovery that characterizes that period in a woman's life that falls between ""menopause and large print."" Part anthology, part autobiography, part Christian advice column, part catalogue of Readers' Digest like one-liners and cartoons, this is an extraordinary look at an usually unfunny part of a woman's life. Breaking the taboo that has often surrounded menopause, Johnson approaches her subject with a grin, finding the human comedy in the hot flashes, and always discovering the health and sanctity of love beneath the grim reaper's smile. Johnson's anecdotal wisdom acts as a reminder that the empty nests and empty chairs that fill the ""living somewhere between estrogen and death"" are pointers to the healing and the hope that lie beneath the emptiness of loss. While Johnson's book is often uproarious, there is a spiritual tension here that recalls the centrality of faith in the midst of the human comedy, and Johnson encourages readers to laugh the angelic, saving laughter that is a reflection of healing. (Mar.)