"Desperate Women Need to Talk to You," originally a headline for an advertisement for phone sex, was spotted one day by author Joan Frank. Marveling at the irony and bluntness, Frank thought of the similarity to her own life: woman desperately trying to make sense of midlife. She decided to tell all.

With both wit and sharp-hewn honesty, Joan Frank tackles the big and little issues facing the enormous number of women rounding the corner into middle age: our longing for the fountain of youth; that we can no longer eat whatever we want without getting fat; the decision to have children or not; the perils of pantyhose, and the agony and ecstasy of entering a new relationship.