TĂCEREA NU E ÎNTOTDEAUNA DE AUR.

Ileana Badiu looks back on what shaped her life and bonds. She shares parts of her past she once kept private. She blends humor with thoughts that bring her pain. She writes of love, friends, setbacks, fear, and acts of defiance. Looking back helps her see things she once missed. It changes how she sees herself and other people.

This memoir is for readers drawn to women's lives and aging. Badiu asks why she speaks out and rejects roles that feel false. At fifty, she seeks to form a group of women who support each other. She says women should grow older with no fear of what others think. They should make their own choices about their bodies, too. Her view gives women many roles, not one fixed label.

Her work to spark open debate on menopause shapes this view. She has helped women learn about it and feel less alone. The book links this public work to her private quest to know herself. Alina Pavelescu set down Badiu's story.