Tuesday, March 08, 2005

INFERTILITY SUCKS by Beverly Barna (Xlibris)

Joke: Three women (okay, this is me and my two friends, the POD collectors) walk into a Waldens looking for a book on infertility that might brighten the hopes of a dear friend. The first woman picks up a book titled GIRLFRIEND TO GIRLFRIEND by Kristen Magnacca (Authorhouse.) The second woman picks up a book titled WHAT TO EXPECT WHEN YOU’RE NOT EXPECTING by Ty Canady (iUniverse.) The third woman picks up a book titled INFERTILITY SUCKS by Beverly Barna (Xlibris.)

That’s it. That’s the joke. Get it? Three women go into a book store and find three titles by three different POD publishers. Now that’s funny.

Not so funny: we read them all.

But only one gets mentioned here . . .

INFERTILITY SUCKS is a gas. It’s a short (140 pages) and predictably expensive ($20.99) book—that’s 15 cents per page, by the way—that happens to be worth the purchase.

Beverly Barna’s book is rude. It’s irreverent. It touches on all the things a woman goes through when dealing with infertility (“the most under-diagnosed condition” a woman can have, as she puts it) and allows the reader to break through the stress and laugh at the situation for a change.

“Tired of throwing up your hands—and your legs?” she asks. Anyone who has been diagnosed with a fertility problem can’t help but smirk at all the crazy sexual positions used in an effort to get those swimmers to reach the shore. She touches, too, on the obsession and addiction infertile women have with HPTs (Home Pregnancy Tests) and how most can’t go a day without whipping one out.

The book also serves as a resource for advice on infertility. And while delivering a good dose of info (especially considering how it's packed into this lean product), its real value is the humor.

INFERTLITY SUCKS is light and enjoyable and delivers with the ease of an evening sitcom (minus the inanity.) It’s a great book to give as a gift or just to have around for a fun read. Get it on Amazon or B&N and pair it with another order so you can avoid tax and shipping—something to get the price down.