Must Read!

Reviving Ophelia: Saving the Selves of Adolescent Girls by Mary Pipher

My review

rating: 5 of 5 stars
This book was a slow go because of the digestion required and my own reflection. It wavered from 5 to 4 to 3 and back to 5 stars for me. This book, written by a female phsychologist in hte 90's, has some really great insight and analysis on what adolescent girls are faced with in our culture, reaching out to them, understanding them, loving them, parenting them, and about a hundred case studies of too much, too little, just right, horror stories, good adjustment stories, etc. It talks about girls not liking their bodies, peer pressure, bulimia, anorexia, alochol and drug abuse, sexual abuse/rape, acting out, depression, self-mutilation, withdrawing, racial tensions, etc. It will make you stop and think about your own adolescence, dichotomous values, decisions on where you stand with your boundaries in life, comfort in your own skin, etc. The whole premise of her book has to deal with how our modern culture pressures girls who are fun-loving and confident 10 and 11-year-olds to change when they become adolescents, splitting into two selves: one true and authentic self, one fake and false self. They face social pressure to put aside their true selves and display only a small portion of their gifts. They reject their true selves and "disown" themselves, thereby decreasing their self-confidence. I don't know, it probably doesn't make much sense unless you delve into the whole book! It's a deep read, but I think anyone with a daugher NEEDS to read it as part of a well-rounded parental research.


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