If you have been paying attention to life there is not much in this book that will be news to you. Despite all our best effort it still seems girls are still forced into societal roles, they are just different now. It seems that for every step forward women make, society finds a way to take it and somehow objectify girls more. I think it is a good resource to help parents remember and promote ways to encourage girls to believe in themselves... ( )

Since reading “Queen Bees and Wannabes,” which eventually inspired the movie “Mean Girls,” I have been particularly fascinated with the culture of teen girls, and how it doesn’t really end once the high schoolers go off to college. In this particular book, physician and psychologist Leonard Sax, who previously penned a similar book about boys, examines what he believes are four factors impacting the current society in which girls are growing up. These are sexual identity, the cyberbubble, obsessions, and environmental toxins. He dedicates a chapter to each, as well as drawing connections between the various factors. One issue addressed in the sexuality chapter which I have not seen mentioned often in other texts is the increasing “cool” factor of bisexuality and lesbianism. In his chapter on technology, Sax points to sleep deprivation as a factor in the overdiagnosis and medicating of ADHD. In the final chapters, Sax also addresses the importance of feeding the mind, body, and soul of young women, making some interesting points about the differences in physical education, academic education, and religious education for boys and girls.

Though this book does not present a particularly comprehensive look at the adolescence of girls (as evidenced by the title itself), it does make good points about the four titular issues, some of which have yet to be addressed in depth in other materials. An excellent addition to popular literature regarding psychology and development in young women. ( )

why girls are growing up too fast, problems with society and girls, sexism ( )

This is a helpful, not-preachy book about how to navigate the world today with a daughter in tow. This book is quite readable and I found myself enjoying the stories of the girls he featured in the book. I even found myself in the book, which was a surprise. This book helped us (my husband and me) to create reasonable guidelines for our daughter concerning all of the technology at her fingertips, as well as nurturing her soul and keeping her healthy. I highly recommend this book to anyone with a daughter. ( )