Richard Dudum

I tend to stay away from the self-help genre but since I have 3 daughters, I decided to give this book a read. I'm very open with my kids and didn't have a problem with any of the subject matter covered in the book. I believe girls need straightforward information about boys, drinking, drugs, etc. I liked the way the author didn't sugarcoat the facts of what a teenage girl will face in high school and college. What I didn't like was the authoritative tone the author took. Teenagers resent authority. Why would a teenager listen to an author if he was constantly telling her that she NEEDS to do something and she should NEVER do something else? While the information was exactly what a teenage girl needs to hear, it wasn't written in a way that a teenager would respond to and unfortunately I don't believe it would be effective.… (meer)

What Your Mother Never Told You is a book that speaks to teenage girls about how to be prepared for and deal with situations they may encounter as they grow up. The author speaks about communication skills, peer pressure, sex, alcohol, drugs, manipulative boys and many other topics that a teenage girl will probably be exposed to during their teen years.

The book is very frank in its discussion and the topics it covers. It talks about sex, rape, porn and drug abuse. It gives real life examples of teens who have made bad decisions and the results of their decisions.

I asked my sixteen-year old daughter to read it so I could have the feedback from a teenager. She said the book didn’t discuss anything she didn’t already know which is probably true since we’ve discussed these topics with her. She said she felt like she was being lectured while reading the book but that’s probably going to be the case when any adult writes a book to try to give advice to a teenager.

I thought the book was written very well and in a very down to earth manner. My daughter and I both agreed that the book would be ideal for a parent to share with a younger teen. Although if you do, please make sure you have discussed these sensitive topics with her before you give her the book to read.… (meer)