Email a link to this page to: Type the code into the box:

Resources Basic Information An Overview of Child Developmental Theories An Overview of Child Development TheoriesDevelopmental ChannelsChild Development Stages vs. Continuous DevelopmentDevelopmental Stages and Milestones of Child Development Sensitive Periods in Child Development Major Child Development Theories and TheoristsSigmund Freud and Child Development Erik Erikson and Child Development Lawrence Kohlberg and Child Development Jean Piaget and Child Development Urie Bronfenbrenner and Child Development Child Development Overview Summary Infants: Parenting and Child Development Child and Adolescent Development Overview: Infants Early Childhood: Parenting and Child Development Child and Adolescent Development Overview: Early Childhood Middle Childhood: Parenting and Child Development Child and Adolescent Development Overview: Middle Childhood Adolescence: Parenting and Child Development Child and Adolescent Development Overview: Adolescence Child Mental Disorders and Illnesses Child and Adolescent Development Overview: Child Mental Disorders and Illnesses More Information Wise Counsel Interview Transcript: An Interview with Anita Remig, Ed.D. on Child DevelopmentWise Counsel Interview Transcript: An Interview with Jeff Bernstein, Ph.D. on Defiant Children Latest News Unexplained Drop in Resting Heart Rate in Youth 'Not a Good Thing'Strike Out Kids' Overuse Injuries This Baseball SeasonMost Young Americans Eager to Get COVID Vaccine: PollMany Kids Who Develop Severe COVID-Linked Syndrome Have Neurologic SymptomsMost Parents OK About School Rules for Kids' Return to Sports: PollSome Kids Snore, and It Could Affect BehaviorKids With Autism Can Really Benefit From ExerciseFDA Approves First New Children's ADHD Drug in 10 YearsWhy Are ER Wait Times Getting Longer for Kids in Mental Health Crisis?About 40,000 U.S. Children Have Lost a Parent to COVID-19Adding in Stem Cell Therapy Helps Beat a Common Childhood LeukemiaWhat Will Summer Camp Look Like This Year?When Will America's Kids Get Their COVID Vaccines?1 in 4 Parents Won't Vaccinate Their Kids Against COVID-19: PollEven in a Pandemic, Child Vision Tests Are CrucialPfizer Says Its COVID Vaccine Is Very Effective in Kids as Young as 12Secondhand Smoke Is Sending Kids to the ERDrug Shows Promise Against Rare Condition That Stunts Kids' GrowthWhen Coal-Fired Power Plants Close, Kids With Asthma Breathe EasierAnother Study Finds COVID Doesn't Spread in Schools With Proper SafeguardsNearly Half of U.S. Schools Now Offer In-Person LearningLockdowns Gave Boost to Type 1 Diabetes Control in KidsWildfire Smoke Can Send Kids With Asthma to the ERPandemic Has Many Kids Struggling With Weight IssuesLab-Made Heart Valves Can Grow Along With Youngest Heart PatientsSome Kids With Type 1 Diabetes Face High Risk of Severe COVID-19Virtual Learning Has Taken a Toll on Kids' & Parents' Mental HealthCDC Says 3 Feet of Social Distancing Now OK in Most ClassroomsWhich Kids' Sports Have Higher Odds for Head Injury?Social Distancing Probably Stopped 2020 Outbreak of Paralyzing Disorder in KidsAHA News: What Parents Should Know About Rare But Scary COVID-19-Related IllnessSchool Dental Care Program Could Cut Cavities in Half: StudySocial Media, Binge Eating Often Go Together for KidsStressed and Distracted, Kids and Their Teachers Say Virtual Learning Isn't WorkingSports Position Doesn't Affect Risk of Concussion-Linked CTE IllnessPandemic Putting Added Strain on Parents of Kids With CancerDogs and Kids Are 'In Sync,' Study ShowsTeachers Main Drivers of School COVID Outbreaks, So Vaccinations Needed: StudyTips to Keep Young Athletes Injury-FreeMental Illness in Childhood Could Mean Worse Physical Health Decades LaterKids' Robust Immune Systems May Shield Them From COVID-19: StudyFertility Treatments Might Affect Kids' Growth, But Not for LongMom's Heart Health While Pregnant Could Influence Her Child's Health for YearsPandemic Has Affected Kids' Dental Health: PollNew Rabies Prevention Treatment Also Works in Kids: StudyWhen Will Kids Get the COVID Vaccines?U.S. Schools Can Reopen, With Safeguards in Place: CDCFetal Surgery Is Changing Lives for Kids With Spina BifidaKids Who Got Flu Shot Had Milder COVID Symptoms: StudyVery Little Spread of Coronavirus at Kids' Day Camps: Study Questions and Answers Do I Have a Mental Condition?Is There Something Wrong?11 Year Old Daughter Jealous of my BoyfriendAre my past sexual fantasies dangerous and unusual?A child with a bad attitudeChildren's role-play after loss. Is this an instance of denial?young teen response to death and griefcan 7-yo boy have antisocial personality disorder?Self esteemI\'m in love with my therapistIs this a eating disorder ?Teen in Full RetreatAnxiety in childrenIs Depression a Factor in Children With ADD?Dad will shoot through hoops.Helping my almost 19 year old daughter face the real worlddominant ego19 year old daughter in abusive relationshipWhy is my 3 year older fixated with the witch and the bad guys?Mother showering & sleeping in same bed with 5 year oldmy 7 year old nephewmy daughterGood 14 Year Old Boy becomes freshman and falls apartchild psychological disorder10 year old dreaming of killingHow to communicate to a \'feeler\'preteen bad behaviorTeenager...angst vs. mental health issuehomesickDoes My Child Have A Mental Problem?How Does Childhood Abuse Influence Adulthood?Failing My DaughterI Wanna Be Thin!Hypochondriac DaughterAttachment DisorderSelf-Abusive Step-DaughterToo Young For MedsIs Bipolar Inheritable?How Long To Diagnose ADHD?Childhood DepressionPerfectionistic SonParanoiaMy Granddaughter Is Acting BizarrelyBoarding School BluesSelf-Punishing SonBipolar Chat Rooms?Dogs Instead of Children? Videos Raising Children Responsibly in the Digital AgeHaving Difficult Conversations with ChildrenHow to help overweight kids get healthier Does Your Child Have the Flu or Just a Cold VideoPositive Behavior Support: Making Clear and Effective Requests Monitoring and Limit Setting: Clear Rules Developing Brain Injuries Kids and SleepKids and Screen Time5-2-1-0 for Kids Sleep Disorders in Children Bullying Prevention: Lessons from Research and Practices No Need to Sweat a Slight Fever Cutting Back on SugarKids Score High on Flu VaccinationsAccident Proofing Kids Teaching Kids to Get Moving Changing Mindset of Juvenile DiabetesGrowing Up with Crohn's Disease Kids and Brain Strain Risks in Delaying Childhood VaccinationsNew Sugar GuidelinesAre Kids Getting Enough Sleep? Kids and screen time When to take your child to the emergency department Creating Safe and Supportive Schools for LGBTQ Students 20 Min Exercise Cuts Kid's Diabetes Risk Most Kid's Fevers, No Worries Giving Your Child’s Diet a Makeover Flu Vaccines for KidsFevers: When it’s Time to Worry Help Your Child to Be Angry BetterFive Things to Know about your Child's Fever Dipping into Swim Safety Sick Kids: Viral vs. Bacterial Asthma 101 Focusing your Children on Fitness Parents Slow to Recognize Obese Children Development of the Young BrainBoth Types of Diabetes Rising in Kids Monitoring and Limit Setting: Privilege Removal Reducing Sodium in Children’s Diets 3 Easy Tips to Get Children Active Asthma in Children: Working Together to Get it Under ControlPeanut Allergies: A Bigger Threat to Kids with Asthma Preventing Pediatric FallsSnoring and Sleep ApneaFacts about the Measles (MMR) VaccineDoes my Child Have Asthma and How Should it be Treated? An Evidence-Based Approach to Youth Sports Concussions7 Reasons to Be Smoke-FreeConcussion Guide for Parents How Your Immune System WorksHow Muscles Work How the Digestive System WorksHow Your Heart Works Vaccines: Separating Myth from RealityTough to Swallow - Tips for Kids Taking Meds Learning & cognitive difficulties in children: Challenges after a head injury, including concussion Vaccinations and ImmunizationsSport Concussions in Youth: Community Guide for Education, Treatment and Research Help Your Child with Diabetes Prepare for School Back to School: Dr. Stephen Whiteside on Routines Dr. Bridget Biggs on Bullying Ask the Expert - No more homework battles Weight Control For Children: Improving Physical Activity Back to School: Sick Kids - Should They Stay or Should They Go? Back to School: Feed the Body and Brain Childhood Cancer facts and treatment informationBreaking the Silence, Breaking the Cycle Honoring Youth Voices6 Top Tips for ParentsKids With Asthma Who Are Exposed To Secondhand Smoke Have Twice As Many Hospitalizations Sport Concussions in YouthDisparities in early childhood obesity: Risk factors and possible solutionsExercise and Bone Health in Children and Adolescents Children Build Self-Esteem, Increase Confidence, Stop BulliesEating and Nutrition – Tips for K-12 Positive Parenting & Promoting Mental HealthImmunization for all throughout lifeChildhood Obesity & Healthy Eating Brain & Nervous SystemLungs & Respiratory System How Parents and Caregivers Can Help Kids and Teens Cope with the Increased Stressors with COVID-19Health Tips for Traveling Abroad with KidsThe Long term Impacts of Bullying Active Games a Game Changer? Brain food for kidsAfter-school snack ideasA Good Night's Slumber: Tips for Healthy Sleep Habits in ChildrenPreventing Childhood Obesity Past Procrastination -- Get Your Kids Organized, Focused and MotivatedAsk the Expert: Late, Lost, and Unprepared: How to Help Your Child with Executive FunctioningKids and Common Infections Links [7] Articles[15] Associations[1] Community[7] Government[46] Information[27] Journals[1] Research[7] Services[93] Videos[2] Apps Book Reviews 100 Things Guys Need to Know3 NBS of Julian DrewA Guide to Asperger SyndromeA Tribe ApartA User Guide to the GF/CF Diet for Autism, Asperger Syndrome and AD/HDA Walk in the Rain With a BrainAdolescence and Body ImageAdolescent DepressionAfterAggression and Antisocial Behavior in Children and AdolescentsAll Alone in the UniverseAmelia RulesAmericaAnother PlanetAntisocial Behavior in Children and AdolescentsArtemis FowlAssessment and Treatment of Childhood Problems, Second EditionAutistic Spectrum DisordersBad GirlBetween Two WorldsBeyond AppearanceBeyond Diversity DayBig Mouth & Ugly GirlBill HensonBipolar DisordersBody Image, Eating Disorders, and ObesityBody Image, Eating Disorders, and Obesity in YouthBoyBoysBrandedBreaking PointBreathing UnderwaterBringing Up ParentsBullying and TeasingCan't Eat, Won't EatCatalystChild and Adolescent Psychological DisordersChildren Changed by TraumaChildren with Emerald EyesChildren’s Dreaming and the Development of Consciousness City of OneConcise Guide to Child and Adolescent PsychiatryConquering the Beast WithinContentious IssuesCrackedCutDancing in My NuddypantsDemystifying the Autistic ExperienceDescartes' BabyDilemmas of DesireDirtyDoing ItDoing SchoolDying to Be ThinEating an ArtichokeEducating Children With AutismElijah's CupEllison the ElephantEmerald City BluesEmotional and Behavioral Problems of Young ChildrenEvery Girl Tells a StoryFast GirlsFeather BoyFiregirlForever YoungFreaks, Geeks and Asperger SyndromeFreewillGeography ClubGeorgia Under WaterGirl in the MirrorGirlfightingGirlsourceGirlWiseGLBTQGood GirlsGoodbye RuneGranny Torrelli Makes SoupGrowing Up GirlHandbook for BoysHealing ADDHeartbeatHelping Children Cope With Disasters and TerrorismHelping Parents, Youth, and Teachers Understand Medications for Behavioral and Emotional ProblemsHollow KidsHow Children Learn the Meanings of WordsHow to Keep Your Teenager Out of Trouble and What to Do If You Can'tHug MeIntrusive ParentingIt's Me!It's Perfectly NormalJake RileyJoey Pigza Swallowed the KeyJuvenile-Onset SchizophreniaKeeping the MoonKilling MonstersKim: Empty InsideKnocked Out by My Nunga-NungasLaura Numeroff's 10-Step Guide to Living with Your MonsterLearning About School ViolenceLeo the Lightning BugLet Kids Be KidsLiberation's ChildrenLife As We Know ItLisa, Bright and DarkLittle ChicagoLord of the FliesLoserLove and SexLove That DogManicMastering Anger and AggressionMind FieldsMiss American PieMom, Dad, I'm Gay.MonsterMore Than a LabelMyths of ChildhoodNew Hope for Children and Teens with Bipolar DisorderNo Two AlikeNot Much Just Chillin'Odd Girl OutOdd Girl Speaks OutOn the Frontier of AdulthoodOne Hot SecondOne in ThirteenOphelia SpeaksOphelia's MomOur Journey Through High Functioning Autism and Asperger SyndromeOut of the DustOvercoming School AnxietyParenting and the Child's WorldParenting Your Out-Of-Control TeenagerPediatric PsychopharmacologyPeriod PiecesPhobic and Anxiety Disorders in Children and AdolescentsPINSPraising Boys WellPraising Girls WellPretty in PunkPrincess in the SpotlightProblem Child or Quirky Kid?Psychotherapy As PraxisPsychotherapy for Children and AdolescentsRaising a Self-StarterRaising BlazeRaising Resilient ChildrenReclaiming Our ChildrenRedressing the EmperorReducing Adolescent RiskRethinking ADHDReweaving the Autistic TapestryRineke DijkstraRitalin is Not the Answer Action GuideRunning on RitalinSay YesSexual Teens, Sexual MediaSexuality in AdolescenceShooterShort PeopleShould I Medicate My Child?Skin GameSmackSmashedStaying Connected to Your TeenagerStick FigureStoner & SpazStop Arguing with Your KidsStraight Talk about Your Child's Mental HealthStrong, Smart, & BoldStudent DepressionSurvival Strategies for Parenting Children with Bipolar DisorderSurviving OpheliaTaking Charge of ADHD, Revised EditionTaming the Troublesome ChildTargeting AutismTeaching Problems and the Problems of TeachingTeen Angst? NaaahThat SummerThe American Psychiatric Publishing Textbook Of Child And Adolescent PsychiatryThe Arctic IncidentThe Bipolar ChildThe Buffalo TreeThe Bully, the Bullied, and the BystanderThe Carnivorous CarnivalThe Depressed ChildThe Developing MindThe Dragons of AutismThe Dream BearerThe Dulcimer Boy The Einstein SyndromeThe EpidemicThe Eternity CubeThe Explosive ChildThe Field of the DogsThe First IdeaThe Identity TrapThe Inside Story on Teen GirlsThe Little TernThe Mean Girl MotiveThe Men They Will BecomeThe Myth of LazinessThe New Gay TeenagerThe Notebook GirlsThe Nurture AssumptionThe Opposite of InvisibleThe Order of the Poison OakThe Other ParentThe Present Moment in Psychotherapy and Everyday LifeThe Real Truth About Teens and SexThe Rise and Fall of the American TeenagerThe Secret Lives of GirlsThe Sex Lives of TeenagersThe Shared HeartThe Spider and the BeeThe StepsThe Thought that CountsThe Unhappy ChildThe Vile VillageThe Whole ChildThen Again, Maybe I Won'tTherapy with ChildrenThings I Have to Tell YouTouching Spirit BearTrauma in the Lives of ChildrenTreacherous LoveTrue BelieverTwistedUnhappy TeenagersWay to Be!We're Not MonstersWhat about the KidsWhat Would Joey Do?What's Happening to My Body? Book for BoysWhat's Happening to My Body? Book for GirlsWhen Nothing Matters AnymoreWhen Sex Goes to SchoolWhen Your Child Has an Eating DisorderWhere The Kissing Never StopsWhose America?Why Are You So Sad?WinnicottWorried All the TimeYes, Your Teen Is Crazy!You Hear MeYoung People and Mental HealthYour Child, Bully or Victim?

Related Topics ADHD: Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder Childhood Mental Disorders and Illnesses Parenting Child Care

This is a nicely produced book with color and black and white photographs and short self-descriptions of eighty-five girls talking about what they have accomplished or endured in their lives.  It aims to be an uplifting enterprise and it is crammed full of earnest good intentions.  The girls range in age from 11 to 18; they are of various ethnicities and colors, and they chose to wear all sorts of different clothes.  Lauren, 17, is in a tutu and ballet shoes; Tamika, 15, is in a pink top and blue jeans; Stephanie, 16, is in a riding hat and riding boots; Angel, 13, is in Native American inspired costume; Antoinette, 14, is in her baseball gear.  Erica, 16, works on her community garden; Pam, 14, talks to her friends; Amy, 13, does ballet; Julie, 15, was adopted from South Korea; Kim, 13, was born without her right forearm; Christine, 16, is against racism; Jessica, 17, works at a community center for abused women and their families.

I’m sure that there’s some truth to the claims of books such as Reviving Ophelia, that today’s girls experience all sorts of stresses and pressures, and grow up in a culture that places far too much emphasis on physical attractiveness and unrealistic ideal of beauty; talking with women about their experience has led me to believe that rape and harassment are major problems in our culture.  It seems a good idea to help girls to feel more confident and to be able to assert themselves.  I imagine that some preteens might read through this book and find it interesting and even inspiring. 

But when I think back to my own adolescent self, when I was even more cynical than I am now, and imagine what I might have thought had I been presented with a book about the positive accomplishments of boys, I am pretty sure that I would have been extremely unimpressed, and indeed, I expect I would have scoffed at it.  If someone were to put together a book of the accomplishments of college professors, I might well find it riveting reading, but I’m not sure that I would find it very inspirational.  I’m pretty sure that it would take more than a book listing the accomplishments of others to make me feel confident about my own abilities.  So, on the assumption that teenage girls are not significantly more credulous than myself, I’m very doubtful that a book like this can actually be helpful to anyone. 

To put my point a little more sharply, I find it hard to believe that this kind of “feel-good” propaganda would make the slightest difference in self-confidence to anyone with a mental age greater than twelve.  I may be wrong, of course, after all, it’s been two decades since I was a teen.  But then, I don’t think that young people have become any less cynical about the way they are fed messages in the last twenty years – indeed, with all the TV they watch, they are sophisticated interpreters of cultural imagery.  Of course, the motives behind Every Girl Tells a Story are good, but I imagine that most of the girls who might read it will see it as irrelevant to their lives.  My doubt about books such as this may be fueled more by an aesthetic revulsion than evidence; when I see “inspirational” vignettes about people’s accomplishments on shows like Oprah, all I see is a highly simplistic promotion of role models.  I hope that young people are not so simple that they will be easily convinced of ideas promoted only by a pretty picture and some well-chosen words, no matter how well intentioned they are.  Recommended only to readers under 12.

© 2002 Christian Perring. First Serial Rights.

Share:

Email a link to this page to:

Type the code into the box:

Link: (Here's how to do it ... )

To link to this article:

1. Copy the HTML link code shown in the box just below.
2. Paste this HTML code into your blog or web page, into a forum post or a blog comment you make, into your Facebook feed, etc.

<a href="//www.hbh1.org/poc/view_doc.php?type=book&id=1002&cn=28">Every Girl Tells a Story</a>

Thank you!