3.5

Although this is a parenting book, as a young women (actually to be honest I think any human would find the same) I could still take away some good lessons from this book. The general idea conveyed is that we need to educate young people and raise them in such a way that they become able to make the right decisions for themselves.

There were some fantastic thoughts in here about important issues such as beauty ideals, racism, the impact of the growth of technology, using "just joking" or "no offence but" as a way to insult someone whilst limiting their right to be upset about it, homophobia, gender roles and the expectation placed on boys/men that they should internalise their feelings. Many great points were made.

Things I didn't like was that sometimes it was a bit too conservative in its views for my liking and I wasn't a fan of the format, it felt too all over the place for me. But that's just down to what I like, I still highly recommend this book as it makes some wonderful observations about the world we all live in, not just Girl World.

A friend loaned this to me back when I thought I could save the world by becoming a high school counselor. It's a really easy go-to book for mothers of adolescent daughters growing up in a world that may seem a bit overwhelming. Wiseman did her work and surprisingly doesn't end up sounding like the awkward adult who naively thinks they've been "let in" to the inner sanctum of teen girl world. Because for the most part, she was allowed in about as far as any persevering adult could be.

My biggest criticism is that I feel this book sometimes caters to the paranoid and detrimental belief that the world is ugly and dangerous, and our little girls will certainly be preyed upon if we don't monitor their every move. I firmly believe the world is not as bad as the media would like us to think. "To Catch A Predator" is NOT serving justice with a heroic hand and clearing the monsters off our streets. It more speaks to the carnal sexual curiosity of its viewers who can watch it with total vindication under the guise of "getting the bad guys."

But that's a whole 'nutha rant.

Bottom line: I did appreciate the book for shedding some honest light onto the world of adolescent girls - their pressures, their fears, and the struggle between who they want to be and who they think they are. Let's just not get too paranoid. Let's love our kids, talk to them until their ears fall off, laugh with them and let them laugh at us. Let's demonstrate good character and expect the same from them. They will lie and they will screw up from time to time. But if their safety net of love and boundaries has a strong foundation, then they will grow from the mishaps and we will all survive. :)

Disclaimer: I read this for a book club. I had the first edition, which is dated (book came out in 2002), and would recommend a later edition.

It was interesting, and I am a fan of learning about things before they happen to you (ie, becoming a parent if a teen), but this may have been a bit too ambitious. I didn’t find the writing too compelling, and Wiseman made it seem like every teen girl ever is a little monster and not a person. Some of the strategies are good — and, like, basic? — and we should be practicing those every day: give them space to make their own decisions and mistakes, be there for them when they need help after making a mistake, don’t expect perfection, pay attention to your kid and notice when a change occurs and gently observe to them that you have noticed a change and reaffirm that you’re there for them without prying (ok, that is a lot of steps). Oh, and talk about sex, parties, and being a good friend. And as a parent, model that behavior.

I have read this book 4 times now. It is a must read for anyone who has to deal with women. It's not just about how to deal with "mean girls" as in teenagers, its also about mean little girls and mean women. The author stated that every woman, at one point or another, will play every roll in the book. I totally agree.

It is not a book that you can just sit down and read. You have to read, digest. Read, digest. However, if you stick to it, you will have gained knowledge on how to not only help your daughters, sisters, and friends, but also yourself.

I think people who say "I'll read this when my daughter starts experiencing this type of behavior" is not only selling themselves short, but the women in their lives as well. It's better to learn the skills early on... and be preemptive.

I loved the first version of this book, which I though was a pretty good look at the realities girls face at school (anyone who things being a teen is easy must read this book!) and the updated version still contains all that information (the school maps, drawn by students, are fascinating and I can't stop thinking about them!) as well as a new section focusing on how younger girls are now having to deal with issues like bullying via cellphones and etc.

I really enjoyed reading this book. I don't have a teenage daughter, so I'm not the intended audience for this book, but it was so interesting to remember my own interactions with Girl World as an adolescent. It also made me want to re-watch Mean Girls. I've talked about this book a lot with my friends - especially ones that I went to elementary and high school with. A lot of things from it have been sticking in my mind because I think it so clearly explains the motivations of teen girls. Most of their actions come from a desire to fit in and 'act like a woman' but they can also learn to sublimate their own wants and needs during adolescence and that can make them vulnerable to men later on. I think that was one of the most interesting (and also scary) parts, that learning to be pleasers means that girls can end up in situations where they're afraid to say no.
I recommended this book to my sister, who's a teacher, and I think a lot of teachers would better understand their students and how to negotiate girl drama if they read this.

I just finished this book and I almost wish I had my own copy instead of checking out of the library. I know I’ve commented before about what I usually think about parenting books. This book was great. The book is a little scary and a little bit out of date (LiveJournal? Really?). But most of the advice and experience is (unfortunately) timeless. I feel like the advice is very useful and use-able. Some of her SEAL scripts are a little too clinical to ever expect a kid or parent to use, but they are good examples. It’s hard to say I enjoyed reading this book since it reminded me of some pretty painful memories from high school and middle school and it makes me even more worried for my soon to be middle schooler- but I did enjoy reading this book. Wiseman never feels like she is lecturing or “holier than thou.” She makes herself vulnerable talking about her experiences as an adolescent girl and as a parent. She never tries to tell you that this will magically “fix” your daughter and girl world, but she does provide some valuable tools to do your best to guide your daughter, let her be herself, and be there for her when she might forget herself.

I highly recommend this for parents of girls- and rest assured this will go on my hubby’s to read pile before it goes back to the library.

I checked this book out six months ago, kept it during the entire local library lockdown, and didn't crack the cover until a week ago. And I'm not sure I like it, because the author seems to make a lot of presuppositions ("your daughter WILL sneak out, WILL drink underage, WILL screw around," etc) and if you don't believe she will, you're clearly in denial. It's also overwhelmingly written from the perspective of Wealthy White People. This book came out when I was about 20, and my experience of teenagedom was not as free and entitled as this author describes. I feel like she paints with a really broad brush.

Might return to it in a year or two.

A really good book. A must-read for parents of pre-teen girls. It really helped us navigate the clique-maze. A strong recommend

Interesting, forthright and honest, but if you are not American quite a lot of it won't resonate. Some good lessons and ideas in here, none the less, written in an easy reading style.
I reckon watching Mean Girls with your kids and discussing it might be more helpful than trying to implement some of the ideas in the book though.

This is a really great resource! I will most likely refer back to it frequently as my daughter gets older. I did feel like there was a good bit I already knew and it seems like this book was written more for really out of touch or older parents. I felt like a lot of it, that most people would know from being a part of pop culture. I still think it's a great resource and would highly recommend it!

The Lindsay Lohan version was better.