Girls on the Edge

May 1, 2010
According to family physician/psychologist Sax ("Boys Adrift; Why Gender Matters"), when parents don't teach their daughters well, the marketplace fills the vacuum with what it thinks girls should look like, do, and beand it's all wrong. Sax clarifies his four driving factors in this new crisis: sexual identity: the concept of lifelong commitment is almost unknown, and sexual confusion results when girls don't know what to expect from boyfriends; the cyberbubble: kids are constantly in touch via technology, and girls become microcelebrities, constantly living and acting as if in front of a crowd; obsessions: without realizing it, girls are obsessed with becoming ultra thin, perfecting their grades, and abusing "fun" (alcohol, drugs, sex); and environmental toxins: early puberty is related to chemicals in plastics and phthalates in skin creams. Sax supports single-sex high schools, gender-appropriate sports for girls, and nurturing girls' spirituality to provide orientation when a crisis occurs. VERDICT The world is way different from what it was a couple of years ago; this is essential reading for parents and teachers, and one of the most thought-provoking books on teen development available.Linda Beck, Indian Valley P.L., Telford, PA

Copyright 2010 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

April 15, 2010
In Boys Adrift (2007), Sax, a family physician and psychologist with more than 20 years of experience, explored the disturbing trend of young men who are disengaged from their lives. In this companion volume, he turns to the other half of the population and identifies four factors that are threatening the mental and physical health of young women today: a culture that sexualizes young girls; the cyberbubble of social networking and electronic communication; obsessive behaviors, including eating disorders; and environmental toxins that disrupt the endocrine system and lead to early-onset puberty. In clear, accessible language, Sax deftly blends anecdotes, clinical research, and even lines of poetry in persuasive, often fascinating chapters that speak straight to parents; in the books second half, he offers practical ideas for nurturing girls minds, bodies, and spirits, from advocating for girls athletics programs to making room for prayer in secular households. Warning that a 1980s solution wont help solve twenty-first-century problems, Sax offers a holistic, sobering call to help the current generation of young women develop the support and sense of self that will allow them to grow into resilient adults. And, finally, he counsels parents to be persistent: Dont back away even when she tells you to get lost. Pair this eye-opening title with similar resources listed in the adjacent Read-alikes column, Girl Talk, Part 2.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2010, American Library Association.)