Schoolgirls: Young Women, Self Esteem, and the Confidence Gap

by Peggy Orenstein

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Author: Peggy Orenstein

Publisher: Anchor

Paperback:
ISBN 10: 0385425767
ISBN 13: 978-0385425766

A NEW YORK TIMES NOTABLE BOOK OF THE YEAR

When Peggy Orenstein's now-classic examination of young girls and self-esteem was first published, it set off a groundswell that continues to this day. Inspired by an American Association of University Women survey that showed a steep decline in confidence as girls reach adolescence, Orenstein set out to explore the obstacles girls face--in school, in the hoime, and in our culture.

For this intimate, girls' eye view of the world, Orenstein spent months observing and interviewing eighth-graders from two ethnically disparate communities, seeking to discover what was causing girls to fall into traditional patterns of self-censorship and self-doubt. By taking us into the lives of real young women who are struggling with eating disorders, sexual harrassment, and declining academic achievement, Orenstein brings the disturbing statistics to life with the skill and flair of an experienced journalist. Uncovering the adolescent roots of issues that remain important to American women throughout their lives, this groundbreaking book challenges us to change the way we raise and educate girls.

From Publishers Weekly

Following a 1990 poll which found that girls suffer plummeting self-esteem and reduced expectations as they enter adolescence, journalist Orenstein visited two California middle schools to take a more personal look at the statistics.
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Review

"This important book should be read by  parents raising children of all ages and of both sexes."  -- New York Times Book  Review.

"This book is to young girls what  Black Beauty is to horses, what Upton  Sinclair's The Jungle was to the  processing of meat. To read School  Girls is to remember -- how reluctantly! -- what  it means to be a girl in junior high." --  Carolyn See, Washington Post Book  World.

"Orenstein's study should be  required reading for all American teachers. And  students. And everyone else. [grade] A." --  Entertainment Weekly.

"School Girls is a fascinating book.  Hopefully it will be read by the right people --  parents and educators who could change the  experience of young girls in the future." --  Los Angeles Times Book Review.

"School Girls cautions those of us  who educate and mold young people to wake up and  see the social and intellectual consequences of  simply letting 'girls be girls' and boys be boys.'"  -- New York Newsday.

From the Inside Flap

A "NEW YORK TIMES NOTABLE BOOK OF THE YEAR
The classic account of the hurdles facing adolescent girls in America--now reissued with a new Foreword, to coincide with the award-winning author's new book on women and identity.
Inspired by a study by the American Association of University Women that showed girls' self-esteem plummeting as they reach adolescence, Peggy Orenstein spent months observing, interviewing, and getting know dozens of girls both inside and outside the classroom at two very different schools in northern California. The result was a groundbreaking book in which she brought the disturbing statistics to life with skill and flair of an experienced journalist.
Orenstein plumbs the minds of both boys and girls who have learned to equate masculinity with opportunity and assertiveness, and femininity with reserve and restraint. She demonstrates the cost of this insidious lesson, by taking us into the lives of real young women who are struggling with eating disorders, sexual harassment, and declining academic achievement, especially in math and science. Peggy Orenstein's SchoolGirls is a classic that belongs on the shelf with the work of Carol Gilligan, Joan Jacobs Brumberg, and Mary Pipher. It continues to be read by all who care about how our schools and our society teach girls to shortchange themselves.

From the Back Cover

"This important book should be read by parents raising children of all ages and of both sexes." -- New York Times Book Review.

"This book is to young girls what Black Beauty is to horses, what Upton Sinclair's The Jungle was to the processing of meat. To read School Girls is to remember -- how reluctantly! -- what it means to be a girl in junior high." -- Carolyn See, Washington Post Book World.

"Orenstein's study should be required reading for all American teachers. And students. And everyone else. [grade] A." -- Entertainment Weekly.

"School Girls is a fascinating book. Hopefully it will be read by the right people -- parents and educators who could change the experience of young girls in the future." -- Los Angeles Times Book Review.

"School Girls cautions those of us who educate and mold young people to wake up and see the social and intellectual consequences of simply letting 'girls be girls' and boys be boys.'" -- New York Newsday.

About the Author

Peggy Orenstein is the author of Flux: Women on Sex, Work, Love, Kids and Life in a Half-Changed World. An award-winning writer and speaker on issues affecting girls and women, she is a regular contributor to The New York Times Magazine, and her work has also appeared in the Los Angeles Times, USA Today, Vogue, Glamour, Mirabella, Details, Elle, Mother Jones, The New Yorker, and other publications. Additionally, she has served as an editor at Esquire, Manhattan inc., 7 Days, and Mother Jones magazines.

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Adolescent Psychology

Schoolgirls: Young Women, Self Esteem, and the Confidence Gap