Girls Gone Mild: Young Women Reclaim Their Self-Respect and Find it's Not Bad to be Good, by Wendy Shalit

I received this book recently in the mail, but it took me a while to finish it. Basically the premise of Wendy Shalit's book is new feminism. She believes that a new generation of girls are reclaiming the self-respect that has gradually been lost since women's sexual liberation was first introduced. While Shalit never denounces female sexual liberation, she points out that basically now, we have reverted back to what original feminism fought to change - the image of women as sex objects. However, she argues, the solution to men sexualizing women is not to sexualize yourself. Instead, it is to respect yourself, dress modestly, and behave modestly. I was somewhat surprised, however, to realize Shalit was not advocating going back to the buttoned-up cardigans and docile housewives of the 1950s. From everything she said, she was in full support of women's complete liberation. However, today's sexy bad girl is less of a feminist than her predecessors - by dressing sexy and offering sexual favors, girls are really only pleasing men. Statistics show that many of these girls are not being fulfilled themselves. The real road to sexual liberation and control, Wendy Shalit says, is to attract the right kind of guy. Basically the tried and true motto: If you dress like trash, what do you think you'll attract? By dressing modestly and respecting yourself, Shalit thinks most guys will focus more on what's coming out of your mouth than what's spilling out of your clothes.

I don't agree with Shalit on everything. She thinks there is a very large modesty movement afoot in the United States, which I think is not the case. She supplies great examples of average teenagers making good choices and standing up for themselves (like Ella Gunderson, the eleven-year-old girl who sent a letter to Nordstrom, asking for more modest clothing, and the Girlcotters that started a nationwide boycott of Abercrombie and Fitch, after the well-known retailer printed T-shirts with messages like, "Who needs brains when you have these?"). However, the vast majority of the teenage population does not subscribe to modesty theory, and as a teenager I don't really feel any less put-upon by society to be sexy and sleep around. She also thinks abstinence-only education is the only "responsible" education choice, with which I disagree. Morals start at home - honestly, I don't think most teenagers pay much attention to their sex education classes, except for the information they want to know. I think abstinence education would fall on deaf ears, and leave us with a less-educated teen populace than we have now. A populace that would still be going out and having sex - but less safely. Morality education starts at home, with good family role models that have open and frank discussions with their children. Ignorance is not the same as morality.

Overall, Shalit's book was alright. Sometimes it felt like it was preaching to the choir, sometimes it dragged and sometimes it just didn't make sense.

Overall: 5 out of 10.

Details:

Hardcover
Publisher: RANDOM HOUSE (2007)
ASIN: B00136USH0

Age of Innocence, by Edith Wharton

Wharton's classic novel centers around a wealthy society man, Newland Archer, in 1870s New York. Archer is engaged to be married, but when he meets a European woman fleeing from her abusive husband, his eyes are opened and he discovers that there is more to life than society.

Edith Wharton's novel is definitely sending a bold message. It closely mirrors her own life and experiences - Wharton married a society man that she had little in common with. Wharton found her husband spending their money on younger women. Devastated by this betrayal, she fled to Paris and began an extramarital affair with journalist Morton Fullerton. In her journal, she describes her romantic and intellectual involvement with Fullerton as fulfilling everything that had been missing in “the greatest mistake of her life” (her marriage). After divorcing her husband, she moved permanently to Europe.

Unfortunately, Wharton's novel dragged on at times. She went into great detail describing architecture and other unnecessary material details. However, her thought is appreciated - writing this novel in the 1920s, she needed to go into detail to recreate a world that no longer existed. Age of Innocence ended on a somewhat depressing, yet, somehow fulfilling note. I praise her for her ability to leave the reader fully closed as to the love story without going into all sorts of unnecessary details and dialogue.

While Wharton's book dragged on in spots, and I felt an accomplishment at finishing it, her writing has definitely placed a new perspective for me on certain contemporary issues.

Overall: 6 out of 10.

Details:

Mass Market Paperback: 352 pages
Publisher: Barnes & Noble Classics; illustrated edition edition (January 16, 2004)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1593080743
ISBN-13: 978-1593080747

If I'd Known Then...., edited by Ellyn Spragins

This book is a collection of letters from famous and successful women to themselves in their teens and early 20s. Featuring women like Magali Amadei (an actress/model who struggled with bulimia as a teen), Vida Khadem (a film-maker/artist) and artist Tara McPherson, If I'd Known Then is a great collection of advice for a huge range of problems - from following one's dreams to stories of escaping physical abuse, to dealing with the traumatizing death of a friend. I found the book inspiring, yet occasionally cliche. Several women I knew by name interested me greatly, but some of the letters were repetitive and dispensed only "run-of-the-mill advice": "Don't let anyone tell you your dreams are wrong", "Follow your dreams at all costs", etc. Some of the advice, however, felt touching and close to the truth, from women who had gone through adolescence and college.

I would definitely recommend it - it's a great idea and a great book.

Details:

Hardcover: 192 pages
Publisher: Da Capo Press (April 21, 2008)
ISBN-10: 0738211206
ASIN: B001L5T2DY

Cry, the Beloved Country, by Alan Paton

For my literary book club this month, I read Alan Paton's Cry, the Beloved Country. While his apparent aversion to quotation marks borders on irritating at best and infuriating at worst, Paton paints a very complete picture of South Africa in the late 40s. The story concerns an older pastor, named Stephen Kumalo, from the country who travels to Johannesburg to find his sister and his son - and what he discovers about his family is quite an eye-opener. When his son is accused of the murder of a white man, Kumalo is forced to take another look at his life, his faith, and his family. Paton also focuses on the victim's father, drawing parallels between each fathers' journey. While it dragged at times, it also relates very well to the time period. Alan Paton's life fascinated me - he was a huge anti-apartheid activist and was very involved in South Africa's political scene. He drew on a lot of his own experiences to write the novel, and the amount of personality he put into the story astounded me. I would definitely recommend it, but be aware it deals with a lot of heavy issues, including apartheid, violence, racial tensions, immorality, urbanization, and Christianity.

Overall: 8 out of 10.

Details:

Turtleback: 316 pages
Publisher: Turtleback Books Distributed by Demco Media (October 2004)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0606326464
ISBN-13: 978-0606326469

I'm a Stranger Here Myself, by Bill Bryson

I found myself lacking things to read this past week, so I picked up this book that I bought a few months ago. I read Bryson's A Walk in the Woods about two years ago and loved it. This story is a collection of the column Bryson got suckered into writing by a friend of his about moving back to America from a different country (namely, Britain). However, the America he knew as a child was gone. In its place was an America that held frozen breakfast pizza and 24/7 floss hotlines. While he sings the praises of certain parts of American culture (antique diners, baseball, etc), he sheds his own personal brand of hilarious light on others. His columns are mostly funny - I remember a specific one making fun of the vast and complex U.S. tax form - but he does tackle serious issues. For example, he writes a column about parting with his first child as his son goes to college, and others regarding political issues. His simple observations about life are hilarious and all-too-true. I would absolutely recommend this book to anyone looking for a good laugh or an outsiders look in at our own country.

Overall: 9 out of 10.

Paperback: 304 pages
Publisher: Broadway (June 6, 2000)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 076790382X
ISBN-13: 978-0767903820

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A Tree Grows in Brooklyn, by Betty Smith

Betty Smith's classic novel tells the story of a young girl growing up in turn-of-the-century Brooklyn. Her heroine, Francie Nolan, survives a childhood of extreme poverty and successfully transitions from adolescence to a working, collegebound adult. This coming-of-age story is replete with symbolism - from Francie's loss of innocence to her growing up and maturing into an individual. Smith uses beautiful language to describe the neighborhood Francie grows up in, and paints a beautiful picture of what it was like to grow up in troubled times - as the big cities exploded with progress and moved from the steam engine age to the industrial age, as WWI erupted, as Francie's poor Brooklyn neighborhood filled with immigrants, intertwined with classic growing-up themes - puberty, first heartbreak, rebellion and a little girl too young to absorb the grown-up world around her. Although Smith's book was long, there were no unnecessary scenes, and she insinuates plenty to ensure you are aware of the adult world Francie Nolan is forced to grow up in - from her Aunt Sissy, a "bad girl", to the stoning of a neighborhood woman who "got in trouble". Francie's life is also filled with strong female role models like her aunt Sissy - her mother, grandmother and two aunts are described as being made of "invisible steel" and often overshadow the men in their lives. Francie grows into one of these woman as she gradually gains her mother's respect and equality as a woman, and revisits her childhood as an adult. Great novel, I wasn't bored for a minute.

Overall: 10 out of 10.

Details:

Paperback: 528 pages
Publisher: Harper Perennial Modern Classics (May 30, 2006)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0061120073
ISBN-13: 978-0061120077

I am the Messenger, by Markus Zusak

I recently read "I am the Messenger" by Markus Zusak for a teen book group (which is now, unfortunately, no longer going on). The premise is rather interesting, but somewhat cliched - an antihero of an underage cab driver finds a way to make his life meaningful. He receives several playing cards in the mail with clues for him to use to help people. This young man then puzzles out all the clues and goes through a journey of self-growth to provide the individuals on the cards with the assistance they need. However, Zusak did not deliver on the origin of the cards. While ordinarily I would have said Zusak should have followed up on where the cards came from, I felt it was not the point of the book. Intentionally or not, the story was more about Ed and his vigilante ways - not where or whom the playing cards came from. While it provided a convenient delivery mechanism for the cards, trying to throw in the "Big Brother" agents felt like a cop-out and an unnecessary one at that. It was completely unnecessary and cheapened the purpose of the book.

Overall: 6/7 out of 10.

Details:

Paperback: 368 pages
Publisher: Knopf Books for Young Readers (May 9, 2006)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0375836675
ISBN-13: 978-0375836671