Contents
Introduction
Toward a New Logic of Girls' Lives
PART I
Why Girls Are the Way They Are
1: BEGINNING OUR SEARCH: A NEW LOGIC OF GIRLS' LIVES
A Moment of Awakening
Looking Beyond Feminism: Old Myths and New Theories
2: HOW HER MIND WORKS: SECRETS OF THE FEMALE BRAIN
Girls and Boys Are Different
A Quick Look at Your Daughter's Brain
The Stages of a Girl's Brain Development
Stage 1: The Child
Stage 2: The Girl
Stage 3: The Adolescent Girl
Stage 4: The Young Woman
The Goal of the Journey
The Intimacy Imperative
The Future of Femininity
3: THE HIDDEN WORLD: THE BIOCHEMISTRY OF GIRLS' LIVES
The Tree of Life: From Mind to Hormones
The Hidden World: A Girl's Hormonal Biology
The Biology of Femininity
The Three-Family System
The New Challenge
PART II
What Girls Need
4: THE ARTFUL MOTHER: WHAT GIRLS NEED FROM MOM
A Mother's Love
A Season for Mothering
From Mommy to Mom: Mothering a Daughter
Through Childhood and Adolescence
The Artful Mother in Stage 1: Birth to Five Years Old
The Artful Mother in Stage 2: Six to Ten Years Old
The Artful Mother in Stage 3: Eleven to Fifteen Years Old
The Artful Mother in Stage 4: Sixteen to Twenty Years Old
How to Be an Artful Stepmother
If Your Daughter Were a Parenting Expert...
Looking Back on What Our Mothers Taught Us
5: THE GIFTS OF THE FATHER: WHAT GIRLS NEED FROM DAD
A Father's Love
Father Attachment
Gifts of the Father
Helping a Daughter Manage Peer Relationships
Fathers, Daughters, and Divorce
The Stages of "Dad"
6: INNOCENCE AND EXPERIENCE: PROTECTING THE EMOTIONAL DEVELOPMENT
OF OUR GIRLS
Girls and Self-Esteem: A Different View
Protecting Innocence, Guiding Experience
The Malleable Self
Protecting the Bodies of Our Daughters
Harsh Experience: Emotional Crises in Girls' Lives
Emotional Development Touchstones
7: THE HEROINE'S JOURNEY: BUILDING CHARACTER IN OUR DAUGHTERS
"True" Stories
The Heroine's Journey
Cinderella
Female Mentors, the Language of the Birds, and the Dance
The Prince Searches for Cinderella
The End of the Story
Looking Forward: The Issue of Women's Roles
8: WOMANISM: GIVING GIRLS A SACRED ROLE IN LIFE
What Is Womanism?
A Sacred Female Role in the New Millennium
EPILOGUE
APPENDIX: Books and Movies That Help Girls Grow
Twenty-Five Movies
Twenty-Five Books
Additional Resources
NOTES AND REFERENCES
INDEX
Michael Gurian is a therapist and educator whose work has been featured in The New York Times, USA Today, Time and many more. He is the founder of the Michael Gurian Educational Institute and lives in Spokane, Washington.
Los Angeles Times Wonderfully useful advice....Gurian is at his
best when it comes to the nuts and bolts of rearing a daughter.
USA Today Explosive....Gurian raises interesting questions.
Library Journal The Wonder of Girls is...an excellent choice.
Therapist Gurian probes the unique aspects of girls' emotional, social and physical development in a follow-up to his bestselling The Wonder of Boys. First, though, he takes a few stabs at feminism, arguing that several of its theories (which, it must be noted, he incorrectly oversimplifies) need to be revised or even discarded by parents seeking to raise healthy girls. But Gurian's trademark is examining how biology impacts behavior. Biological matters hormones, brain differences (girls' brains are "more broadly active" than boys' and have 15% more blood flow) ultimately define girls' and boys' journeys through childhood and adolescence, Gurian argues. Even a girl's drop in self-esteem during adolescence is a "natural," biological phenomenon rather than a result of negative cultural influences. Feminists, he argues, have ignored the biological differences in order to successfully compete with men in the workplace; in so doing, they have denied or downplayed a girl's desire for intimacy and the experience of motherhood. Gurian urges parents to use a new model in raising girls (he calls it "Womanism") in which motherhood is a "season" when careers must be adjusted or put on hold. The author boldly suggests that parents prepare their daughters for the sacrifices of motherhood, and ensure that girls establish a three-family system (the nuclear family, the extended family and institutions such as church or school) that will meet their need for intimate relationships. Expect Gurian's arguments to stir controversy and inspire thought. (Jan.) Forecast: Gurian's success with The Wonder of Boys and other parenting titles should make this an easy sell, though some readers may object to what feels like a rejection of feminist tenets. Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information.
Los Angeles Times Wonderfully useful advice....Gurian is at
his best when it comes to the nuts and bolts of rearing a
daughter.
USA Today Explosive....Gurian raises interesting
questions.
Library Journal The Wonder of Girls is...an excellent
choice.
|
Ask a Question About this Product More... |
|
