sde's review against another edition
4.0
This is an old book - over 20 years old, in fact. I read it because I had seen so many references to it. Some things have changed tremendously since it was written, but, sadly, much hasn't changed at all. The author spent time in two middle schools - one suburban and middle class and one inner city and mainly minority. The girls in these schools had different outlooks and approaches to life, but both were hamstrung due to being females.
First the positive since the book was written - girls graduation rate has risen and they are now more likely to graduate and go on to college than boys. Professional development for teachers in urban schools has been created and disseminated so that teachers in these sorts of schools are more likely to know how to deal with the problems that go with these schools and their students' back stories than when this book was written.
BUT - Girls STILL face the double standard discussed in this book, girls are still sexually harassed in schools and don't seem to realize it or know what to do about it, boys still have their outbursts and wild behavior excused more than girls. I don't think very many teachers have taken the conscious efforts described in this book to give girls more say. And now with the greater emphasis on seat learning, standardized tests, and other things that make kids stay quiet and in their seats, girls problems have been swept under the rug as, generally, young boys find it harder to fit in this new formal classroom than girls do.
The individual stories of the girls the author spends time with are compelling, and she does a good job of creating a picture of them. I wish she did a better job of tying in their stories with her overall thesis, though. I am amazed and thankful that two schools and parents in those schools allowed the author to observe and interview them to such and extent. This is a scary prospect because you don't really know the person who will be spending so much time in the school, you worry about privacy issues, and it can be intimidating for both teachers and students alike. But without these opportunities, we will never learn how to better serve young people, so I am grateful.
First the positive since the book was written - girls graduation rate has risen and they are now more likely to graduate and go on to college than boys. Professional development for teachers in urban schools has been created and disseminated so that teachers in these sorts of schools are more likely to know how to deal with the problems that go with these schools and their students' back stories than when this book was written.
BUT - Girls STILL face the double standard discussed in this book, girls are still sexually harassed in schools and don't seem to realize it or know what to do about it, boys still have their outbursts and wild behavior excused more than girls. I don't think very many teachers have taken the conscious efforts described in this book to give girls more say. And now with the greater emphasis on seat learning, standardized tests, and other things that make kids stay quiet and in their seats, girls problems have been swept under the rug as, generally, young boys find it harder to fit in this new formal classroom than girls do.
The individual stories of the girls the author spends time with are compelling, and she does a good job of creating a picture of them. I wish she did a better job of tying in their stories with her overall thesis, though. I am amazed and thankful that two schools and parents in those schools allowed the author to observe and interview them to such and extent. This is a scary prospect because you don't really know the person who will be spending so much time in the school, you worry about privacy issues, and it can be intimidating for both teachers and students alike. But without these opportunities, we will never learn how to better serve young people, so I am grateful.
sheva's review against another edition
4.0
Earlier than her other book, this was interesting read. Not particularly new information but very captivating.
libkatem's review against another edition
3.0
This book kinda hurt a lot. Remind me to remind my daughters that they are awesome all the time.
specificwonderland's review against another edition
5.0
Of all the feminist-slant books I've read, this is my favorite. The way Orenstein presents her case studies is well done. For me, it was eye-opening, having not been in an elementary/middle school situation for so long. I read this alongside (or, very close, temporally) Slut! (Tenenbaum) and found them both refreshing/depressing at the same time. Orenstein is a great read for this issue.
jessica_lam's review against another edition
4.0
There were some problems I had nearing the second half of the book, but it was a good introspective read on girls' development. Some parts, especially, were like holding up a mirror.
larrys's review against another edition
5.0
When I went into teaching my first job was in a girls only high school. It was thought of single sex education in general that girls' schools are best for girls but boys tend to suffer a bit with an overly masculine culture at boys' schools.
There are also problems with girls only education of course. Namely, some of them get a big shock when exposed to the wider co-ed world.
Strangely, many parents who send their girls to single sex schools do so because they don't want their daughters 'distracted by boys', which seems to me a coded concern for parents who are actually policing their daughters' sexual desire. If they had read this book they would know there are other very good reasons for single sex education that have nothing to do with the girls themselves but with the problems in our sexist culture.
I don't know why we don't see more co-ed schools which separate boys and girls for maths, science and English. That would be the ideal situation for my own daughter.
It would have been interesting to compare these co-ed girls to equivalent SES girls at girls only schools and even more interesting to track where they all go from there. Because I'd really like to know if girls only education is the answer, or if it only delays the inevitable.
There are also problems with girls only education of course. Namely, some of them get a big shock when exposed to the wider co-ed world.
Strangely, many parents who send their girls to single sex schools do so because they don't want their daughters 'distracted by boys', which seems to me a coded concern for parents who are actually policing their daughters' sexual desire. If they had read this book they would know there are other very good reasons for single sex education that have nothing to do with the girls themselves but with the problems in our sexist culture.
I don't know why we don't see more co-ed schools which separate boys and girls for maths, science and English. That would be the ideal situation for my own daughter.
It would have been interesting to compare these co-ed girls to equivalent SES girls at girls only schools and even more interesting to track where they all go from there. Because I'd really like to know if girls only education is the answer, or if it only delays the inevitable.
lanikei's review against another edition
5.0
One of the best things that came out of my education classes... This book is phenomenal. Peggy follows girls in multiple middle schools and backs up her observations with various research. I pulled even more fantastic books out of the bibliography.
If you have even the slightest interest in understanding young women, I really recommend this book. Recognizing my own faults and flaws was painful, but CRUCIAL as a teacher. And seeing how some of these same pressures affected my own development was pretty intense.
If you have even the slightest interest in understanding young women, I really recommend this book. Recognizing my own faults and flaws was painful, but CRUCIAL as a teacher. And seeing how some of these same pressures affected my own development was pretty intense.
tadow's review against another edition
4.0
Very insightful book and has a investigative journalism feel to it while it explores young girls in school settings.
nikkigee81's review against another edition
3.0
What this journalist discovered in her yearlong investigation into two different middle schools during the 1992-93 school year is nothing new, but no less sad and damaging. Girls are still marginalized in the classroom and considered secondary, and worse, teachers attempting to combat the male aggression often fail. As a future teacher and a former student who knows this situation all too well, I think it helps to look at such things from an adult perspective and make as many attempts to change the cirriculum as possible.