Reviving Ophelia : Saving the Selves of Adolescent Girls

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Summary: a wonderful exploratory read of the modern female psyche
Review: First off I must say that the reviews I just read on this page are terrible assertations of this work and by no means give Pipher justice. Anyone who denies that this is what young women in America are growing up dealing with is trying to hide the truth from themselves. I was especially disapointed with the parent who noted that she was frightened by the book and didn't like it because of this. I think the message hear is meant to be frightening quite honestly. I can't think of any manner to get across the message that our culture is counter productive to adolescent women without being frightening. Pipher does an excellent job with the material, using a professional narrative style and presenting numerous facts and numbers when appropriate. At all times she backs up her conclusions with real world examples from her job as a therapist. It's a good read overall, Pipher has a style that is naturally conducive to writing, and I found that it was hard to put the book down after a few hours, not just because of the serious nature of the work but because of her stimulating language.

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Summary: an important look at society
Review: i think that people need to realize that there are people with problems. and if you, yourself are not one of those people, than more power to you. yippee..you have found a way to suceed happily through life..share your secret with others!!! but....there are many that have not found this sought after "key" to life, and this book illustrates that. people. we need this kind of realism. we cannot overlook these problems i.e. eating disorders etc..any longer. this is a book that reaches out to those who have been screwed over by the system, by society and if you cannot relate then go read another book. please in your own struggles..or lack there of do not forget that there are people out there dealing with issues much larger than your own. remember those girls whose stories made your cringe..and if they made you mad then go do something about it.

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Summary: Bad!!!
Review: This terrible book demonstrated nothing but a way to give a parent paronia. The negative image of teens will make parents feel as though their teen is going to do something horrible. Also, boys have problems, too. This book is overly aprehensive of teens.

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Summary: Thought provoking ideas.
Review: As some reviewers have stated this book highlights the problems of some young girls, it by no means addresses all girls. However, if you're a parent of a girl it's a good idea to look through this book so that you can know the possible problems and what to look for. I would have liked this book better if it also included solutions and the positive side. Also recommended: Kid Cooperation (How to Stop Yelling, Nagging and Pleading) by Elizabeth Pantley

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Summary: Try not to be judgemental.
Review: This is an insightful book for women of all ages to read. I think every woman may be able to find a specific reference related to her life in some way. In addition, I would like to comment on the opinion of a reader from San Francisco, California. From what I gathered you did not like the book, however, do not generalize women who live in the Midwest as being "repressed" and "where no one finishes high school". I have a B.A. and plan on going to graduate school. Get a clue!!!!

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Summary: Too Dry and Depressing
Review: I did not like it at all as I have already stated this book is dry and depressing. As a mother of two pre-adolescent girls it leaves me with a bleak view of their future in our present society.

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Summary: A look at what society has done to girls& what to do to help
Review: Do not be fooled by this book's hope-inducing, yeah, yo-go-girl, strong woman of the '90s title. It's all a bunch of melarky, if you ask me. Yeah, I'm a teenage girl,you know, and I been through some Cr@p in my life, but i didn't allow myself to become some kind of detached,prince-loving, purple-jeans-wearing kind of weirdo. Anyway, Pipher concentrates too hard-core on her patients who were helpless girls who were broken and insecure. Hello Ms. Pipher!! What about all the rest of the girls who chose to not let their lives become a pathetic mess? The message that the "author" gets across is that all young girls are detached, troubled beings who have stopped spending time with mommy and going to the zoo and what not. And another thing, parents are not always the best solution. Parents, in the first place, are ultimately responsible for how their children turn out to be. Parents must take responsibility instead of blaming things on "pop-culture" or whatever other superficial elements of our damned society. Our parents are the ones who should teach their children, from the very beginning, that the world around them is full of hype, and that the hype can destroy one's own natural tendencies. And not all parents are very smart or wise (i should know). Parents, too, are the ones who impose certain values (or a lack thereof)on their children, and those values can either make the children great; or they can serously mess a child up. So in actuality, everyone is responsible here. I have therefore been led to believe that this book was premeditatively written to relieve and convince parents that it was not their own screwed up, superimposed values that ruined their daughter, but it was society's and pop-cultures' very own fault. This book is terribly redundant, the organization of the information gets to be irritating, and let me tell you, if you're bored and sick of hearing about how girls are "saplings in da storm," just do this, please: 1-stop reading, 2-shut the book, 3-throw the literature as far away from you as possible, and 4-pray that you never stumble upon that dreaded book ever again. And for the love of god, find a better, more meaningful book to read, like seat of the soul, or conversations with god. alright, well...enough of my rambling...thanx to all who took the time to read this insanely long(but honest) review...thank god i'm done....! i'm out.Peace...

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Summary: This book offended normal teens such as myself.
Review: This book was very false. It was offensive to normal teens such as myself who don't need to be 80 pounds to be happy. It gave a false image of the normal teen and was more like reading a novelization of Dawson's Creek than a real book.

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Summary: This book S-U-C-K SUCKED!
Review: I am a happy, secure teenage girl. I am of moderate/thin weight. I do not try to be skinny. I was never sexually harrased. This book portrays teens so falsly it's incredible that the author was actually speaking and not aliens.

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Summary: Outdated & Untrue
Review: Ninety-nine percent of the girls in this book are unitelligent, weak followers. As if this is the average teenage girl! Ms. Pipher was describing her own cases, all psychological messes, but she somehow came to the conclusion that this was how a teenage girl lives her life. Perhaps in repressed farming towns in the Midwest where no one finishes high school, teenage girls live their lives like that, but not most of the population. It was depressing and insulting that she believes teenage girls are so stupid and susceptible. Besides, all that, the references in it to pop culture are about fifteen years old. No, we don't wear green jeans and listen to Prince. Sorry.