Sunday, November 22, 2009

The Curse of the Good Girl, Rachel Simmons

 

Virtualibrarian’s comments: I picked this book in the hopes that it would offer me advice on my own behaviors. It does offer some interesting insights into why so many women/girls are non-confrontational, and provides some exercises for re-thinking the way we act and think. I thought much of the exercises and practical advice was too simplistic, however, at least for adults. Moreover, I’m a bit perturbed by the author’s lack of any background in psychology. Overall, it’s worth borrowing from a friend or the library; not buying.

Amazon description:

In The Curse of the Good Girl, bestselling author Rachel Simmons argues that in lionizing the Good Girl we are teaching girls to embrace a version of selfhood that sharply curtails their power and potential. Unerringly nice, polite, modest, and selfless, the Good Girl is a paradigm so narrowly defined that it’s unachievable. When girls inevitably fail to live up-experiencing conflicts with peers, making mistakes in the classroom or on the playing field-they are paralyzed by self-criticism, stunting the growth of vital skills and habits. Simmons traces the poisonous impact of Good Girl pressure on development and provides a strategy to reverse the tide. At once expository and prescriptive, The Curse of the Good Girl is a call to arms from a new front in female empowerment.

[Via http://thevirtualibrary.wordpress.com]

No comments:

Post a Comment