Reviving Ophelia: Saving the Selves of Adolescent Girls (Ballantine Reader's Circle) - Softcover

Pipher Ph.D., Mary; Pipher, Mary

3.89

26,213 ratings by Goodreads

9780345418784: Reviving Ophelia: Saving the Selves of Adolescent Girls (Ballantine Reader's Circle)

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0345418786 ISBN 13: 9780345418784

Publisher: Ballantine Books, 2002

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THREE YEARS ON THE NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER LIST
AND MORE THAN 1.5 MILLION COPIES SOLD

When Reviving Ophelia was first published nearly a decade ago, the response was extraordinary–and Dr. Mary Pipher became one of the most sought-after speakers in the country. She posed the provocative question: Why are American adolescent girls falling prey to depression, eating disorders, and suicide attempts at an alarming rate? The answer hit a nerve. We live in a look-obsessed, sexist “girl-poisoning” culture. And despite the advances of feminism, girls continue to struggle to find their true selves.

Here are girls’ unmuted voices from the front lines of adolescence, personal and painfully honest. By laying bare their harsh day-to-day reality, Reviving Ophelia issues a call to arms and offers parents compassion, strength, and strategies with which to revive these Ophelias’ lost sense of self.

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Review:

At adolescence, says Mary Pipher, "girls become 'female impersonators' who fit their whole selves into small, crowded spaces." Many lose spark, interest, and even IQ points as a "girl-poisoning" society forces a choice between being shunned for staying true to oneself and struggling to stay within a narrow definition of female. Pipher's alarming tales of a generation swamped by pain may be partly informed by her role as a therapist who sees troubled children and teens, but her sketch of a tougher, more menacing world for girls often hits the mark. She offers some prescriptions for changing society and helping girls resist.

From the Back Cover:

“An important book . . . Pipher shines high-beam headlights on the world of teenage girls.”
–Los Angeles Times

“A vibrant and insightful account . . . The loss of the spirit which Dr. Pipher so brilliantly portrays is the loss of the American spirit.”
–DR. NATALIE PORTER
Former president, Division of the Psychology of Women,
American Psychological Association

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