Sugar and spice and no longer nice : how we can stop girls' violence /

American girls are showing their mean streaks directly and violently, write the authors of this sobering, timely book, which looks at the disturbing increase in physical, not just indirect, violence among adolescents. Prothrow-Stith, a professor at Harvard University School of Public Health, and Spivak, chief of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine at Boston's New England Medical Center, write as both public health experts and parents; both have raised teenage daughters, and in addition to the numerous hard statistics and anecdotes collected from the field, they offer their own sympathetic support and ideas for creative parenting that may help prevent what could be a new wave of endemic violence. While focused on the specific needs of girls, the book also offers reminders that nonviolent resolution skills must be taught, practiced, admired, and made popular for both sexes. All adults who work with or are raising teen girls will benefit from the authors' expert analysis and open, thoughtful strategies for change. The appended resources include an extensive list of helpful organizations. --Gillian Engberg Copyright 2005 Booklist

Books on how to protect young women from violence are widespread, but it?s rare to encounter a book that shows how girls themselves are becoming more violent. One part sociological examination, one part guide for parents and teachers, this volume by Prothrow-Stith (a professor of public health at Harvard) and Spivak (chief of the pediatric and adolescent medicine division at the New England Medical Center) attempts to fill the gap. ?There is not yet a violence epidemic among middle-class white girls, but we see it coming,? they write. Juvenile arrests for aggravated assault went up 57% for girls between 1990 and 1999, they point out, and much of the violence is girl on girl. Focusing on prevention, the authors show concerned adults how to teach young girls to become assertive but not aggressive. They dissect the myths about young girls? behavior and outline the major risk factors that abet violence: gun availability, poverty, alcohol and drugs, and witnessing violence, among others. And they devote an entire chapter to the ?feminization of the superhero? in popular culture. Spivak and Prothrow-Stith present a great deal of valuable information, but their stilted prose style and repetitious organization will probably keep this work from appealing to a large audience. The book lacks the intimacy and the vibrantly recounted anecdotes that made studies like Odd Girl Out and Queen Bees & Wannabes popular, and the parenting section doesn?t provide specific enough tips on how to master the negotiating skills that the authors deem so valuable. (June) Copyright 2005 Reed Business Information.