A NEW YORK TIMES NOTABLE BOOK OF THE YEAR
The classic account of the hurdles facing adolescent girls in America--now reissued with a ... read full description
The classic account of the hurdles facing adolescent girls in America--now reissued with a ... read full description
reviews
Sep 19, 2011
Julie
rated it: 
You need to read this book.
If you're interested in education, you should read this book.
If you're interested in gender roles, women studies, class issues, you really need to read this book.
It's basically an ethnography of two middle schools, one in a poor area and one in a ritzy area. We follow a handful of students at each school and get glimpses into their home and school lives. There are nuanced reactions and interactions with the adults around them that are really te More...
If you're interested in education, you should read this book.
If you're interested in gender roles, women studies, class issues, you really need to read this book.
It's basically an ethnography of two middle schools, one in a poor area and one in a ritzy area. We follow a handful of students at each school and get glimpses into their home and school lives. There are nuanced reactions and interactions with the adults around them that are really te More...
Jan 01, 2009
KeTURah
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This book was a real eye-opener for me, but not in the way one might think. The research for the book was done on 11-14 year old girls during the early 90's, the same time that I was in that age in school. I recognized the mostly white suburban school immediately - it had the exact same environment of female oppression that I remember from my school. And now I realize why I had such a tough time in school - i was conditioned to be unassertive. the saddest thing is that, trapped in a world of dou
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Sep 13, 2011
Stephanie
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Reading this book just a few months after reading Orenstein's Cinderella Ate My Daughter has given me a lot to think about as I continue to raise two daughters. I can't say Orenstein's findings (or the research studies she references to flesh out her anecdotal observances) are encouraging. In Schoolgirls, I was most struck by the chapter in which a teacher taught a class that emphasized women's roles in history to the degree that men's roles are normally emphasized, and about the ways people r
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Dec 20, 2008
Erica
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I was recently asked, in a board game, what book most changed my life. I answered School Girls. I read it in 1995, after the recommendation of a friend. This book turned me on to social science, gender issues, and the reality that there are jobs and passions in the world that deal with gender differences, education, and just plain curiosity about how our society affects us. I guess I would've made my way to this perspective eventually, but as a 17 year old, this was exciting and mind-opening.
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Sep 22, 2008
Valerie
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This book is a great resource for parents.
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Apr 30, 2008
Vince
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I gave this book four stars because it does exactly what its description says it does: describe the hardships that girls in their adolescence face.
And now for the $1,000,000 question:
Where is the equivalent book (call it "Schoolboys") that describes the hurdles that adolescent boys face???
People, especially feminists, like to assume that all is hunky dory with boys and that we don't need to help them (even the media likes to assume this -- just ask T More...
And now for the $1,000,000 question:
Where is the equivalent book (call it "Schoolboys") that describes the hurdles that adolescent boys face???
People, especially feminists, like to assume that all is hunky dory with boys and that we don't need to help them (even the media likes to assume this -- just ask T More...
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May 25, 2008
jill
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This book was written in response to a study about self-esteem and girls in school conducted by the American Association of University Women, and I have to admit that throughout most of my reading of it, one of the questions in the back of my mind was "okay, but don't girls generally out perform boys in educational settings?" So it's interesting that one of the feminist blogs I read (because that's the kind of manhating bitch I am) had this posted earlier this week.
Whatever learn More...
Whatever learn More...
Mar 17, 2008
Jennifer
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As an educator, mother, or future mother, OR someone that works with young girls, this book is a must read. I cried through most of the book remembering the hardships of adolescence: popularity, boys, harassment, being female. This book is an interesting microscope into a few girls lives. I was so moved by this book, I emailed the author inquiring about the girls in the story, and what became of them. This was her reply:
Dear Jennifer,
Thank you so much for your not More...
Dear Jennifer,
Thank you so much for your not More...
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Mar 28, 2011
Monique
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A must-read book for anyone (male or female!) with a daughter; your eyes will truly be opened to what in all likelihood awaits her in middle school. If you are female, "Schoolgirls" might remind you of some painful times in middle and high school and even give you some insight into why your own life/career choices, etc. turned out the way they did. This was definitely true for me and I have resolved to make some different choices on my daughter's behalf based on the information in this
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Jan 11, 2011
Sarah
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Every parent, teacher, man, and woman needs to read this book. I can honestly say it has changed me. This is not a problem that went away when women entered the work force or were given the right to vote. Inequalities happen in subtle ways everyday, everywhere. Reading this book made me so much more aware of them and pushed me to change the way I teach and think.
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Jan 06, 2009
Catherine
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I found this a fascinating read as it gave a broader perspective to my experience of elementary school. She does a great job of showing the power of silencing girls with the need to achieve and be nice without ever taking up too much space. Excellent connection between the stats and actual examples.
Sep 18, 2009
Samantha
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I read this book my freshman year of college four years ago. It's a great book about what girls go through in school regarding self esteem issues and how teachers can play a role in molding self esteem, especially in young girls. I find it interesting how some teachers encourage boys in math and science than girls. Most importantly, how there are teachers out there who don't seem to care, as Orenstein outlined in this book.
Mar 30, 2011
I was looking forward to reading this. I don't know if my mood is different or what, but I was very uninterested. Orenstein seems somewhat angry about gender differences and why I am all for girl power, sometimes we just need to accept that there are differences between boys and girls (and for heaven's sake find the positive aspects of that). Also, I think she's secretly angry about being a girl herself. I could be wrong, but I just wasn't up for one of her rants.
Jul 25, 2011
Nicole
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Had to read this for my education research class. It was good, though dated. Author was easy-to-read, direct, and thorough. My only complaint is that she never synthesized her research at the end to tie everything together. Other than that, it was fine.
Mar 25, 2008
Carolyn
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I LOVED this book. It does a beautiful job of exploring the social and academic struggles of young women across racial, ethnic and class lines and is so readable. Orenstein is a journalist and that carries through in her story telling-- non-fiction with the allure of a plot and characters. The book also does a nice job of explaining young womens' roles in their own lives without making them victims or vixens (or beating up too much on boys). Much of what she writes is not earth shattering for p
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Jan 28, 2010
Glorious.Clio
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This book kinda hurt a lot. Remind me to remind my daughters that they are awesome all the time.
Oct 02, 2008
Emily
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This was a slow read for me, but it needn't have been. It's easy to read, and very interesting. I wanted to take time to digest what I was reading. Ms. Orenstein follows several middle school girls of different races and different socio-economic backgrounds through a few years. She observes different teaching styles and the school childrens' reactions to them. We end the book with a portrait of a teacher doing a great job of profiling women and minorities in history. It gives me hope that our ed
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Jan 26, 2010
Nicole
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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
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Mar 13, 2008
Lani
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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 devel More...
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 devel More...
Jun 25, 2009
Cheryl
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If I could give this book ten stars I would. Every woman should read this book! Positively fascinating.
Dec 16, 2009
Lizette
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This book follows Peggy's study of the effects of gender and culture on girls in 7th-8th grade in two different schools. One school is in an affluent neighborhood in California, the other in a mostly urban working-class area of California. Peggy interacts with students at each school and sees how our unconscious tendency to treat boys and girls differently can be extremely detrimental to the development of boy genders, but especially to girls.
Jul 18, 2008
Cassandra
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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.
Oct 28, 2008
Kristen
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Ornstein documents the disparity between the educational upbringing of boys and girls in America. She describes how these differences set girls up for a future of low self-esteem. Really compelling. This book made me think lots about my own educational experiences as a female and how they had constructed my personal expections...heavy stuff, but definitely worth it.
Mar 31, 2010
Natalie
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I liked it! It makes me think about how I will raise my girls (assuming I ever have girls).
Apr 07, 2010
Jess
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Very informative about the hidden curriculum in the classroom. Even though I didn't see many of the things described in my own schooling, I have seen it in play in the workforce and in other arenas.
May 29, 2008
Erin
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A study of eigth-grade girls in school and why girls lose their self-esteem / grades drop at that age. Super interesting read- does not really come to a conclusion but makes you think. My brain is still trying to wrap itself around all the issues it discusses.
