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7th out of 10 books
—
2 voters
Surviving Ophelia: Mothers Share Their Wisdom In Navigating The Tumultuous Teenage Years
Raising a teenage girl can be frightening and overwhelming for the most important female figure in her life: her mother. From handling the often delicate situations surrounding academic performance, athletics, friendships, sexual activity, and drug and alcohol experimentation to instilling (or restoring) a healthy body image and providing a strong role model, mothers often...more
Hardcover, 272 pages
Published
September 11th 2001
by Da Capo Press
(first published September 2001)
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There is nothing in this book that is helpful. It is story after story of teenage girls in extreme distress. And in story after story, the mothers are bewildered: they have no idea how their daughters got in their extreme circumstances or how to get them out. So there's no advice for how to get extreme teen girls help. Except for one mom, who said she was so desperate she sent her daughter to Utah on a month-long survive-in-the-wilderness camp. Another mom was single and worked full-time and wen...more
"Surviving Ophelia" caught my eye because I was interested in hearing about the struggles adolescent girls go through from their mothers' perspectives. As someone who has been involved in Gender and Women's Studies for a number of years now, I have read many personal testimonies from women who struggled with body image, eating disorders, relationships and more throughout their teenage years. But, especially thinking back to my own experiences, I became curious about how young women's mothers str...more
This book was not as insightful as i hoped it would be. It was a bunch of stories about how the teen girls was goin down hill. I only found one mother in the entire book that had a clue, that ultimately it is there life to make something of it or screw it up and some kids have to fall on their face before they get it. I have a tumultuous preteen and the best recommendation i seen in the book was the wilderness camps but no one tells u it will cost over 20 grand to send them!!!!! it only got a 2...more
If you have an adolescent daughter in crisis, you should read this book for understanding and support.
If you have a daughter who is not yet a teenager and read this book, it will scare the daylights out of you.
There isn't really anything about prevention, in fact, it seems that despite many parents' best efforts their daughters still struggled through adolescence. Which girls end up in crisis and which don't, it can be random. I guess my take on it is: if there isn't anything you can do to pre...more
If you have a daughter who is not yet a teenager and read this book, it will scare the daylights out of you.
There isn't really anything about prevention, in fact, it seems that despite many parents' best efforts their daughters still struggled through adolescence. Which girls end up in crisis and which don't, it can be random. I guess my take on it is: if there isn't anything you can do to pre...more
Interesting. I related to it. (I put my mom through hell when I was younger.) I found the stories about the mothers giving up on the daughters infuriating. If my mom had ever given up on me I would be dead. I felt that a lot of the parents were very naive though. I could have done with more interesting writing, though the true story feel (because they were, of course) was wonderful and made it worthwhile. I think this book would not be as interesting if the reader didn't relate in some way so I...more
I read this book younger as a teenager who acted out against my mother trying to find maybe a clue to why I was acting this way or why things were turning out to be so horrible between us all the time. And while the book is interesting, because it is a compilation of mothers stories, it is also not what I was hoping this book. However, by chance I do own this book and my need it in the future as now I am a mother.
I'm not rating this.
This book is not for me. It's mostly these horrible, awful stories of girls gone wild, and most end with "We've weathered the hard times, and things are getting better," with no real steps to avoid the crappy things that happened.
I don't think things are 1/100th as bad for us as they are for some of these people. I'm thankful for that!!
This book is not for me. It's mostly these horrible, awful stories of girls gone wild, and most end with "We've weathered the hard times, and things are getting better," with no real steps to avoid the crappy things that happened.
I don't think things are 1/100th as bad for us as they are for some of these people. I'm thankful for that!!
Finishing this book was a little like taking a dose of cod-liver oil. I know it is important, but it was so difficult. My heart tightened and my stomach lurched as mothers recounted stories of their daughters careening off into an untouchable place where they no longer responded to the love and affection offered by their families. I hope I never need any of the options suggested here, but should things start to go off a cliff, I'll start by paging through these stories looking for ideas.
While an interesting read at first and my heart goes out to all parents whose teenagers experience mental health difficulties, the testimonials of mothers began to feel redundant half-way through the book and it was missing the voice of the teenagers themselves. I didn't end up finishing the entire book.
Didn't finish reading this for two reasons. First, the book was extremely sad but didn't offer much in the way of guidance, hope, or learnings. Second, the personal stories presented by different mothers did not seem to illustrate their intended points very well.
As the mother of an Autistic daughter in the beginning stages of puberty, this book gives me hope that I will be able to weather the teen years with her, that my fears of how she will come through those years knowing she is different, are perfectly normal.
Great book. Every mom should read this book if they have a girl. If I have a girl, I am reading it again and then crying about the long road I have ahead of me... 20 years isn't that long is it??
Sep 23, 2011
Amy
marked it as to-read
I might not actually read this one because it seems to be the less funny version of "Get Out of My Life!" But a friend, who raised her kids in the 80s, suggested it for kicks.
A fabulous book for educators! Especially those who work with teenage girls or have a teenage daughter...
Helped me get thru day to day, when I didn't know what else to do or say to her
Look for my story included in this book, Daddy Died, Leaving a Wife and Daughter. The book is filled with mother- daughter relationships and the many challenges both sides face. The mother-daughter relationship is said to be the most complicated of all relationships, it can offer the greatest rewards and the most complex challenges. The book is wonderful and truth filled and Cheryl should be applauded for writing it. Highly recommend it.
For any parent/individual who deals with a teenage girl(s).
Interesting read, but left me feeling so, so sad.
I was hoping for more helpful information. It was really just a book of collections of mothers venting.
I give this to some of my parents - they then breathe a sigh of relief that what they are facing with their adolescent girl, though emotionally wrenching, could be so much worse. A compendium of "worse case scenarios" of adolescent angst.
This is a "read here and there" book.
Very helpful, but luckily most of the experiences in this book are beyond ours at this time.
Thanks anyway, Mama.
Very helpful, but luckily most of the experiences in this book are beyond ours at this time.
Thanks anyway, Mama.
Not as striking as "Reviving Ophelia," of course, but I enjoyed it.
recommend for all moms of teen aged girls
an interesting change in perspective
May 11, 2013
Marnie
marked it as to-read
Mar 20, 2013
Rosen Jasmin
is currently reading it
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Aug 26, 2011 05:42pm