I am an Emotional Creature: The Secret Life of Girls Around the World

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I am an Emotional Creature: The Secret Life of Girls Around the World

3.99 of 5 stars 3.99 · rating details · 1,156 ratings · 187 reviews

In this daring, provocative, and insightful book, bestselling author and internationally acclaimed playwright Eve Ensler writes fictional monologues and stories inspired by girls around the globe. Moving through a world of topics and emotions, these voices are fierce, alive, tender, complicated, imaginative, and smart. Girls today often find themselves in a struggle betwee...more

Hardcover, 176 pages

Published February 9th 2010 by Villard (first published January 1st 2010)

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Jun 15, 2010 Renée rated it 4 of 5 stars

Shelves: essays, books-i-own, chick-lit-womens-interest, favourites

I'll tell you why I bothered picking up this book: (1) I loved the graffiti-like cover, which reminded me of the doodling I used to pen over my books in high school, and (2) I really respect and enjoy Eve Ensler's writing. I saw a performance of The Vagina Monologues and loved the subversive way she used humor and fictional stories to tackle real women's issues around the world. So, when I saw that she had released a similar collection, but targeted for girls and teens, I instantly had to pick i...more I'll tell you why I bothered picking up this book: (1) I loved the graffiti-like cover, which reminded me of the doodling I used to pen over my books in high school, and (2) I really respect and enjoy Eve Ensler's writing. I saw a performance of The Vagina Monologues and loved the subversive way she used humor and fictional stories to tackle real women's issues around the world. So, when I saw that she had released a similar collection, but targeted for girls and teens, I instantly had to pick it up.

I think this book is so important. I think today's young girls are growing up so quickly and there are less outlets for them to discuss important issues, like abusive relationships and safe sex, or at least, it isn't coming from a source that is from "their generation." Peppered throughout the collection are statistics called "Girl Facts" with shocking numbers on prostitution, sex slavery, eating disorders, and other girl-related issues. Apart from the Girl Facts, though, I loved how these ideas and issues are tackled through the voices of other young women and girls around the world. This collection of monologues, poems, and short stories creates a sisterhood, almost, of females who share similar bonds, despite background, interests, language, etc. That kind of unity is so great and empowering, especially during that awkward period where young girls feel like no one else feels this awkward emotions or that no one "gets" them. I think with so much real suffering happening in other parts of the world, it's difficult to remember that girls in first-world countries have their own voices and stories needing to be told, and just because it isn't anything news-worthy, doesn't mean it isn't a problem or question or anxiety worth addressing...

That being said, my favorite pieces in the collection were the fictionalized accounts of the young women in other parts of the world (as in, not America/UK). There is a great story called "Free Barbie," about a young Chinese girl working in an assembly-line doll factory, and probably my favorite piece is an epistolary poem/letter about a young female suicide bomber. In all of these stories, esp. the ones from girls in developing or Third-world countries, there is such strength and resilience in their voices, that even someone past puberty can feel their empowerment and be proud to be a girl. All of the stories (it is so hard to select a choice few) are so moving, but there was one story, about a young girl who was upset that her parents got her a nose job, that I thought was so quirky and wonderful that I had to share an excerpt with you:

"I miss my nose. Every day I rub it and dream of telling lies like Pinocchio so it will grow back. I went on this secret date with a boy who told me I was pretty. [...:] I'm fake pretty. He didn't understand and so he kissed me 'cause that's what boys do when they don't know something and don't want to look stupid/ When he kissed me there was nothing in the way. It was too easy. I didn't even have to make a joke about it. And that was sad 'cause the joke about my nose always made the guy laugh and then we both relaxed and kissing was always so much better then."

I really love what this collection does. It doesn't aim to make men the enemy. It's message is, You know, it's okay to like boys -- if that's what you like-- and nothing's wrong with that, but you know, make sure you like and respect yourself too. And I love how it celebrates girls like that. I think, considering the target audience, this book is definitely 5 stars in terms of relevance and importance, but even as an older reader, I still got a lot out of it. Some stories about sex trafficking or dealing with being a "masculine" girl were so amazing, but some of the more experimental free verse passages didn't always do it for me. (Also, I think I might have benefited more if I had read this about 5 years ago, when the insecurity and all that was more intense.) This does reference some graphic sexual and adult themes, which are important to read about (in my opinion), but some more conservative families or younger readers should be aware of that. Regardless, I loved it and will definitely keep it around to flip through and read a couple more times throughout my lifetime.

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Jan 29, 2013 Molly rated it 4 of 5 stars

I read this book on the recommendation of my friend’s mom. She told me about a movement sort of based on this book that is an effort to increase action and awareness about a lot of the problems that face girls today. I knew it was part poetry part short story, which is a kind of book I would normally never even consider reading, but the stories sounded interesting so I decided I’d try it. Even though there wasn’t a central plot to the story I loved it. The stories were so compelling and I felt l...more

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Dec 18, 2011 Randee247 rated it 4 of 5 stars Recommends it for: All Females

Recommended to Randee247 by: A beloved dance teacher

I am no reader. I am one of those people who have a select interest in books. I end up returning books to the shelf, or simply just never take the time to get past the first few pages. In almost all cases, I feel my unfortunate events with books have been cured by Eve Ensler’s I am an Emotional Creature. My first encounter to this book was in a former dance teacher’s class. That year we used Ensler’s book as a guide to help us as a class and as individuals to explore the power of the soul. I hav...more I am no reader. I am one of those people who have a select interest in books. I end up returning books to the shelf, or simply just never take the time to get past the first few pages. In almost all cases, I feel my unfortunate events with books have been cured by Eve Ensler’s I am an Emotional Creature. My first encounter to this book was in a former dance teacher’s class. That year we used Ensler’s book as a guide to help us as a class and as individuals to explore the power of the soul. I have found this book not only as an inspiring guideline to many young women’s lives but something that can be applied to many situations which makes this book worth reading.

The inspirational words of Eve Ensler’s I Am an Emotional Creature give her female audience the power and strength to stand up for their voice. As said by Ensler herself, “This book is a call to question rather than please” (xxv). It is apparent that women in the world have found it difficult to overcome the “obstacles or pressures that prevent us from being” emotional creatures, but it is up to us as females to make our struggles known and worth fitting for (xxv). Just like her original best seller The Vagina Monologues, I Am an Emotional Creature addresses issues young women face in not only the American Society but also around the world. These topics range from teen pregnancy, anorexia, abusive relationships, child soldiers, child labor, and sex slavery.

I find Ensler’s collection of stories as a beautiful source of truth. To know that these stories are inspired by true events young women, just like me are going through, simply eye opening. I have read this book a solid three times through, and have read certain parts more than those three. No matter how many times I have read this book the more I find myself feeling at home with myself and the obstacles I have had to face. I also have found myself living off the morals of this book. The Would You Rather three part entry is such a subtle reminder of what my generation has come to. Why do I play this game? Does my answer really matter? Why should I have to choose between two terrible things in order to be approved in day’s opinionated world?

There are many stories in this book that any female should find priority to read. To this day I think about the person I am and the person I have become; I would like to think this book helped me find my own inner emotional creature.

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Nov 12, 2011 Paula rated it 3 of 5 stars

Eve Ensler, a autora deste livro, mostra ser uma pessoa sensível, sendo capaz de tocar no íntimo de cada ser, nomeadamente das mulheres. Faz com que olhem para si de forma diferente, quase egoísta (no bom sentido) evocando a reflexão sem preconceitos! Preconceitos que castram a verdadeira essência de cada indivíduo. Mostra-nos que a sociedade acaba por nos moldar, arrastando-nos para os seus costumes tradicionais e transformando-nos em pessoas diferentes daquelas que seríamos inicialmente.
Basead...more

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May 20, 2011 Ashley rated it 5 of 5 stars

This book is so true. Eve asks questions everyone wants to know, but is to scared to ask. Even me. This book is full of little stories bunched together. They're all about what girls go through, all around the world. It's about eating disorders, sex, pleasing everyone but your self, drugs, cutting, being pregnant. So different, yet so much the same. It's been a few years since I was in High School, but I remember it like it was yesterday. Every thing she says, I had been there, heard or saw it ha...more

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Apr 02, 2011 Sarah rated it 3 of 5 stars

"I am an emotional creature" does not tell my story. It does not always say what I would say or what I would want it to say. I guess that is part of the beauty of it. Many, many of the stories were amazing and eloquent, but those were the ones that I have a hard time associating myself with; my life is very very different from that of a sex slaves, so the "failed intricacies" are not apparent to me. The stories that are meant to represent "A Girl in 2010", "Refusers", a girl in Suburbia, USA wh...more

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Mar 20, 2011 Charlotte rated it 2 of 5 stars

I had the opportunity to see Eve Ensler (yes, the woman largely responsible for diminishing the stigma of the word 'vagina' through the popularity of her episodic play "The Vagina Monologues," bringing the utterance of the word out of medical establishments only and into the mainstream) read/perform/talk at my mom's school, and unfortunately could not make it. I did, however, read a copy of her latest book "I am an Emotional Creature." The book is a collection of poems/fictionalized monologues i...more

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Jun 22, 2010 Bethany Miller rated it 3 of 5 stars

I am an Emotional Creature is a collection of writings – including monologues, dialogues, poems, and stories – that paint a picture of what it is like to be a teenage girl in contemporary society. Ensler writes from the perspective of a wide variety of girls dealing with vastly different issues from the girl living in an American suburb suffering from Anorexia to a Chinese factory worker who works twelve-hour days to make the heads of Barbie dolls. The common thread amongst all of these characte...more

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Jul 31, 2012 Karina Banuelos rated it 4 of 5 stars

If you are interested in reading this, I would involve a trigger warning in this book as it talks about such issues listed below. Read with caution, my loves.

The fictional stories in Eve Ensler’s book, I Am An Emotional Monster: The Secret Life of Girls Around the World, brings up issues that girls and women face every second of every day. From eating disorders, body policing, slut and virgin-shaming, sex trafficking, sexual assault and rape, to insecurities and the eagerness to sometimes love...more If you are interested in reading this, I would involve a trigger warning in this book as it talks about such issues listed below. Read with caution, my loves.

The fictional stories in Eve Ensler’s book, I Am An Emotional Monster: The Secret Life of Girls Around the World, brings up issues that girls and women face every second of every day. From eating disorders, body policing, slut and virgin-shaming, sex trafficking, sexual assault and rape, to insecurities and the eagerness to sometimes love ourselves, or despise our every inch.

It includes stories from cities in Palestine, Israel, The Democratic Republic of Congo, Russia, and even New York, discussing the issues that we face, as different or as similar as they may be.

As much as this book made me depressed as hell (and even triggered a few feelings), I definitely recommend this book to any girl, anywhere. I would consider this a book to give to my future kids, regardless of sex. Ensler writes mostly poems and some short stories, mixed with real facts on every so page on a statistic based off of the struggles women face daily (i.e hunger, child labor, rape, safe spaces, etc). Some poems really hit home, as I’m sure out of the 176 pages, one will hit you too. You’ll remember the time when your elementary school popular club called you anorexic because you were too scrawny, or when you started mindfully indulging in materialistic object to appease someone else. We’ve all been there, haven’t we? Or even now, being told that our appearances and beauty are the only things that’ll matter to men, not what we have to say—this book is essentially a wake up call to all girls, tweens, teenagers, young adults, and beyond to accept yourself in your rawest form, and forgive yourself for any wrongdoings, whether it be cutting yourself to find a release, hating yourself because you weren’t like them, or any other dilemma that still seems to have this all-consuming hold on us.

Despite its short length, I truly enjoyed it and found it to be very hard-hitting and realistic to the experiences of women.
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Jul 04, 2010 Greta rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: fantastic-and-fierce-females, young-adult

"The monologues in this book are scripts for girls' resistance." (xv)

Having attended Douglas, the women's college of Rutgers University, I, of course, have seen several productions of The Vagina Monologues, and have read plenty of feminist works...And as the soon-to-be ELA teacher at the Santa Fe Girls' School and a fierce advocate for teen girls, the words of Eve Ensler and other "sisters" of this cause do resonate with me on many levels, though I do get infuriated when the "feminist" message b...more "The monologues in this book are scripts for girls' resistance." (xv)

Having attended Douglas, the women's college of Rutgers University, I, of course, have seen several productions of The Vagina Monologues, and have read plenty of feminist works...And as the soon-to-be ELA teacher at the Santa Fe Girls' School and a fierce advocate for teen girls, the words of Eve Ensler and other "sisters" of this cause do resonate with me on many levels, though I do get infuriated when the "feminist" message becomes confused with or wrapped up in the "anti-men" battle cry...I think, as do many of my peers [strong, brillant women all!:] that these two agendas are entirely different...

I picked up this book after I was told about Eve Ensler's project by two of my former students from Santa Fe-- these talented young ladies were a part of one of the pilot stage productions of this collection of monologues earlier this year, and had nothing but glowingly positive things to say both about the experience of performing in the show (meeting many like-minded, strong girls and women) and about the pieces themselves...I had to check it out. It took almost no time to fly through it...The monologues are all written by Ensler herself but in the voices of teenage girls from all walks of life all over the world. Ensler brings variety into her tapestry of the experience of being a girl in this modern world while at the same time highighting the universality of this experience, of shared girlhood...I wasn't incredibly impressed with some of the writing-- I thought that the language could have been brighter, rawer (in places), more lyrical...though a great deal of it WAS beautiful...I'm certain that the whole series of monologues would be much more powerful too when performed on stage as opposed to living on the page. I'm glad to know already what a couple of teenage girls felt about the text and its project because I really am curious, perhaps even a little skeptical, about how this target population might respond to Ensler's message and the way in which it is conveyed. I've been trying to imagine how I, for instance, as my teenage self might have reacted...I don't know how, or if, it would have registered...But as a woman in my early twenties, I lovelovelove the wisdom this book espouses and the confidence it seeks to instill and amplify in girls at this critical age: not an "anti-male" agenda at all-- thank goodness (because I think this might be the initial impression, as usual, of such a "feminist" work)-- but one that advocates AUTHENTICITY, ACCEPTANCE, WILDNESS, CURIOSITY, FEROCITY, COMPASSION, LOVE...Right from the first "Girl Fact" (the factoids with which Ensler accents her piece) which is this: "Your left lung is smaller than your right lung to make room for your heart"-- she makes this exceedingly and beautifully clear. I guess I'm at an interesting juncture at which to consider the questions of girlhood-- of the differences and similarities between being a teenage female versus being a twenty-something woman...The women who have written (Ensler) and supported (Carol Gilligan) this project articulate emphatically their own epiphanies that they themselves lost something incredibly potent and powerful as they moved from being teenage girls into womanhood, some EMOTIONALITY that is unknown, unappreciated, even FEARED strength with no equal...They find themselves, through their work with girls around the world, able to recognize and reconnect with that piece of themselves ...Gillian writes: "The research with girls was taking me back into what had been a lost time, a moment of freedom before womanhood set in. The sound of girls' voices, at once familiar and surprising brought home the extent to which I and other women have rewritten our histories to conform to a story I now recognize as untrue." (xiv) Later, Ensler writes to her female teenage reader: "I know we make you feel stupid, as if being a teenager meant you were temporarily deranged. We have become accustomed to muting you, judging you, discounting you, asking you-- sometimes even forcing you-- to betray what you see and know and feel. YOU SCARE US. You remind us of what we have been forced to shut down and abandon in ourselves in order to fit in. You ask us by your being to question, to wake up, to reperceive. Sometimes we think we are protecting you when really we are protecting ourselves from our own feelings of self-betrayal and loss." (xxiv)

These two women see it as their responsibility, our responsibility, to help girls to see and celebrate their own unique power-- both for themselves and for the greater good of humankind and the planet (not even exaggerating here!) Gillian, for instance, says in the book's introduction: "Like a woman claiming her body, a girl claiming her emotions breaks a silence and unleashes a vast resource of clean energy, an energy that can inspire all of us to transform and heal the world." (xiii).....To understand the extent to which we are held captive to a false story about ourselves, a story about manhood and womanhood that belies the fact that, as humans, we are all emotional creatures." (xvii) And I love this!

The monologues in the text, the "girl facts," and Eve's letters to her hypothetical teenage readers-- all of these serve to reinforce this purpose of illumination, of celebration... One of my favorite pieces in the whole text is at the start of Part I: "You Tell Me How To Be A Girl In 2010"-- which really could be recast, on many levels, as "You Tell Me How To Be A Human In 2010." I also appreciate the fact that the situations of the various fictional girls in the narrative are considered on a scale of relativity-- each voice...whether she is facing pregnancy or being a soldier, anorexia or sexual slavery-- is acknowledged and legitimized and honored...The voices are full of humor, fear, honesty, courage..."The Joke About My Nose" is at once giggle-worthy and heartbreaking..."Dear Rhianna" could have been written by one of my Banana Kelly students in the 11th Grade..."Free Barbie" looks at the many levels at which cultural constructions have broken our bodies and our hearts...from a unique perspective...And many stories, in spite of their horror, are hopeful... "Five Cows and a Calf" is a triumphant song..."Asking the Question" is a warm reminder that we are all scared, and an ode to physical love and the respect that needs to, and absolutely can coexist with it. The reader comes away, at least I as reader came away, loving all of these girls..

The final "I Am An Emotional Creature" poem encapsulates the whole point and purpose of this book, this project in perhaps my favorite form...so with this excerpt, I end:

" I am an emotional creature.
I am connected to everything and everyone.
I was born like that.
Don't you dare say all negative that it's a teenage thing
or it's only only because I'm a girl.
These feelings make me better.
They make me ready.
They make me present.
They make me strong." (135) (less)

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Dec 25, 2012 Reed L. rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: feminism, young-adult, fiction

Although well-intentioned, Eve Ensler's collection of stories/poems/monologues I Am An Emotional Creature definitely did not sit well with me. She attempts to write an authentic account of teenage girls around the world, however her language and writing style does not succeed that goal. There's no real "connection" in her book and most of the pieces come off as inauthentic. The pieces play into stereotypes of girls in third world countries, which makes me warry and wonder if Ms. Ensler's book is...more

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Apr 05, 2011 Airiz C rated it 4 of 5 stars Recommends it for: teenage girls

Shelves: my-favorites, inspirational, butt-kicking-heroines, lgbtq, romance, young-adult, anthology

In this provocative and poignant compilation of imaginary stories and monologues, internationally bestselling author/playwright Eve Ensler (of The Vagina Monologues fame) provided a literary subwoofer for every girl’s muted voice and timid stance in a world where they are forced to remain true to themselves or to conform to society’s expectations in an attempt to please.

I Am An Emotional Creature: The Secret Life of Girls around the World is a must-read for all teenage girls, especially those that can feel the extremely suffocating pressure of the society where they belong. Page by page, Ensler treats the readers to a globetrotting not for the eyes but for the heart—from New York to Tehran, from China to Palestine, from the Democratic Republic of the Congo to Cairo, and many more. With an accepting mind and a few hours of reading time as your passport, you’ll definitely enjoy “travelling” in this collection. The book serves as a conduit for each girl’s kept emotions, in effect encouraging the female readers to speak up and fight back whenever they need to.

Every voice is unique: in A Teenage Girl’s Guide to Surviving Sex Slavery, a young sex slave in Congo shares how she attempts to brave her way to freedom from her soldier rapist; in hunger blog, an anorexic posts entries regarding her experience in avoiding to gain weight; in Free Barbie, a teenage Chinese worker in an abusive factory communicates through “head send” to Barbie heads, filling them with her screaming subconscious about being free; in I Have 35 Minutes Before He Comes Looking for Me, a girl of about fifteen tells her story as victim of sex trafficking. There are many other stories that are able to pull my heartstrings, like the one featuring an African girl refusing a genital mutilation, or that of a lesbian who refuses to be labeled. There are survey facts and trivia too, along with poetries and short dialogues. All of them will attempt to reach into the readers and trigger the emotional creature in them—as it did with me. :)

Tales of wanting to be famous or pretty, of wanting to fit in, and of wanting to be safe while expressing themselves freely…each story is a gem, and this is a treasure box that can inspire millions of girls and turn them into hordes of brave, strong women. Ensler said that this book is a “call to question rather than to please…this book is a call to listen to the voice inside you that might want something different, that hears, that knows, the only way you can hear and know.” You’re going to realize how right her words are when you finish reading the book.

I don’t usually read books like this, but I actually liked it. Emotional Creature may be intended for the girls, but parents can read it too, as well as boys that are curious about what’s going on in a girl’s head and what the circumstances—unusual or ordinary—are surrounding a female life. All in all, a great read. Thumb up!(less)

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Sep 26, 2012 Shana rated it 1 of 5 stars

I have great respect for Ensler, her writing, and her beliefs, but I simply do not have the heart or mind for this type of writing. I dislike poetry and prefer my narratives to the point with the least amount of flowery language possible. This book was the exact opposite. I’m sure there are many who will adore it, but I just couldn’t get into it.

The last piece, Manifesta To Young Women and Girls, seemed to do exactly the opposite of what Ensler was going for in the beginning. She laments the fac...more

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Feb 27, 2013 Brittany Edwards rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: library

Aimed at teenagers, written by teenagers, compiled by the famed Eve Ensler. The message was great--love yourself, be true to yourself, don't bow to societal gender norms, or sexual ideals, etc. This book addresses abusive relationships, female genital mutilation, child labor, sexual trafficking, etc. Lots of serious topics that too often are hidden from young women in Western nations. I know I didn't know about these things growing up, and I wish that I had, when my idealism and drive were a bit...more

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Mar 14, 2010 Kara rated it 5 of 5 stars

Having helped organized V-Day in college, I already knew that this new book would be another transformational read from Eve Ensler. Hearing her read these monologues live was even more powerful. Ensler has a keen ability to channel girls' voices around the globe, something I'm usually very wary of, in an intuitive manner. These monologues address timely issues, such as teens on social networks, child labor, sex trafficking, and peer pressure, in a style that is empowering and enlightening, not v...more

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Apr 17, 2013 kelley rated it 5 of 5 stars

I am so glad I picked this book up on a whim. Eve Ensler really hits the nail on the head with this one... even though I am on the cusp of 24, I found that I was still able to relate to a lot of the issues presented in the prose. The stories are relatable because girls that grow up in today's society are presented with an overload of information on what the should be, but yet are also extremely underrepresented while suffering some of the hardest blows. Some of my favorite pieces were, "What Don...more

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May 04, 2011 Kimber rated it 5 of 5 stars

This book was extremely moving and touching. I wasn't so much as shocked to learn about the atrocities that many young women across the world face because I was aware, but it still made me shudder. When you hear about crimes against women happening in the news, they don't always have a face. This book contains the writings of individual girls and gives the reader a glimpse of what it can be like to be a girl. The book is aptly named and I can completely relate to it. Even though the stories and...more

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Jul 25, 2010 Ann Rufo rated it 3 of 5 stars

I am a big believer in young girls finding their voices and finding a space for their voices. In that regard, Ensler turning her much-watched attention to the lives and voices of adolescent girls is certainly a worthwhile task. Though the book didn't really feel that diverse to me, she makes an effort to locate these fictional voices around the globe and in different cultural and ethnic constructions. It reads fast and contains nothing I found particularly shocking or unheard of (though talking...more

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Apr 11, 2012 Connie rated it 3 of 5 stars

Shelves: feminism, coming-of-age, src-spring-2012

I am an Emotional Creature: The Secret Life of Girls Around the World gives a voice to girls around the world in a series of fictional monologues, stories, poems, and facts. It encourages them to become strong, vibrant women. The fictional girls face challenges such as anorexia, sexual pressure, peer pressure, domestic violence, sex trafficing, laboring in sweatshops, and more. It encourages girls to educate themselves, think for themselves, and listen to their minds and hearts.

The author, Eve E...more

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Feb 24, 2010 Karen rated it 3 of 5 stars

The woman who brought us the Vagina Monologues, Eve Ensler, explores girlhood in I Am An Emotional Creature: The Secret Lives of Girls Around the World. While I never read the Vagina Monologues, I did see Ensler perform it in DC a decade ago. The book is a collection of monologues, dialogues, and "girl facts" that hopes to cause girls to question how they are treated and what they want.

It includes everything from relationships with parents, sex slavery, genital mutilation, Barbies, teen pregnanc...more

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May 24, 2010 Sarah rated it 4 of 5 stars

A series of monologues based on interviews Ensler conducted with girls throughout the world.

I always feel conflicted when I read Eve now. I think the work she does is important in raising awareness of women's issues but she herself is a bit of an alienating figure (having seen the Vagina Monologues strict requirements). However, this was a very quick and interesting read. I liked the diversity in the monologues and the simplicity as well. It makes me wonder, though, if she's going to do intervie...more

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Apr 05, 2010 Betty410 rated it 5 of 5 stars

A big change from my usual reading choices but I couln't put this down. It is a study of teen age girls worldwide including slave labor, sex slaves and genital mutilation in the girl's own words. In those situations it is amazing to see the adaption processes. But also, we learn of peer pressures, anorexia and physical abuse. Overall is the message that girls do not have to always obey the "rules" of being a "girl" when that requires them to shutdown personal initiative.
Particularly impressive t...more

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Aug 01, 2011 Jess rated it 3 of 5 stars · review of another edition

Shelves: feminism, contraception, sexuality

First, let me say that I love Eve Ensler and everything that she stands for. The Vagina Monologues was so incredibly empowering--both the book and the yearly performances. I liked I Am an Emotional Creature, but I didn't love it. Perhaps if I was reading it as a teenage girl (which it is meant for), I would've gotten more out of it. I also don't enjoy poetry as much as I used to and there was a lot of it. The facts and stories were pretty good though.

If this book was turned into a performance, I...more

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Jul 12, 2011 kb rated it 2 of 5 stars

Shelves: where-them-girls-at

Whether you have a literal vagina or not, this book should fit right into your.. heart. Filled with experiences from around the world adapted into fictional stories, Eve Ensler was able to portray a picture of a teenage girl today. The stories, such as teenage girls dealing with eating disorders, trafficking, and even child labor and other messed-up things they shouldn't be dealing with, came more alive, not only because they WERE real, but because Ensler voiced them in such a moving and effecti...more

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Sep 03, 2011 Kelsi Nelson rated it 4 of 5 stars

Eve Ensler is one of the ballsiest writers I've ever read. She can inspire and make me totally uncomfortable all in one sentence. She scares the hell out of me, makes me think, and I walk away feeling as though I've learned something. She's one of those writers that no one will ever fully agree with, and that's what I love most about her. She can reach the deepest pit of your soul, then turn right around and make a statement you couldn't disagree more with. She's daring enough to say what others...more

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Feb 21, 2010 Barbara A rated it 5 of 5 stars

I am in awe of my daughters, and marvel at the ways in which they successfully navigated girlhood. Now that I have granddaughters, I wish for them the same safe passage, and want to be there to help in anyway that I can.

I read this book because I heard Eve Ensler on WBUR, where she read the introductory poem and could not wait to hold a copy in my hands. Through her world travels and her intuitive ear. she serves as the conduit for expression of uncertainty, fear, and, I am very happy to say, th...more

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Feb 01, 2013 Maryjoamani rated it 5 of 5 stars

I think this books is powerful and excellent for its audience--adolescent girls--but maybe it's really for all of us--older women, boys, men everywhere. We can all learn a lot about what it means to be a girl around the world and the injustices, cruelties, and hardships suffered. May we all celebrate our own freedom by supporting changes in laws and attitudes so that all girls everywhere have a chance to grow free: free from exploitation and slavery, free to express themselves, free to realize t...more

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Jan 31, 2011 Nina rated it 4 of 5 stars · review of another edition

This was hard for me to categorise, because it wasn't the easiest book for me to read, but it was interesting and ultimately very worthwhile. I think, 10 years ago - as a teen - I would have devoured it. Even now it's message that you don't have to live to please others, was powerful and resonated with me, but the highly stylised and poetic writing made it feel like a short chunks at a time kind of book.

All in all, it's definitely something I would (and will) pass on, particularly to girls in th...more

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May 14, 2010 Emmet rated it 4 of 5 stars Recommends it for: girls, boys, parents, teachers, supervillains

i wasn't as stunned reading this book as i was watching the author perform the titular monologue, but that's monologues for you. overall, i'm pleased this book exists + i hope that lots of teenagers get to read it + play with it + talk about it. boys too! + not in that "you should know what it's like for girls" way. this is about heart more than gender, about how anyone can tap into the superpower that is being a 'girl' if that's the word we use to describe emotional creatures, + how awesome it...more

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Mar 18, 2012 Tim rated it 4 of 5 stars

As a male, it was hard to read Ensler’s work without going through stages of denial, guilt, recognition and solidarity with women. As the acclaimed author of The Vagina Monologues, Ensler has been recognized as a pioneer. In this work, she enters territory that has been explored but mines it more deeply. Her opening poem, “You tell me how to be a girl in 2010,” is powerful political satire delivered in slam poetry fashion. When I heard her read it on NPR, I had missed the introduction and wonder...more

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About Eve Ensler

Eve Ensler is an internationally bestselling author and an award-winning playwright whose works include The Vagina Monologues, The Good Body, Insecure at Last, and I Am an Emotional Creature, since adapted for the stage as Emotional Creature. She is the founder of V-Day, the global movement to end violence against women and girls, which has raised more than $90 million for local groups and activis...more

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Books by Eve Ensler

Insecure at Last: Losing it in Our Security-Obsessed World

A Memory, a Monologue, a Rant, and a Prayer: Writings to Stop Violence Against Women and girls

Necessary Targets: A Story of Women and War

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Quotes from I Am an Emotional Crea...

“I finally know the difference between pleasing and loving, obeying and respecting. It has taken me so many years to be okay with being different, and with being this alive, this intense. (xxvi)” — 113 people liked it

“Go so far away that you stop being afraid of not coming back.” — 88 people liked it

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