The Little Black Book for Girlz: A Book on Healthy Sexuality

By St. Stephen's Community House

Book Overview

Check it out: not just a book about sex, but a look at girl culture by youth themselves. No stuffy school textbook. No nosey adults. Just a diverse group of teen girls from a community youth project who had questions about sexuality. To find answers, they collected stories, poetry, and artwork from other youth. They also interviewed frontline health experts to get solid facts about the stuff young women have to deal with. It's a great mix of real-life examples and life-saving info. Topics include: - Relationships - Periods - Sex - Birth control - Pregnancy - Sexually Transmitted Infections / AIDS - Sexual assault. Everything has been vetted by doctors, and the book is endorsed by health professionals, so you know you're getting good info. There's also a section at the back with places you can contact to find out more. It's all stuff that youth need to know, and it's all decked out in a compact, easy-to-browse 'zine style. The Little Black Book for Girlz is a super-important, take-anywhere empowerment guide for girls. Don't leave your teen years without it.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1550379542
• ISBN13: 9781550379549
• Release Date: September 2006
• Publisher: Annick Press
• Length: 208 Pages
• Weight: 0.45 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.5" x 5.9" x 8.2"
• Age Range: 15 to 18 years
• Grade Range: Grade 10 to Postsecondary

Customer Reviews

very informative

this book adressed many issues and should be read by all young girls with questions. especially at a time when talking about sex in a positive way and introducing sex and sexual relationships properly is so important. sadly not many people, that i know of at least, get down to the bare bones of sex and sexual relationships with young girls and alot of these girls are left with no one but their peers to talk to about the issues they are stuggling with in their lives, both sexual and with relationships. parents may not readily discuss their child's sex life in a positive light, or at all to their child, leaving the media and their peers to educate them (because lets be honest, they don't learn anything in school other than the basic biology, which won't help them physically or emotionally). how are the young girls of today supposed to know how to react to certain situations if they have no knowledge of possible ways to act. people were meant to have sex, there won't be any stopping of that, but we can provide our girls with the knowledge of safe sex and healthy relationships. in some other reviews i was reading, some people didn't like this book because it promoted homosexuality. i would like to say that this is not true. just because homosexuality is mentioned in a book about sexuality doesn't mean that homosexuality is being forced upon a child. what discussing homosexuality does is #1, includes homosexuals in the education process, because no one deserves to be abused, and #2 it (hopefully not for the first time) introduces homosexuality to those who are heterosexual and will perhaps allow them to not fear homosexuality, but embrace the people that are homosexuals, for there is no difference between hetero and homosexuals, except to whom they give their love.

Informative and timely

As I returned online to purchase yet another copy of this book, I was shocked at reading the reviews, and seeing the low ratings. I have read this book, and have purchased copies for friends who have kids. I disagree with many of the reviews listed on this board. This book, though written 'by teens, for teens' is an amazing piece of educational material. So many adolescents I meet through work want to know more about the topics in this book, from healthy relationships, definitions of abuse, to birth control, to same sex relationships. Medical persons were used to check facts, and some of the language is a bit raw. This is told in a teenager's own language, which can differ from how adults communicate. Yes, there are those in the world who may not believe that teens should know this information. But as a health educator, I disagree. IF the teen in question is ASKING for information, this is just one manner in which to provide it. I have seen so much misinformation in my own community that having an ability to provide ACCURATE information, in a manner that an adolescent can peruse at their own pace and in their own way, is a gift. The parents I have shared this book with are happy that they don't have to speak on these topics that they have minimal information on; they have later passed this book on to their kids in order to open the door to true communication on sexuality. For those who disagree with the topics covered, simply don't purchase this book. For those who wish for the teens in their lives to become informed adults, buy this book. That simple really.

so-called Religious Right

These reviewers are scary. They are modern day Nazi's. I am much more afraid for my four daughter's well-being in dealing with these freaks and their agenda than I would ever be afraid of them reading this book. We, as a nation, should be afraid, very afraid. Wal-Mart yanking the book? Now Wal-Mart is my ruler? They choose my indoctrination? It is coming in small increments, but these people genuinely believe that they are right, and the damage will be profound, i.e. witch burning on a grander scale.

Someone who actually read the book.

Ok, here we go. First things first however. There are many "reviewers" making claims that this book is: "perversion", the "author is Satan", "infants should be introduced to sexual pleasure", (an outright lie) "humanist propaganda", etc., etc. In reality, none of it is true, and NONE of them read the book. None! The above is merely the Religious Right ranting about a book that deals with sex. As John Adams said, "Accustom a people to believe that priests and clergy can forgive sins... and you will have sins in abundance." If on the other hand, you are an enlightened and open-minded individual, you will find this book a cornucopia of relevant sexual information that was written by teen-aged girls, for teen-aged girls. "Infants" need not apply (heh). The book contains subjects on "relationships", periods", "sex", "STi's" (STD's), "sexual assault", "birth control", "abstinence" (one of those dreaded "perversions" I assume). I could go on and on as to the information in this book. Suffice it to say, the information found in the "The little black book for girlz" will arm teenagers with pertinent information involving sexuality and safety from disease, if they decide to engage in such activity. The back of the book has a resource section that is quite extensive, as well as a decent glossary. I recommend this book to teen-aged girls (and boys for that matter) who want to address all of those feelings everyone had when they were that age. The true perversion, is in not teaching children about human sexuality. Knowledge is power.

Freedom of Speech?

Having read many bad things about this book, I decided to look up the parts of the book in question. Reading it, I realized that most of the information was written by teens. Teens who have been brought up to have pride in who they are, and not who other people want them to be. The feelings behind the words are heartfelt. "The fear of not being accepted by your friends/family/society is scary." And we wonder why so many teens turn to drugs and alcohol, and end up with major depression. Being ignorant to what is actually going on in the world is dangerous for all teens, all adults. I give this book 5 stars, because I am proud of the women that stepped forward to share a bit of themselves, to teach more women to be proud of who they are.