Customer Reviews
Still a Neccesary Read 
2008-05-05
This is the book that parents and girls need to read and discuss.
I read this as a girl myself, and it allowed me to see my behavior in new, helpful light.
Now I am a mom myself, and one of my children is a girl, so I read it again- and still, it speaks to me in a profound way. I hope it makes me a better mom in the same way that it made me a better adolescent.
However, it does need to be updated, not just because the case studies now seem dated, but also because Pipher unflinchingly discusses the problems with schools. Since homeschooling has grown a good deal in the years since this book's initial publication, I think it is a neccesary componenent to explore, perhaps even as a partial solution for many of the problems outlined in this book.
book 2008-04-18
I heard good things about this book. I look foward to reading it. It came quickly.
Reviving Ophelia 
2008-01-21
I thoroughly enjoyed every page of this book. Dr. Pipher does an outstanding job of exploring all the issues adolescent girls are struggling with.
Useful as a piece of the puzzle for puberty-panicked teen girls... 
2007-12-31
As the parent of an apparently bipolar daughter who is about to turn 16, and whose symptoms destroyed her parents' marriage, coming as they did just before her 13th birthday, I had hopes this book would give me some tips on how to help her from the status of non-custodial dad, now living 600 miles from her (not due to my moving, but her mom's.) Alas, it was not any real help in that specific problem area. It really does not address bipolar disorder itself, anyway, although it touches upon the related troubles of eating disorders, depression and social anxiety. Some of Dr. Pipher's insights, opinions and experiences are helpful in figuring out what went wrong in the way her mother and I tried to cope with her suddenly dangerous and hostile choices. However, the book suffers, surprisingly, from a feeling that too much of it is "dated" now. It was created in the early 1990's, and Dr. Pipher relies far too much on pop culture references from that time which have faded in the consciousness of even many adults, but which surely would mystify any teen girls who read it in 2007. While rebellion, early sex, anorexia, bulimia, sucides, suicide attempts, running away, smoking, illegal drugs, alcohol, tatooing and piercing are certainly still major problems in this population, I kept feeling while I was reading that this is no longer a work with many answers for parents. Maybe it's just me. Maybe if I had read it three years ago I could have saved my family. Surely, however, we need a new version of this one, to reflect the times, temptations and troubles of 2008.
More later 2007-10-24
I have only just started this book, but it seems on track so far. I will write a second when I'm done. For now, though, I'd like to address the folks whose reviews tend toward the "it's not as bad out there as she says" conclusion: maybe that's true for you. If so, great. My experience as a boyfriend, brother, cousin, etc., is that a lot of women and girls are in a lot of pain.
Having spent a couple brief periods in inpatient psychiatric settings myself, I have seen young women with deep scratch marks up and down their arms, one of whom carried this book with her wherever she went. In my 20s, I had a lot of relationships and friendships with brilliant, sensitive women who drank, took drugs, fought and slept around. Some turned out okay. Some are still a little lost. At least one died.
I'm just starting to travel now, and what I've seen suggests that this problem is NOT universal. The cariocas I shared the boardwalk with in Rio de Janeiro enjoyed each other's company without the wariness I learned to display in the threshing floor of junior high, and which I use to this day. The girls in the family I stayed with in Italy were happy and emotionally open in a way I've almost never seen here.
I could go on and on, but I'd just like to leave with one parting thought. I don't like to use dumb buzzwords, but in this instance I'll make an exception: with the advent of the Internet, the decay of American culture has reached a tipping point. It took television about fifty years to really get going on the path of cultural ruination; the Internet has accomplished far more in far less time. Ever heard anyone talk about the Golden Age of the World Wide Web?
Raising Strong, Resilient Girls 2007-10-20
At adolescence, says Mary Pipher, "girls become 'female impersonators' who fit their whole selves into small, crowded spaces." Many lose spark, interest, and even IQ points as a "girl-poisoning" society forces a choice between being shunned for staying true to oneself and struggling to stay within a narrow definition of female. Pipher's alarming tales of a generation swamped by pain may be partly informed by her role as a therapist who sees troubled children and teens, but her sketch of a tougher, more menacing world for girls often hits the mark. She offers some prescriptions for changing society and helping girls resist.
Reviving Ophelia 2007-09-28
Required reading for parents and grandparents of young girls. I give it as a gift. Gives a fresh look at pressures that drive young girls to behave in ways that mask their true personalities very early on. In other words, how they are driven to manipulative behaviors to gain the approval of men and what it costs them if it begins too soon. The strongest concept in the book is allowing girls to retain their "authenticity" as they mature by encouraging them to follow interests that engender a belief in their unique abilities. I don't think I've read the entire book which is a series of case histories because it seems somewhat repetitive toward the end.
ophelia - an eye opener 2007-08-27
This book is both startling and hopeful in its portrayal of young adolescent women and the trials they face in today's world. I have recommended it to my friends and family who have daughters ten and older. The stories are heart-wrenching, frightening, but also promising. Some of the young women whose cases are presented face terrible obstacles, yet they not only survive adolescence, they thrive. The author gives us a shockingly honest glimpse into the physical, mental and spiritual lives of our daughters growing up in a world that worships physical beauty. It shows us the inner sense of betrayal and anger that girls feel when pressured to look and behave contrary to their true selves and how this anger is often manifested in dangerous choices and the rejection of their loved ones at a time when they most need their protection.
Gender Gap 2007-07-27
Since the inception of psychology, the differing characteristics of females have been ignored until more recent times. While I commend Dr. Pipher in her effort to explore adolesence from the female perspective, I sometimes found myself disagreeing with her thesis. Even with the flaws that I perceived, I found this book to be valuable reading.
The main thesis behind this book is the difficulties of contemporary adolescent females on two fronts: neglect of unique female needs in schools and a media which exhibits unreasonable expectations of females. Even after reading her explanations of the problems in schools, I am not certain that I agree with Pipher. Schools can not force a person to learn. I really believe the cultural expectation for a girl to be pretty and find a good husband is dying. Females now compose a greater percentage of college enrollment. In all my years of education, I have never observed a trend of girls squandering their time in school more than boys. If anything, I believe girls are much better students in junior high and high school. Pipher's other argument regards the unreasonable expectations of females brought about by media. While I would agree with this assessment, my problem is the responsibility for creating this quandry. Girls pose for these pictures and allow themselves to be exploited. When this stops happening, the media will change. This is a process any rights movement must go through.
Working in both inner city and rural schools, I have never seen the "abuse" toward females that Pipher claims occurs regularly. Supervising the halls as most teachers do, this behavior would never be tolerated. I can not speak for what happens in off-school or unsupervised settings, but I believe Pipher may be using her cases to label the whole of society. But knowing what happens in isolated situations, I would agree that the adolescent boys need "softening".
Though much of my review reflects my disagreements with Pipher, I believe her case stories gave me a new perspective on what may be happening in the lives of adolescent girls. In this way, this book is a valuable resource for teachers and parents.
First Aid or Preventive Medicine 2007-07-08
Mary Pipher gives clear analysis and healthy advice to parents of adolescent girls, teachers and others. "Reviving Ophelia" is written with diction that is comprehensible to kids as well as adults, so the subjects of physiological, intrapersonal and social growth can be discussed with girls (or boys). Issues such as sex, drugs, anorexia, bullemia, overeating, bullying, violence, and other delicate subjects are dealt with anecdotally and analytically. I enjoyed reading it, including some parts with my 12-year-old, who has been asking me lots of questions, most of which are talked about in the book.
