The Blueprint for My Girls in Love: 99 Rules for Dating, Relationships, and Intimacy [Paperback]

Yasmin Shiraz (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 31, 2005

This is my first relationship. What should I do?

I don't know who to trust. Which guys can be trusted?

My best friend and I like the same guy. Should we remain friends?

Has everyone had sex except me? How long should I wait?

No one defines your life but you.

After publishing her first book, The Blueprint for My Girls, author Yasmin Shiraz conducted workshops with girls across the country. She was flooded with questions the girls had about love, relationships, and intimacy, questions they didn't feel comfortable asking their family and friends. She realized that her role as the "old enough to advise you, young enough to keep it real" big sister could help girls stay grounded as they experienced dating, relationships, and intimacy for the first time. In this book, Yasmin tackles the pressures of dating, breaking up, and friendships -- as well as HIV, pregnancy, and abuse. By sharing her own mistakes Yasmin helps girls answer the tough questions without being preachy.

It's the perfect guide to help young girls decide for themselves what they want from relationships, guys, and love.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 7 Up–A motivational speaker sets forth her rules for teen girls. Each one begins with a scenario and question (I met a guy in a teen chat room, and he seems really cool. Should I meet him in person?), followed by Shiraz's advice (Cyberdating is here, but you still have to be sensible); a brief discussion; My Testimony, where Shiraz shares something from her personal experience; the Blueprint plan of action; and, finally, Your Testimony, which offers an opportunity for self-application. The issues raised relate to relationships with boyfriends, ex-boyfriends, current girlfriends, and parents, and deal with privacy, jealousy, violence, self-esteem, and sexual relations. The author cuts through common myths and self-justification, stating clearly that Oral sex is sex, for instance. She writes in a sometimes too-cool jargon (Me and my girls never did each other wrong when it came to guys). More problematic is the occasional lapse of continuity between the initial question and the following discussion. A question about how to know if one is a lesbian includes a discussion of Shiraz's conversations with teens who are afraid to use the school's restrooms due to aggressive sexual behavior from other girls. The blueprint states, Even if it appears that lesbians have become more popular, that does not mean that liking girls is for me, which fails to address the initial question. Judith Peacock's Dating and Sex (Capstone, 2000) offers a more traditional, straightforward take, and Annie Fox's Can You Relate? (Free Spirit, 2000) covers the same topics with a comfortably chatty approach.–Joyce Adams Burner, Hillcrest Library, Prairie Village, KS
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Review

"Girls -- you really need to read this book. It's to the point, funny, and separates relationship truths from fiction. Just put it in your bag and take it wherever you go. Then, the next time you're in any kind of dating situation you can take it out and get some clarity."

-- Rosalind Wiseman, author of Queen Bees and Wannabes and cofounder of the Empower Program

"Read this book! It will encourage you to honor you and to stay strong. Your presence -- whole and healthy -- is necessary!"

-- Terrie M. Williams, author of Stay Strong: Simple Life Lessons for Teens

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 256 pages
• Publisher: Touchstone; Original edition (May 31, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0743270967
• ISBN-13: 978-0743270960
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.6 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,584,663 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Yasmin Shiraz is the President of Still Eye Rise Pictures, an independent production company which films educational and thought provoking documentaries that chronicle the lives, traumas and experiences of youth. Her first production, Can She Be Saved?, a documentary that examines violence among middle school girls, was an official selection of the 2009 Roxbury Film Festival and recently won a 2009 Indie Award of Merit from IndieFest.

Yasmin Shiraz is the Award winning Author of Retaliation a novel about a community's response to youth violence. In 2009, it was selected as one of the top Ten Quick Picks for Reluctant Young Adult Readers by the American Library Association. She is the author of The Blueprint for My Girls: How To Build A Life Full of Courage, Determination & Self Love (Simon and Schuster) and five other books. Her best selling "Blueprint" empowerment series is utilized as a self esteem, motivational, and educational tool at middle and high schools, after school programs, non-profit youth centers, as well as Boys and Girls Clubs throughout the country.

Shiraz conducts youth educational programs with various community partners. Shiraz's programming clients include: The YWCA, Girls Inc, The Philadelphia African American Children's Bookfair, Congressman Elijah Cummings Teen Youth Summit, The University of Delaware, Girl Scouts, Syracuse University's Sisters Empowering Sisters Conference, The US Postal Service, Planned Parenthood, Essence Music Festival, The Boys and Girls Clubs of America, The WNBA's Washington Mystics and Delta Sigma Theta, Inc. Her topics include: violence prevention, self esteem, success and motivation, healthy relationships, and entrepreneurship.

The popularity of her "Blueprint" workshops for middle school, high school and college audiences lead Shiraz to become a highly sought after radio & TV youth expert appearing on FOX, ABC, NBC and CBS news affiliates nationwide. Ebony, Essence, CosmoGirl! and Teen People magazines have featured reviews of Shiraz's Blueprint books and/or have asked her to contribute to advice articles for teens.

A sociologist by trade, Yasmin Shiraz has studied women's issues, youth issues, urban conditions, social problems concerning minority populations, violence against women, disparities in the US educational system, and blue collar vs. white collar crimes. She applies her sociology training in educating and working with youth throughout the nation.

Shiraz is on the advisory board of Ten Red Rockets--a literacy initiative--, a member of the National Association of Black Journalists, and the American Screenwriters Association. She is a graduate of Hampton University and Morehead State University, respectively, having received her Bachelor's and Master's degrees in Sociology. In addition, she has studied screenwriting with the head of Yale's creative writing department.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars A Very goog book. Not just for teenagers but for 20 somethings & beyond!, April 11, 2011

By 

Cutesy!Pie (California) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Blueprint for My Girls in Love: 99 Rules for Dating, Relationships, and Intimacy (Paperback)

This book is a must for mothers of teenage daughters as It's concise and it tells it like it is. I'm not a parent yet, but If I was, I would probably share this book around the house for my teen daughter to read. This book is good for the adults too, not just the teenagers. It focuses on dating safety and relationships, what to do if this or that happens, how to be happy and how to help your relationships with the opposite sex flourish.

It's a must for ANYONE having trouble finding the right person/partner AND keeping it safe and fun all the while you're in the process of finding your man. You could also have learned a thing or two from your last relationships and you have probably told yourself: "Oh yeah, he did that when we were going out!" or " Oh how could I have been so stupid?!" type of realization at your past relationship experiences.

I give this book the full 5 stars as it not only was helpful to me, but when I borrowed it from the library, after reading it, I knew it was going to end up in my book case one day.