Customer Reviews

The Go-Girl Guide : Surviving Your 20s with Savvy, Soul, and Style

5 star:		(31)
4 star:		(16)
3 star:		(4)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

I liked this book... There is insightful information on finding a job. It made me feel better when I had a hard time finding a job. But some of it got a little blah. I found myself skipping pages out of boredom, which is never a good sign. Sadly, Bourland spends a majority of the book on dating. This is what I ended up skipping a lot of. That said, there are definitely parts that I am sure I will go back and re-read whenever I'm down.

Recommended for those who are recent graduates without a job and/or boyfriend!

Society tells us our 20s are filled with fun, freedom and fearlessness...well don't believe everything that you're told! Us twenty-something gals are not advised that life isn't one long party, freedom is expensive and stress is normal. Thank heaven for Julia Bourland's book, "The Go-Girl Guide." Bourland leaves nothing unsolved, she covers every issue from body image to boyfriends with humor and realistic advice. Bourland's honesty about her own mental meltdowns during her 20s make her words credible,
"To every other twenty-something out there, I offer this reassuring bit of reality: despite the lack of evidence from the media, most of us are just as lost, stressed, lonely, angry, envious, confused and neurotic as you."
Our 20s are by no means as glamorous as a music video, but we don't have to be victims of the 20-something blues. Bourland reminds us models are airbrushed, foreign films cast healthier looking woman and you're not a hairy beast if your bikini line doesn't look like the advertisement model's.
If it's money (or lack there of) that makes you want to scream, "The Go-Girl Guide" holds the answers to avoiding credit debt and saving a few pennies. After reading the chapter, "Our Finances and Other Loose Ends," you'll vow never to charge the credits cards that come so conveniently in the mail.
But if it's the job hunt that has you frazzled, have no fear, Bourland's book is here. She puts into perspective the months it takes to apply, the significance of contacts, the act of good resume writing and the emotions of a first interview. When finishing the chapter, "The Job Hunt," even rejection doesn't seem so scary.
"The Go-Girl Guide," makes a great gift for any girl who is figuring herself out in college, struggling with her first career or who needs a little reassurance that her feelings aren't unheard of.
Bourland's book is extremely reader-friendly, so feel free to open up to any chapter that interests you. No matter what order it's read, you can find helpful advice from front to back.
Bourland reminds her readers, "twenty-something turbulence is all part of the flight toward becoming an emotionally rich woman," and that's where she can help!
If you know a girl in her 20s, do her a favor and buy her this book!

The Go-Girl Guide is an excellent book to turn to in times of emotional what-to-do what-to-do crisis. Why? Because the advice here is specific enough to follow and therefore help you focus on doing something.

As opposed to many self help books which offer general advice, the advice in The Go-Girl Guide is specific and can be acted on now. And you don't have to know where you want to go. The advice for that is on how to try new things and get the most from internships - a kind of career sampler.

For example what I'm most interested in right about now is career. Bourland's discussion of things to think about when you are considering careers is very nicely balanced and includes some good suggestions that wouldn't necessarily just occur to someone in my demographic. For example she advises contacting an older woman in the prospective field and interviewing her about her career. The questions she suggests are wise and include ones dealing with balancing work and family which isn't something the average career orient 20 something woman thinks hard about.

One big flaw with The Go-Girl Guide is the very heavy focus on sex (and the author's tendency to define herself in terms of her present boyfriend). There is so much focus on sex. For example the chapter I liked so much and discussed above is 16 pages long, while the chapter on having an orgasm is 18 pages long. There is also a discussion of one-night-stands and other advice that maybe isn't the best plan for every girl in her 20's. Four of fourteen chapters are dedicated to dating and sex. Advice about boys isn't a bad thing, but the advice isn't coming from the best person. I skimmed over the dating sections, because elsewhere in the book Bourland has a tendency to refer to her present boyfriend WAY TOO MUCH. Being in love is great and all but it is so important to be sovereign and I get the feeling that she isn't. Probably it is a personal weakness of the author to define herself in terms of men and only to see it later. In fact she expresses sadness over past failed relationships.

The advice put forward in Go-Girl Guide is either very practical and helpful in that it can be put into action immediately, or it is about boys and not such good advice because it comes from an insecure person. The book is definitely worth getting and taking advice from. Just ignore the advice about boys. And as for sex advice, you are on the internet aren't you?

This book is not the end-all solution to all your problems. But we shouldn't be looking for some book to tell us exactly what to do!!! It was enough for me that Bourland so keenly touches in on all of the insecurities, self-doubts, and puzzlements that I think are so typical of us twenty-somethings. She devotes sections to many facets of life: careers, dating/coupledom, dealing with parents, personal health and well-being, etc. I actually didn't find the career section very helpful, since I am in a science field and going on to grad school -- this book's career section is geared more towards those liberal arts college types, rather than those of us who jumped into a specific field upon entering college or by taking up a vocation like plumbing or electrical technician. The dating/coupledom section is fine; no new radical ideas, but good advice for any women to have accompanying her into the dating game (Bourland only briefly mentions issues that homosexual women might deal with, although from my own uneducated viewpoint, maybe her advice is useful no matter what sex your partner is). The advice on dealing with your parents is great; did you think you were the only one whose parents did not live happily-ever-after when they got all the kids out of the house? And the sections on personal well-being are tailored specifically to this age where we are no longer nympish happy-go-lucky (in retropsect) little teenagers, and yet not quite needing to worry about hot flashes and middle age spread....This book is definitely worth its price based on the way that it is so tailored to the issues of its audience.

I was at a time in my life where I just felt I needed some guidance/reasurance. This book made me feel close to normal. Because I'm out of college and knew my career I skipped the first few chapters. But after that I couldn't put it down. She covers everything from the freshman 15 to investing money for the future. She brought up things that I knew where happening but I didn't know why. Chapter 7 (the one about sex) was one of those chapters I made my boyfriend read. He learned alot from this book too. I kept my girlfriends updated on what I was reading about. They were amazed also. This book gave me a stronger outlook on my 20-something years. I feel that I am better able to handle what lies ahead. I was going to let my friends borrow this book, but it is too good of a resource to let go. I NEED THIS BOOK! So I'm buying the book for my boyfriend's sister instead of lending it to her. Thank you Julia for writing this book. I'll buy your 30-something book!

My friends and I have been struggling with the fact that we are not going back to college this year, that there are no good men, and that we now fight to stay up past 11pm. This book is a great reassurance that we are not alone in this post-grad freakout. Very helpful advice. I'm buying a copy for all of my friends.

As a recent female college graduate in my early 20s, I find myself on the edge of the most confusing decade of my life to date - even more so than my teenage years. I'm currently trying to find a decent career, stay in touch with both high-school and college friends, forge a mature relationship with my parents, on whom I'm still financially dependent (unfortunately), and decide upon a relationship with two different men... the list goes on of the decisions that 20-somethings have to make in their lives.

During this confusion, I picked up a copy of Julia Bourland's book on helping 20-something females find some meaning and reason during these years. This book has been my Bible of sorts over these last few weeks of reading. Bourland places a method behind the madness of this decade through her humorous writing style, candid interviews with other 20-somethings, and her honest discussion of her own experiences. I believe any female in her 20s can relate to issues involving dating, friends, parents, careers, body-image, and money. Bourland offers a refreshing perspective that has helped me realize that I'm not alone during this crazy time, and that things WILL be okay (eventually)! Thanks, Julia, for your awesome book! I now know what to buy my other 20-something friends as presents!

This book has inspired a great many conversations with friends and with my husband. Although I did skip the chapters on dating I found the rest of the book to be quite informative. The section on careers is really great, it gives you the sense that your feelings are not unjustified but also lets you know that everyone goes through this stage. I found the section on relationships with friends, parents, and sibilings to be especially helpful in identifying some of the issues that we are currently dealing with. And the chapter on Body Image is an absolute must to read for everyone!

Julia Bourland is the insightful and wise older sister that I wish I would have had. This is filled with great non-patronizing advice about careers and relationships. It's modern advice from a woman who understands what you are going through. As a woman nearing 21, I'm recommending it to all of my peers.

Even if your 20's were long ago, you will be heartened and impressed by what our young women are facing and handling today. The initial work of the women's movement brought us a chance to better participate in our culture. Young women today are balancing freedom my generation never had to deal with, with responsibility. This is a heartening and wonderfully encouraging book, full of good advice for ALL ages and BOTH sexes, with humor and personal vignettes on almost every page that make the hard lessons bearable.