My Feet Aren't Ugly: A Girl's Guide to Loving Herself from the Inside Out [Paperback]

Debra Beck (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 2, 2007

In a humorous, breezy style, this book by teen counselor Debra Beck instructs young women (target age: 10-14) about how to feel good about themselves. She uses personal anecdotes from her youth, as well as stories about the young women she knows and works with, to illustrate her points and provide examples. She covers topics such as not succumbing to peer pressure, treating people well, finding friends who treat you well, being kind to your body, developing healthy habits, finding enjoyable hobbies, personal responsibility, eating disorders, suicide, and physical intimacy. The book contains numerous whimsical line drawings, and interspersed through the chapters are prompts for the reader to journal about her thoughts, feelings, and past actions.

Editorial Reviews

Review

A must-read for all girls facing the huge challenge of being a teenager today!

-Sue Scheff, parent advocate and author of Google Bomb and Wit's End

My Feet Aren't Ugly is an excellent read and a great tool for parents, teachers, and counselors. Young readers will gain self-esteem and new skills in positive thinking and goal setting thanks to the affirmation and self-reflection led by Debra.

-Michelle Rossi, author of All About Me and contributing author in the Chicken Soup for the Soul series

My Feet Aren't Ugly is both funny and deep, and reveals the challenges teen girls face today. Debra reaches out to teens in their own language, and offers solutions to difficult problems. Every teen girl should read this book!

-Vanessa Van Petten, author of Do I Get My Allowance before or after I'm Grounded? and founder of RadicalParenting.com --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

From the Publisher

2009 Mom's Choice Award for Self-Improvement- Gold medal
Moonbeam Award for Best First Book Young Adult, Non-Fiction- Bronze medal
Nautilus Book Award for Young Adult, Non-Fiction -Silver medal
USA Book News Best Book Award Winner- Gold medal

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 144 pages
• Publisher: Beaufort Books (April 2, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 082530542X
• ISBN-13: 978-0825305429
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 7 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (19 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #282,121 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #55 in Books > Health, Fitness & Dieting > Personal Health > Teen Health > Self-Esteem

More About the Author

Debra Beck is the Author of the Amazon Best Seller, Award Winning Book, My Feet Aren't Ugly and Co-Author of Amazon Best Seller, Healthy, Wise and Amazing Women.

Debra mentors teens and parents through retreats, phone and face-to-face consults and workshops. She also does speaking engagements for organizations, conferences and schools.

As a teenage girl, she struggled with the same issues that normal teenage girls face - anxiety about school, friends, peer pressure, family life, not liking or even knowing who she was, and not fitting in. What Debra didn't realize was that these difficult years were preparing her for her life's work.

Debra's goal is to help teenage girls develop the self-confidence they need to make good decisions for themselves and to help parents relate to their teens and stay connected. She mentors through her heart, knowing how difficult these years can be for both the teen and parent.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A like-yourself guide, April 6, 2007

By 

Armchair Interviews (Minneapolis, MN) - See all my reviews

This review is from: My Feet Aren't Ugly: A Girl's Guide to Loving Herself from the Inside Out (Paperback)

For 15 years Debra Beck has also mentored teen girls. She is the founder of Spirited Youth--an organization devoted to nurturing young women with guidance and support, and has led workshops with Girl Power.

"It is important to surround ourselves with people who are trying to improve themselves," Beck says, "...they encourage us to grow and to become the best we can be."

Now Beck has written a guide for pre- and early teen girls, drawing upon her personal coming-of-age experiences and also those of her daughters. The author provides a step-by-step process for building self-acceptance and developing self-esteem.

Helpful chapters are devoted to such topics as how to choose friends, how to develop creativity, maintaining physical and spiritual health, overcoming fears, and lowering stress. Throughout the book the author provides pages for journaling and reflection, helping her readers stop and take the time to apply what they're learning to their own lives and their own pathways.

Beck tackles the tough subjects--eating disorders, drugs, suicide, and sexual pressure--with no-nonsense advice drawn from experience and observation. She builds a strong case for helping young girls decline sexual activity, pointing out the possible risks: pregnancy, STDs, and a potential lowering of self-esteem.

Beck argues that young girls should make wise choices and accept themselves. "Learning to like yourself is key: make sure you are doing things in your life that promote self-acceptance." Girls who are soon to enter their teen years, or who are early in their teens, will learn from and identify with many of the struggles and pressures the author raises.

At times I felt the book was a bit thin on information--and would have benefited with a good editing, however, anything that helps teen girls have better self-images is a noble cause. I just felt the book could have done more.

Armchair Interviews says: Readers will find the author to be a helpful friend and supportive mentor along the way.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Helpful and encouraging guide., August 6, 2007

By 

Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: My Feet Aren't Ugly: A Girl's Guide to Loving Herself from the Inside Out (Paperback)

Author Debra Beck shares her experience in serving as a mentor to teenaged girls in My Feet Aren't Ugly: A Girl's Guide To Loving Herself From The Inside Out, a self-help and self-esteem guide written especially for young women. Chapters cover choosing friends that treat a girl right; looking after one's physical health by eating well, exercising, and getting enough sleep; the problems of drug abuse and teen suicide; the heavy price one pays for engaging in sex; and much more. "Is there a price to pay [for sex]?? YES!!! Pregnancy or getting a sexually transmitted disease (STD), having to tell the man you love and want to marry that you have had many sexual partners, that you have a sexually transmitted disease that he is going to get, and that you'll both have it for the rest of your lives! And then there's living with an STD. Absolutely there is a price to pay. Sexuality is big! It is such an important link to our self-esteem." A handful of black-and-white illustrations, as well as "think it over and journal" sections where girls can write down their thoughts on blank lines round out this helpful and encouraging guide.

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars very sweet, endearing book full of good feelings!, April 27, 2007

By 

GG1 (La Mesa, CA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: My Feet Aren't Ugly: A Girl's Guide to Loving Herself from the Inside Out (Paperback)

Disclaimer: I know the illustrator, Maggie Anthony. Given that, when I was at her home, she shared this newly published book with me just so I could take a glance at it ... but I ended up perusing the entire book. The kind words, thoughtful manner, and adorable illustrations kept me captivated. Maggie is a great artist (I have a portrait of hers) and her honesty and candor come through in this book. A great feel-good read for any teen-age girl!