58 of 62 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Am I reading the same book?, September 2, 2006
This review is from: Smart Girls: A New Psychology of Girls, Women, and Giftedness (Revised Edition) (Paperback)
I bought this book because of the rave reviews and I was disappointed. About halfway through, I started skimming. Most of the book is comprised of tedious overviews of the author's study of her classmates and several other studies conducted decades ago.
Near the end, I found one chapter - 10 pages - devoted to what I was hoping the book was all about: How to help my two young gifted girls as they grow up. It's a good chapter.
As for the rest, I wish I had those few hours of my life back.
The author also selected several biographies of successful gifted women, and all but two were women who had the benefit of growing up in wealthy families and/or attending fine schools. And we can assume, from the biographies she selected, that a "successful" gifted girl is defined as one who grows up to be a liberal activist and/or lead an extraordinarily unusual lifestyle. And one who has developed what she calls "thorns and shells" - a sharp tongue and a hard outer shell against the world. I don't agree.
She seems to think very little of homemakers, teachers, librarians, nurses and those she says have "disposible careers." These gifted women have apparently betrayed humanity by not becoming scientists, administrators, famous writers and artists, doctors - and rich.
Behind everything the author discusses is her belief "that the rarer the talent, the greater the responsibility of the (sic) both the individual and society to develop that talent." This attitude puts unfair pressure on gifted people. The author is against contentment and finds a host of reasons to blame a patriarchal society for sucking the will from our talented women and girls (though I know many gifted men who have the same problems she claims are specifically female, such as unsupportive parents or making decisions based on relationships rather than on ambition).
On one hand, she claims that the best thing a gifted girl can do is to become self-actualized, but on the other hand, that self-actualization better contain a high salary, titles and degrees, high career goals, children later in life or not at all, and public recognition.
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27 of 27 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A wonderful, highly readable book on gifted girls and women., January 21, 1999
By A Customer
This review is from: Smart Girls: A New Psychology of Girls, Women, and Giftedness (Revised Edition) (Paperback)
The issues of talented girls and women are crucial, and this book gives new insights and practical ideas for parents, teachers and counselors. Smart Girls describes a twenty year study of gifted girls, and also looks at biographies of eminent women and the research about talented girls and women. Dr. Kerr describes internal and external barriers to women's achievement, characteristics that help them overcome these barriers, and programs and parenting styles that work to help them. Mary Pipher, the author of Reviving Ophelia, said "Barbara Kerr explores the common experiences of girls who grew into strong women...and she found they had in common time by themselves, the ability to fall in love iwth an idea, a refusal to acknowledge gender limitations, and what she calls 'protective coating'." Kathleen Noble, author of The Sound of the Silver Horn, said, "Those of us who teach, parent, counsel and champion talented girls and women will find Smart Girls to be a most valuable, encouraging and readable resource." I agree! Every parent, teacher or counselor of bright girls needs to read this book. It is a must for your bookshelf!
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22 of 23 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
this is just great, July 22, 2004
This review is from: Smart Girls: A New Psychology of Girls, Women, and Giftedness (Revised Edition) (Paperback)
As I am a "gifted girl" in adolescence, my mother is forever buying books about how to identify and parent them. When she came home with this one and didn't begin it within the day, I began it for her -- having this insatiable urge to read any book I see lying around for too long, and also because I enjoy reading things that usually do not describe me or my experiences very accurately. However, this book fit me almost to the T. I was amazed at how well it described me, both as I used to be and as I see myself in the future, not to mention my inner thoughts and feelings about being a gifted girl. Whether you are a parent looking for a tool to help you with your gifted daughter(s), or an adolescent girl like me who enjoys reading gender-related psychology, this book will be invaluable to understanding what it means to be a "gifted girl."
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