Amazon.com Review
Sometimes the most painful battlefields of adolescence are also the most tender. Sex . . . whether we do anything about it or not, sex is on our minds almost constantly during our teenage years. In this collection, 10 African American women reflect on the sexual challenges they have faced--from sweet, weak-kneed first love to painful healing after rape and abuse. Uplifting and comforting, these stories and essays will help teens face sexual situations from an empowered sense of themselves. Also included here is the editor's own luscious, persuasive, intelligent essay on why she chooses to remain a virgin.
From School Library Journal
Grade 7 Up. A collection of essays about sexuality that reads like a soul-to-soul talk among a group of very close friends. Each young woman shares an experience or point of view in a unique voice. Some are positive, others are hurtful, but not without some possibility of healing. The subjects covered include virginity, rape, sexual abuse, unwanted pregnancy, AIDS, and incest. Mother-daughter relationships, maintaining self-esteem, and the power of friendship and community with other women are also addressed. Written from an African-American perspective, the text reflects a current movement in books about sexuality and related issues toward first-person narratives. The intention of these titles is not to supplant existing informational texts but to speak to the surrounding human issues individuals face during their biological development. Depending on the relationships available to young people, such a book can provide much-needed and useful personal information about how to navigate in the world and the potential consequences of interpersonal relationships. This book will have special appeal to young black women, but will be of benefit to other readers as well. An extensive resource list of various organizations, many with 800 numbers, provides more information about the topics discussed. Short biographies of the contributing authors reinforce the fact that these are real people sharing real experiences.?Melissa Gross, Beverly Hills Public Library, CA
Copyright 1997 Reed Business Information, Inc.
