Synopses & Reviews
Deal With It! offers a whole new approach for dealing with your life as a girl. It's a resource to help you learn about, laugh about, and figure out the stuff you go through on your way through life. It won't tell you what to do, because you'll need to decide that for yourself. But whether you're wondering about your body, your feelings or your changing relationships with the people around you, this book provides accurate information and outlines your options. Hilarious illustrations point out the humor in even the sorriest situations. And with hundreds of excerpts from real-girl conversations on the gURL.com website, you can see for real that whatever you're going through, you're not alone.
This book is for anyone who needs to know what it means to be a girl -- from those on the edge of their teens to those who are way past them but still reeling from the trauma.
Review
"Straight information, lots of humor, and a beautiful layout characterize this fine addition to the self-knowledge/self-help genre." Booklist
Review
"[F]rank, tolerant....Young readers, liberal parents and educators will welcome the authors' openness and lack of boosterism." Publishers Weekly
Review
"[S]umptuously colorful and solid puberty....Highly recommended." Publishers Weekly
Review
"As frank as Madeleine Albright's assessment of Saddam Hussein and as saucy as women's room graffiti in a college dorm." The New Yorker
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"Deal With It where have you been all my life? This gift-of-a-book helps girls deal with a huge range of issues, in a smart, honest, informative, colorful, comforting and loving way." Francesca Lia Block, author of The Weetzie Bat books and Girl Goddess #9
Review
"I wish this book could have been found in a bookstore as I was struggling to come to terms with approaching adulthood. A great manual to consult whenever you need confirmation that you're not half as weird and scary as your friends and family think you are." Shirley Manson, lead singer of Garbage
About the Author
gURL.com, launched in 1996, is the leading website for teenage girls. It has been featured in
Seventeen, YM, Elle, Harper's Bazaar, The New Yorker and
the New York Times, among other publications.
The founders received the New York Magazine Award in 1997 for their work on gURL.com. The gURL website received a 1998 webby Award.
Table of Contents
CONTENTS Introduction
BODY
Chapter 1: Boobs
Growing Them
Shapes and Sizes
Changing What You've Got
Breast Concerns
Bras
Resources
Chapter 2: Whats Up Down There?
External Reproductive Organs
Internal Reproductive Organs
Ovulation, Menstruation, and the Monthly Cycle
Common Crotch Concerns
What to Expect from a Visit to the Gynecologist Resources
Chapter 3: Skin
Some common skin Conditions
Zit Remedies
Stretch Marks
Sun Protection
B.O.
Resources
Chapter 4: Hair
Body Hair
Hairy Strategies
Hair Removal Techniques
Chapter 5: Body Image
Body Image Issues
Beauty image
The Body As Expression
Resources
Special Section: Taking Care of Yourself
Nutrition Basics
Exercise
Dealing with Stress
Resources
SEXUALITY
Chapter 1: Sexual Feelings
Vague Feelings of Attraction
Masturbation
Sexual Arousal -- What's Going On
Orgasm
Resources
Chapter 2: What is Sex?
Sex is Communication
Communicating with Body Parts
Sex is Play
Attitudes Toward Sex
Resources
Chapter 3: To Do It or Not to Do It
To Lose It or Not to Lose It
The First Time
Resources
Chapter 4: Protection
Condoms
What is Safer Sex?
Understanding STDs
Birth Control
Resources
Chapter 5: Getting Pregnant
How You Get Pregnant
Deciding What to Do
Options
Resources
Chapter 6: Sexual Preference
Sexual Preference Is a Continuum
Why Do Girls Like Girls?
Defining Yourself
Homophobia
Coming Out
Resources
Chapter 7: Sex When You Don't Want It
Sexual Harassment
Rape
Incest
Molestation
Resources
Special Section: Boys A Primer
Anatomy and Physiology
What Happens to Boys During Sex?
Male Masturbation
Emotional Responses and Issues
Resources
BRAIN
Chapter 1: Psychology
Those Sucky Emotions
Mood Swings
Surviving the Insanity
Resources
Chapter 2: Self-Destructive Behavior
Underachieving
Eating Disorders
Risky Behavior
Self-Mutilation
Teenage Suicide
Resources
Special Section: Altered States
What is a Drug?
Why People Take Drugs
Addiction
Common Drags
Up
Out
Down
Resources
LIFE
Chapter 1: Family
What is Family?
Parents
Sisters and Brothers
Dealing with Family Conflicts
Resources
Chapter 2: Friends
Making and Finding Friends
Best Friends
Complications and Conflict
Growing Apart
Chapter 3: Romance
Being Single
Attraction
Relationships
Resources
Chapter 4: School
Types of Schools
Transitions
Academics
The Social Landscape at School
After High School
Resources
Chapter 5: Beliefs
Religion
Spirituality
Politics
Resources
Chapter 6: Being Yourself
Expressing Yourself
Standing Out
Fitting in
Resources
Special Section: Money
Earning It
Saving It
Spending It
Resources
Index