Girls & Sex (Orenstein) - Book Reviews

Book Reviews
[T]hought-provoking….The interesting question at the heart of Girls & Sex is not really whether things are better or worse for girls. It's why—at a time when women graduate from college at higher rates than men and are closing the wage gap—aren't young women more satisfied with their most intimate relationships? "When so much has changed for girls in the public realm," Orenstein writes, "why hasn't more…changed in the private one?"
Cindi Leive - New York Times Book Review


(Starred review.) [A]n eye-opening, sometimes horrifying look at sex for today’s girls and young adults.... In this smart, earnest, and timely assessment, Orenstein urges frank, open communication...declaring it the best way to encourage girls and boys to make safe, healthy decisions.
Publishers Weekly


[A]ccessible prose and narrative style will bring the work of many thoughtful experts to a wider audience.... While this book largely documents our systemic failure to support young women's sexual thriving, the final chapters point toward potential solutions, including an important reminder that men and boys must be included in any successful intervention. —Anna J. Clutterbuck-Cook, Massachusetts Historical Soc. Lib., Boston
Library Journal


Sex and teenagers have always gone together, but parents reading Orenstein’s frank exploration of current trends may still be in for a shock…. This isn’t a comfortable book to read (Orenstein herself admits twinges a few times), but it’s an important one.
Booklist


[A]n eye-opening study of the way that girls and women in America think, feel, and act regarding sex.... What she discovered was both intriguing and highly disturbing.... Ample, valuable information on the way young women in America perceive and react to their sexual environment.
Kirkus Reviews