Girls Against Girls: Why We are Mean to Each Other and How We Can Change is sort of a self-help manual for any girl caught up in the cycle of envy, gossip, bitterness, and meanness that grabs hold of most pre-teens and teens as they navigate the waters of puberty. Author Bonnie Burton does a damned good job of weaving common sense, real life situations, good advice, and quotes from artists, rock stars, and writers into an appealing whole that is a very quick read with a lasting impact.
She divides the book into six sections: "Why We Hurt Each Other," "Methods of Our Meanness," "Bearing the Brunt of It," "Calling in Reinforcements," "Stopping the Cycle," and "Teaming Up Instead of Tearing Each Other Down," and at the end she offers a good set of resources. Her “whys" include science (the fact that the teenage brain is still growing, hormones) the way we are raised, and competitiveness; the "methods" include boyfriend stealing, gossiping, the silent treatment; "the brunt" tells you how to cope, if you can; "calling in the reinforcements" tells you what to do if you can't. You get it. It’s all spelled out nice and neat, but it’s not pat. Burton has done her homework.
Let the moms and dads read the longer, harder stuff. This book is for their daughters. And I highly recommend that parents buy a copy for each of their girls aged 10 and above. The sooner the better.
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