The consensus among the bloggers who reviewed Girlology: Hang-Ups, Hook-Ups, and Holding Out is that we all wish we’d had this book when we were growing up.

Our mothers gave it their best shot, and some of us went in search of information on our own, but by and large, we felt uninformed:

• “Sure, I knew the basics - how things worked anatomically - but no one ever had a talk with me about what to expect from teenage boys or dealing with birth control or the natural mental developmental delays of teenage boys! Needless to say, I had a very rude awakening.“
• “When I think back on it, I’m mildly embarrassed at how little I knew. Everything even peripherally related to sex caused giggles and groans of disbelief (even as an adult I blush at some of the stuff that goes on in R-rated movies, and I’m no prude). I was so stinkin’ naive and of course at that age I assumed that if a guy wanted into your pants it was because he loved you. (*eyeroll*)“
• “My mom was very open about talking to me about sex and other things this book covers, but the problem was that she was so out of touch with what was going on that half the stuff I had questions about she didn’t even know what it meant. She did her best, but if I had this book, I would have been much happier.“
• “In grade six I took out a book about sex from the school library, one that was kept behind the desk - you had to ask for it to borrow it…I don’t remember what it was called, but it was very basic and straight forward too. It covered anatomy and whatnot but nothing deeper than that. It probably had a very strong sex is for married people who want to have a baby message and contained little about how to deal with peer pressure or the reality of all the people who actually don’t wait for marriage anymore.“

Without exception, our bloggers heaped praise on Girlology. A nurse admitted: “I had some extreme skepticism about the book. Really. I mean, first, it was written by two doctors, and I know of very few doctors who are really gifted with communication. And we’re talking about teenage girls, here!” She went on to laud the authors: “This book is presented in a style that teenagers - who want so much to be addressed with truth and respect - will likely respond to, and it covers all sorts of uncomfortable topics in such an open, conversational style that it hopefully will encourage parents to approach these topics with their teenage girls.” Another mother heartily welcomed the medically-based information: “…even the most open-minded and informed parents can’t give detailed information about how a lot of these issues are medical issues. I mean, I can have a dialogue about STDs with my kids, but I have to admit, I’m going to have to look up the medical information to explain the differences between them.”

Despite their understandable reluctance to think of our little girls as future sexual beings, our bloggers recognized the value of informing and educating their children themselves:

• “The book begins with an Authors’ Note to Parents. Basically the note stresses why knowledge about sex is so critical. The note also says in bold that the decision whether or not to engage in sexual acts is their child’s alone which is why the knowledge is so important.“
• “…while I suppose there may be detractors who criticize the thought of giving a book chock full of stuff about sex to teenage girls, I have to disagree. Knowledge is power, and this book can empower an entirely new generation of girls to have the strength and wisdom to make the right choices that will affect the rest of their lives.“
• “…I know that teenagers are presented with these difficult topics all the time. And understanding that very real truth, I would much rather [my daughter] talk to me about these topics than her underinformed or misinformed friends.“

The bloggers really liked the format of the book. “Each chapter begins with a section called She Did What? which tells a real life story about a group of teens. And each chapter ends with a neat, doodle-inspired diagrams that walk the reader through the possible consequences of different choices.” The She Did What? vignettes involve a “…cast of recurring fictional characters that are used to act out common scenarios. Using them throughout the text ties the entire book together and makes it feel less like a reference book and more like a teen mag advice column.” Another blogger agreed, noting that “…reading scenarios written in a fiction teen drama format as is done with Girlology might be enough to hook the reader into learning more.”

They were also pleased by the comprehensive scope of Girlology. One blogger commented: “This book answers all the health-, sex- and relationship-type questions teenage girls are probably too embarrassed to ask…from the heart-wrenching: I said the L word and my BF said nothing. Now what?… to the truly puzzling: Is it weird that one of my boobs is bigger than the other?… to the downright terrifying: My friend was raped while she was drunk at a party. She won’t tell anyone. How can I help her?” Another blogger agreed: “The topics cover the adolescent angst spectrum from acne to alcohol, ADD to STDs, hormones to hymens. The answers are quick and easy, and best of all honest.”

A third blogger did raise two points on which she differed with the book, one of which dealt with abortion: “…abortion should have been included in the sex decision making process. For some that might be reason enough not to have sex. While there was mention of how different states have different laws regarding parental notification, there was no discussion of how to find out what laws your state has.” The other pertained to date rape: “They didn’t say what you should do, in other words go to a doctor, if you think that date rape has occurred. They did mention contacting the police and getting checked out right before that, though on the page before the section on what to do if you wake up with your underwear off and no memory of what had happened.”

Girlology helped these parents begin to envision the future talks they would have with their teens-to-be:

• “In a few years I will probably feel comfortable handing the book to my older daughter to let her read it herself and then we can discuss anything she has questions about.“
• “I want to be very open about sex and answer any questions [my daughters] might have, but when the conversation is over I want to be able to give them the book and say, Here’s something for all the questions you don’t want to ask me, and if you want we can discuss anything you want afterwards.“
• “I hope that maybe [my daughter] and I can read this book together some day, or, at the very least, discuss it after she’s read it.“
• “I hope I have the nerve to give something like this to [my daughter] in a few years. Perhaps it will have more impact than the walking-along-the-beach-talking-about-douche-and-other-girl-things-talk they used to show on the TV commercials.“

And this blogger summed it up beautifully:

“Is this book for you?

If you’re a teenage girl? Yes. If you’re the mother, father, friend, teacher, or confidant of a teenage girl? Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes. Yes.“

For more information about Girlology: Hang-Ups, Hook-Ups, and Holding Out - including teen education and mother-daughter programs, as well as the first title (Girlology: A Girl’s Guide to Stuff that Matters) - check out their website. And to buy your own copy of Girlology, click here!