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A review by k_paul
What Girls Are Made Of by Elana K. Arnold
5.0
To be completely honest, this book was third on my list of want-to-reads for the national book award category. I liked the summary, but I was more interested in reading the other two and so when those other options weren't available, I read this one. I'm glad I did. It had a great narrative that didn't shy away from important topics.
I am a bit on the fence on if this book should be taught in schools. The author does a great job of being sensitive about certain topics while still emphasizing their importance and the need for them to be addressed. What concerns me is if the maturity level will be there. I know the book is written for teens, but in a public setting teens aren't always the most mature when it comes to topics like sex.
Warnings: drugs (weed, cigarettes, drinking), sex (graphic descriptions of sex, sex in a public place, orgasms, masturbation, unprotected sex, mention of sex dolls, vibrator given as a gift), R&R (love is conditional, miscarriages, planned parenthood, description of pap smear appointment, sexually active teens, realities of animal shelters and euthanizing dogs, premature birth, pessimistic outlook on life and love, gaslighting, mentions of cheating, first period, teenage pregnancy, unplanned pregnancy, graphic descriptions of medically-induced abortion, supplying minor with alcohol), language (mild swearing, derogatory terms used as insults), violence (mythological stories of men torturing and killing women, abortion, torture museums in Italy, mentions of physical abuse, an allusion to rape)
I am a bit on the fence on if this book should be taught in schools. The author does a great job of being sensitive about certain topics while still emphasizing their importance and the need for them to be addressed. What concerns me is if the maturity level will be there. I know the book is written for teens, but in a public setting teens aren't always the most mature when it comes to topics like sex.
Warnings: drugs (weed, cigarettes, drinking), sex (graphic descriptions of sex, sex in a public place, orgasms, masturbation, unprotected sex, mention of sex dolls, vibrator given as a gift), R&R (love is conditional, miscarriages, planned parenthood, description of pap smear appointment, sexually active teens, realities of animal shelters and euthanizing dogs, premature birth, pessimistic outlook on life and love, gaslighting, mentions of cheating, first period, teenage pregnancy, unplanned pregnancy, graphic descriptions of medically-induced abortion, supplying minor with alcohol), language (mild swearing, derogatory terms used as insults), violence (mythological stories of men torturing and killing women, abortion, torture museums in Italy, mentions of physical abuse, an allusion to rape)