Real Girl Real World

ABOUT THE BOOK We wrote Real Girl/Real World, because it is a resource that we would have liked to have read growing up. The book explores: beauty standards and the media; body image and self-esteem; eating disorders and good nutrition; sex and sexuality; and feminism and today's activists. It's full of real girls' experiences, showing that there is no one way to navigate the twisting road of adolescence.

Wednesday, April 18, 2007

We were almost banned






Samantha and I have noticed that what is "okay" to discuss with girls in a book seems to be getting narrower. For example, our book talks about sex. And when the first edition came out in 1998, we were applauded for being real and the NY Public Library selected RGRW to be part of it's list of recommended books for Teens. The new edition came out in 2005 and well....there seems to be more hesitation about whether topics such as: "How to decide if you are ready to have sex," "How to keep sex safe", "Oral sex," and "Coming out as a gay teen," should be included in a book for teenage girls. Sometimes you hope that you are just being overly sensitive, but then we recently found out that our book was on a request to be banned list in Cape May, NJ! (Hey, and I'm a NJ girl - born and raised in Princeton, NJ).
Luckily, the county library commissioners took a stand against censorship. Here is the article.
We would love to hear your comments. Thank you and our best to "The Notebook Girls " and "Journey Out" -- our sisters in keeping it real. :)

Rare Request Denied County Library
By Christine Cote | Published 11/22/2006 | General News
County Library: 'We Don't Ban Books' - Wed. Nov. 22, 2006
COURT HOUSE — County library commissioners took a stand against censorship Nov. 15 when they unanimously agreed with Director Andrew Martin that three books should not be removed from library shelves.
In one of his last official tasks, Martin, who retires Nov. 30 (see story page ?), told commissioners that a patron had written, requesting three volumes be removed from the young adult collection.
The books are:
“Real Girl/Real World: Tools for Finding Your Real Self,” by Heather M. Gray and Samantha Phillips.
• “The Notebook Girls,” by Julia Baskin, Lindsey Newman, Sophie Pollitt-Cohen and Courtney Toombs.
• “The Journey Out: A Guide for and about Lesbian, Gay and Bisexual Teens,” with Cheryl Schwartz.
Martin explained that the issue was probably moot as to the last book since it could not be found, although it had received “good reviews.” He added, “It had gone out once in 11 years.”
As to the first book, he said it was non-fiction and discussed issues relevant to teen-age girls. According to the Internet, these topics include “beauty, body image, eating disorders, sexuality, and feminism,” and the book contains quotes from young women “who are the same age as the intended audience.”

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