The Girl's Guide to Conquering Life

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The Girl's Guide to Conquering Life
Erica & Jonathon Catherman
Revell

     Okay, first off, I don't think that I'm really the target audience for this book--which is something that I didn't know from looking at the cover and reading the blurb. I assumed that it was going to be more of an "adulting" handbook for women in the twenty-ish age bracket, but it's really much more juvenile. The how-tos are incredibly basic and the small handful of sections that I thought might be useful for me personally didn't give me much help; I think I'd get a better idea of how to change a car tire from youtube or my dad, for instance. Maybe my parents just prepared me very well for the world, but I can't imagine not knowing a lot of stuff in here. I can see this book maybe being useful to a girl with a single dad who can't really teach her how to shave her legs, shop for a bra, etc., but a lot of the skills it tries to teach are learned more by hands-on experience than a book.  Also, because it seems geared to a younger audience (middle school, early high school maybe?) I wasn't overly impressed with the romance advice...I just am not a fan of that age range dating. Y'ALL ARE BABIES.

     Also, though this is a book from a Christian publisher, there really isn't any Christian content to speak of. It has a sort of "girl empowerment" feel that I generally find a bit problematic from a Christian perspective. (Yes, I think we're capable beings, but it's our very powerlessness that makes Christ so essential- the woman's empowerment meeting has always rubbed me the wrong way, but I also admit it may just be the way I personally perceive it.)

     The biggest problem of this book, though, is just that with internet access, this book simply doesn't hold up. Any of this information one can find easily--and probably better explained--on pinterest, youtube, or any other internet site. That doesn't mean I don't appreciate what the authors are trying to do- a lot of girls, I'm sure, come from less-than-ideal home lives and could use a book like this. I just don't think it's particularly effective in achieving what it attempts.

I received this book for free from the publisher in exchange for my honest review.

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