Book Review of Reviving Ophelia with Erica Robinson

It’s not difficult to imagine why a book like “Reviving Ophelia” would interest Erica Robinson, who works with troubled teens in our valley. In her work as a case manager at a crisis shelter for teenagers, Robinson has seen girls struggling with issues like drug addiction, self-harming, teen pregnancy, self-esteem and more. She has read several books focused on teenage girls and found “Reviving Ophelia” to have more of a “ring of truth” than others.

 

“Reviving Ophelia,” written by clinical psychologist Mary Pipher, Ph.D, explores the struggles of teenage girls in today’s society. The book looks at stories of individual girls, highlighting a variety of problems they face. The book explores causes for these difficulties and offer suggestions for helping girls and healing our society.

 

“[The book is about] helping girls reach adulthood without feeling that they’re failing,” Robinson said.

 

Though Robinson was, of course, once a teenage girl herself, she said it was interesting to take a step back and examine the teen years for females. She feels that Pipher’s book does well at offering an objective perspective.

 

Still, the book is not perfect and Robinson says it is important to keep in mind that not all teenage girls struggle with all of the issues discussed in the book. Nevertheless, if broadened, most of the topics can yield useful insights.

 

“[This is a good book] for anyone who works with teenage girls: parents, teachers—anyone who’s involved in those formative years,” Robinson said.

 

By Sierra Wilson