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Girl Power has become the rallying cry for a new generation of girls as they navigate--on their own terms--the perilous yet exhilarating journey from girlhood to adulthood. Though this transformation is often difficult for middle-class white girls growing up in the United States, it is unimaginably more difficult for girls, often in developing countries, who contend with such life-threatening issues as poverty, abuse, and civil war. Indeed, girl power is a luxury these girls can't afford. Consider the young Thai teenage girl who must work in a button factory in order to save some money for her daughter. Think about the poverty-stricken young girl who is raped in rural Pakistan, and whose rapist is never brought to trial.Consider the journey of the African girl who is adopted and brought to the United States, yet discovers that she is not accepted because of her race. These stories and other equally painful sagas will resonate with readers of this collection, whose chapters will give these and other disenfranchised girls a place to speak, a place to express some of the pain, emotional and physical, of their journey through girlhood.
List of contents
Chapter 1 Chapter Acknowledgments Chapter 2 Chapter Introduction: Girl Problems Sherrie A. Inness Chapter 3 Acknowledgments Chapter 4 Introduction: Girl Problems Part 5 I: Dancing the Bashenga: Girls Confront Racism Chapter 6 1 Coming to America: Not the Movie by Eddie Murphy Chapter 7 2 From Foutou to French Fries: Life on the Edge of African and American Cultures Chapter 8 3 "Mommy I just want to fit in!": An African Girl's Story Chapter 9 4 Childhood Misconceptions: Reflections of a Biracial American (Colored) Girl Chapter 10 5 Mah-Rukh Ali: Profile of a Norwegian Chapter 11 6 Fighting Shame: A Somali Single Teen Mother in Canada Part 12 II: Don't Look Down: Girls Living on the Edge Chapter 13 7 A Tightrope Made of Sari Silk: The Delicate, Perilous World of Girlhood in India Chapter 14 8 Afia's Story: A Guide to Survival Chapter 15 9 A Tryst Missed: Girlhood in Pakistan Chapter 16 10 Horizontal Rain: Road from Sarajevo Chapter 17 11 Charley Lauren's Story: Growing-up in the Shadow of Mental Illness Chapter 18 About the Contributors
About the author
Edited by Sharie A. Inness - Contributions by Tahera Aftab; Mah-Rukh Ali; Ayanna Anamoor; Afia Begum; Joy Ekema-Agbaw; Susan Frazier-Kouassi; Najma Habib; Ajila Hodzic; Sherrie A. Inness; Pratibha; Kamala; Lalitha; Ariana-Sophia Kartsonis; K Limakatso Ken
Summary
Girl power has become a rallying cry for a new generation of girls as they navigate the journey from girlhood to womanhood. This title presents stories from Thailand to Pakistan, giving girls a place to speak,and express the pain encountered on their journey.
