Girls on the Edge: The Four Factors Driving the New Crisis for Girls-Sexual Identity, the Cyberbubble, Obsessions, Environmental Toxins

The author of Boys Adrift argues that young women today are at risk, and shows what we can do to help girls achieve their potential

Girls are cutting themselves with razors. Girls are convinced they’re fat, and starve themselves to prove it. Other girls are so anxious about grades they can’t sleep at night—at eleven years of age. What’s going on? In Girls on the Edge, Dr. Leonard Sax provides the answers. He shares stories of girls who look confident and strong on the outside, but are fragile within. He shows why a growing proportion of teen and tween girls are confused about their sexual identity, or are obsessed with grades or Facebook. Dr. Sax provides parents with tools to help girls become confident women, along with practical tips on helping your daughter choose a sport, nurturing her spirit through female centered activities, and more. Compelling and inspiring, Girls on the Edge points the way to a new future for today’s young women.

Florence Hilliard, Director of the Gender Studies Project, University of Wisconsin–Madison
“Dr. Sax once again combines years of experience with compelling research and common sense to intelligently challenge the status quo of what it means to raise a healthy daughter. Girls on the Edge offers skills parents can incorporate to feel more competent with our girls and young women.”

Rabbi Sandy Eisenberg Sasso, author of God’s Paintbrush and In God’s Name

“Turn off your cell phones and computers, and read this book! You will connect with your daughter in new ways, and she will thank you.”

Margaret M. Ferrara, PhD, editor of Advances in Gender and Education (A.G.E.) and associate professor, University of Nevada Reno

“Written through real stories and supported by strong evidence in the fields of education, psychology, and the sciences - a MUST read.”

Courtney E. Martin, author of Perfect Girls, Starving Daughters

“Leonard Sax brings together a rare combination of psychoanalytic training with a deep empathy for girls and their stories in this important book. His argument that girls are struggling to find their centers will resonate and his recommendations for how to locate them will inspire.”

Leonard Sax, M.D., Ph.D., is a family physician, psychologist, and acclaimed author of Boys Adrift and Why Gender Matters. He has been featured on CNN, PBS, Today, Fox News, NPR’s Talk of the Nation, and more. He lives with his wife and daughter in Exton, Pennsylvania.

 


Leonard SAX: Girls on the Edge: The Four Factors Driving the New Crisis for Girls-Sexual Identity, the Cyberbubble, Obsessions, Environmental Toxins. New York, Basic Books, 2020.