It's a Girl Women Writers on Raising Daughters

by Buchanan, Andrea J.

• ISBN13: 9781580051477
• ISBN10: 1580051472
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2006-03-31
• Publisher: Seal Press

Summary

When author Andrea J. Buchanan was pregnant with her daughter, she was thrilled to be expecting a girl. Some friends were happy for her, with shared visions of flouncy pink dresses and promises of mother-daughter bonding to come. Others, however, were concerned: "Is your husband okay with that? ... You can try again... Girls are tough." This mixed message led her to explore the issue herself, and with fellow writers and moms, many of whom had the same experience.

Author Biography

Andrea J. Buchanan is the author of Mother Shock, Literary Mama, and It's A Boy. Her work has been featured in the Christian Science Monitor, Parents, and Nick Jr. magazines; in the collection Breeder; and numerous other websites, including hipmama.com, phillymama.com, and her blog literary mama.com. She lives in Philadelphia with her husband and two children, Emily and Nate.

Table of Contents

Introduction
SHINING, SHIMMERING, SPLENDID
Her Perfect Woman
CAROLYN ALESSIO	11	(10)
Shining, Shimmering, Splendid
KIM FISCHER	21	(6)
Ladylike
GABRIELLE SMITH-DLUHA	27	(6)
Tough Girls
REBECCA STEINITZ	33	(6)
Confessions of a Tomboy Mom
JACQUELYN MITCHARD	39	(6)
Girl House
YVONNE LATTY	45	(4)
Cheerleader
MIRIAM PESKOWITZ	49	(10)
It's a Girl
MARTHA BROCKENBROUGH	59	(12)
ON BEAUTY AND A DAUGHTER
On Being Barbie
JENNY BLOCK	71	(8)
The Food Rules
ANN DOUGLAS	79	(10)
Feeling Is First: On Beauty and a Daughter
GWENDOLEN GROSS	89	(6)
Breasts: A Collage
RACHEL HALL	95	(10)
The World's Most Beautiful Baby—Take Two
JOYCE MAYNARD	105	(10)
Baby Fat
CATHERINE NEWMAN	115	(6)
GARDEN CITY
Me and My Girls
AMY BLOOM	121	(6)
Girl Talk
SUZANNE KAMATA	127	(6)
Daughter Dread
VICKY MLYNIEC	133	(4)
Spilled Wine
JENNIFER MARGULIS	137	(8)
Garden City
JESSICA BERGER GROSS	145	(10)
Park-Bench Epiphany
KELLY H. JOHNSON	155	(8)
A Strong Baby Girl
EMILY ALEXANDER STRONG	163	(8)
Links
JENNIFER LAUCK	171	(8)
On Wanting a Girl
SHARI MACDONALD STRONG	179	(14)
PASSING IT ON
Zen Mind, Daughter's Mind
GAYLE BRANDEIS	193	(6)
Twenty Minutes
JILL SILER	199	(4)
Isolation
BARBARA CARD ATKINSON	203	(6)
Time Capsule
JODY MACE	209	(6)
The Boy We Didn't Have
KATHERINE WEBER	215	(4)
Learning to Write
ANDREA J. BUCHANAN	219	(8)
Passing It On
LESLIE LEYLAND FIELDS	227