Title: The Girl Inside: A Handbook for Beautiful Living
Author: Mary Burkholder
Major Themes: Women, Girls, Mary Burkholder, Christian Living
Synopsis: An older woman offers advice for every area of life with which a girl struggles.
One of the prompts for a reading challenge I’m doing this month was to read a book that would help me in one of my roles as a woman. I had a look at our shelf of books that relate to family life, including men’s and women’s roles, and noticed one I had bought several months ago but hadn’t read yet. I bought The Girl Inside with my daughters in mind, but decided that, as the mother of several daughters, it would fit this prompt for me.
Publisher’s description:
In a world of contradictory messages to young women, how can a Christian girl know what is true? Cultural influence says you are what you look like. Social pressures say your behavior doesn’t matter. But God says the hidden person of the heart is the most important. Have you wondered:
- Is my body good enough?
- How can I know if I’m flirting?
- Should I feel guilty for fantasizing and crushing on boys?
- Why can’t I get along with my mother?
- What if I stay single all my life?
- How can I know what God wants me to do right now?
This book explores such questions—and others—from a biblical perspective, inspiring young women to make choices that will nurture The Girl Inside.
My thoughts:
I was quite impressed with Mary Burkholder’s advice to young women. This covers topics as diverse as appearance, how to act around boys, knowing what to say when asked for a date, and what things to focus on right now, as a single young woman. There are chapters about how a woman’s cycle affects her, and about relationships within the family. The Girl Inside is quite obviously written for girls in a conservative Mennonite setting, but most of the advice is universal, helpful for any Christian girl. This would be a good book for a mother and daughter to read together; I would like to read through it with my daughter when she is in her mid-teens. It would be good for an older girl to read as well, even up into her early 20s. I found encouragement for myself, even, as a middle-aged mother! A lot of the things women struggle with are universal, throughout their lives.
WARNING: Not for boys, or for little girls.
Age levels:
Reading Independently—Ages 12 – 15, 15 and Above, Adults
Links to buy this book:
Amazon: Paperback | Kindle
AbeBooks: View Choices on AbeBooks.com
Other Places: Christian Light Publications—Paperback | Milestone Books—Paperback
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