Girls on the Brink: Helping Our Daughters Thrive in an Era of Increased Anxiety, Depression, and Social Media
- Downloads：2937
- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2022-10-12 06:21:34
- Update Date：2025-09-07
- Status：finish
- Author：Donna Jackson Nakazawa
- ISBN：0593233077
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
Reviews
Sabra Hill
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As a high school teacher， I have long seen the signs of increasing anxiety among adolescent girls as they maneuver the gauntlet of modern social and academic pressures。 In this amazing book， Donna Jackson Nakazawa helps her readers understand the science of why girls today are prone to depression and self-harm and what we can do to support and nurture them。Although the problems adolescent girls face today is dire， Girls on the Brink offers practical antidotes parents and the wider community can As a high school teacher， I have long seen the signs of increasing anxiety among adolescent girls as they maneuver the gauntlet of modern social and academic pressures。 In this amazing book， Donna Jackson Nakazawa helps her readers understand the science of why girls today are prone to depression and self-harm and what we can do to support and nurture them。Although the problems adolescent girls face today is dire， Girls on the Brink offers practical antidotes parents and the wider community can implement to help them thrive。 I read it and felt inspired and empowered to foster the foundations of resilience that can turn sensitivity into a superpower。 。。。more
Trina
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As a parent of a daughter with anxiety this was important to listen to （audiobook）。 I found myself bristling at some parts （it said school was about achievement and to my eyes the bar has continuously lowered）， but there are quite a few potential strategies to look into further too。
Alisia
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I really liked the blend of real-life stories and scientific knowledge and background。 As a mother of a teenage daughter who has been struggling with anxiety and panic attacks since 2020， this book was exactly what I needed。 It both helped me better process some of my childhood trauma as well as provides ways I can help my own daughter thrive。 I also love when a book includes action-oriented steps you can take to work through these challenging times。I received an early copy of this book through I really liked the blend of real-life stories and scientific knowledge and background。 As a mother of a teenage daughter who has been struggling with anxiety and panic attacks since 2020， this book was exactly what I needed。 It both helped me better process some of my childhood trauma as well as provides ways I can help my own daughter thrive。 I also love when a book includes action-oriented steps you can take to work through these challenging times。I received an early copy of this book through NetGalley in exchange for my honest review。 。。。more
Fiona Wheeler
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This book is full of excellent insights。 However， the author missed the positive role that social media can play for youth， in particular queer youth who lack positive and understanding adults。
Meredith G。
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As the mother of a teenage son and a preteen son， I devoured an advance copy of Girls on the Brink。 This book provides adults with a mirror and tools to understand our own childhood/teen trauma and adversity and the challenges that followed。 Further， and more specifically， this book is a must-read for parents - particularly for parents of girls。 It's vital reading for anyone who knows girls。 Donna Jackson Nakazawa tackles the pressing question: "What is going on with our girls？" She highlights r As the mother of a teenage son and a preteen son， I devoured an advance copy of Girls on the Brink。 This book provides adults with a mirror and tools to understand our own childhood/teen trauma and adversity and the challenges that followed。 Further， and more specifically， this book is a must-read for parents - particularly for parents of girls。 It's vital reading for anyone who knows girls。 Donna Jackson Nakazawa tackles the pressing question: "What is going on with our girls？" She highlights research， studies， and interviews。 She probes the question scientifically and personally - interviewing girls， young women， and a wide range of specialists， including scientists， professors， doctors， and more。 After painting a vivid and complete picture of the issues facing girls， Donna Jackson Nakazawa devotes the largest portion of her book to fifteen antidotes: fifteen ways we can help and support girls， so they may thrive in these challenging times。 I can't recommend this book highly enough。 I have already purchased 4 copies to share with friends， and I'll be purchasing more soon。 Thank you to Donna Jackson Nakazawa for writing this compelling， urgent， and life-blessing book。 。。。more
Christine White
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This is an amazing and necessary book by a writer， parent， and human being who makes research and science actionable for families。 You don't have to be parenting daughters to benefit from this book but if you are parenting daughters you MUST read this book。 The author provides us with statistics， facts， stories， and hope all which will motivate us as parents and help as human beings to better understand the society we are living in and the unique stressors faced by all children and most especial This is an amazing and necessary book by a writer， parent， and human being who makes research and science actionable for families。 You don't have to be parenting daughters to benefit from this book but if you are parenting daughters you MUST read this book。 The author provides us with statistics， facts， stories， and hope all which will motivate us as parents and help as human beings to better understand the society we are living in and the unique stressors faced by all children and most especially our girls。 Donna Jackson Nakazawa is a gifted writer， caring author， and compassionate human being and all of this comes across in her writing。 She has been a long-time advocate for people with chronic health issues， for people who have experienced developmental trauma， ACEs， and adversity。 She understands equity and race issues and has a wide and expansive perspective and lens。 She wants all families to better equipped to parent， while understanding that some families faces more challenges and injustices than others。 She wants all parents to have the type of bonds that help girls weather and/or recover from the extreme stresses and issues they face。 I've been a long-time reader of her other books and have listened to her generous podcasts， You Tube videos， and referenced her work on flyers about how early adversity impacts children and parents and how parents can find healing （and parent well even if we didn't have that experience ourselves）。 Few authors do the in-depth science， and exceptional research， and also does as much care interviewing people who are parenting now， and helping readers understand why this information is so necessary and important。 I've loved The Last Best Cure， Childhood Disrupted， the Angel and the Assassin and her other books too but this is a book that we need now。 。。。more
Kelly Dries
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As a mom of a 2 year old girl， and as a woman who struggled with an eating disorder for a large part of her young adult life， I worry constantly about the impact of media and social media on my child。 I grew up without the devastating impacts of social media， but the messages I received in the media in general were enough to impress upon me the importance of what I looked like， and I grew up feeling not good enough。 It took me years of therapy as an adult to begin to overcome some truly negative As a mom of a 2 year old girl， and as a woman who struggled with an eating disorder for a large part of her young adult life， I worry constantly about the impact of media and social media on my child。 I grew up without the devastating impacts of social media， but the messages I received in the media in general were enough to impress upon me the importance of what I looked like， and I grew up feeling not good enough。 It took me years of therapy as an adult to begin to overcome some truly negative thoughts I have held about my worth and value as a person。 I worry that my daughter will be predisposed because of me， and with the looming presence of social media that she will encounter in the future， I want to ensure she is armed with tools to navigate what she will face in a way that I wasn’t。 This book by Donna Jackson Nakazawa， “Girls on the Brink” is just what I needed to navigate raising a confident and empowered daughter in todays society！ Not only does the Nakazawa go through the statistics of how harmful social media is on our young girls in perpetuating unrealistic standards， expectations， and ideas about what a woman is or should be， she also shares strategies for how parents can be a bigger influence than that of the media， to provide buffers against what messages they will encounter in the world。 The mark of a good book for me is one I keep writing passages down from because I want to revisit and really soak in the wisdom， and this book had that for me。 I will be coming back to her words again and again to make sure that my young girl has some armor for what she will face as she gets older。 Thank you to Random House and NetGalley for the Advanced Review Copy that was provided for my review。 I will be a better mom to my daughter because of this book， and I thank you Donna Nakazawa for sharing this with us。 The book is available today。 For anyone raising young girls， I highly recommend you check this out！ 。。。more
Kevin
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Another tough book to rate。 There is a lot of good information here but it also often feels overwhelming。 Statistics， epigenetics， psychological theories， etc。 the first half of the book also has a unrelenting sense of catastrophe。 Sexism， racism ， climate change， mass shooting; it’s as if young people are living in a dystopian world。 No mention of the fact that， in important ways， America is safer than practically any country in history。 And no real discussion of how the media catastrophizes so Another tough book to rate。 There is a lot of good information here but it also often feels overwhelming。 Statistics， epigenetics， psychological theories， etc。 the first half of the book also has a unrelenting sense of catastrophe。 Sexism， racism ， climate change， mass shooting; it’s as if young people are living in a dystopian world。 No mention of the fact that， in important ways， America is safer than practically any country in history。 And no real discussion of how the media catastrophizes so much of our lives。 How is a culture dominated by progressives so toxic？The chief argument of the book however is important。 Basically， girls are particularly susceptible to long term stressors when young with serious consequences as they age。 Our social media saturated culture amplifies these stressors in dangerous ways。 As a result rates for anxiety and depression are exploding。 This is biological not simply psychological。 For me， the strongest part of the book was the second half where the author offers antidotes to help girls flourish。 I think these sections are very helpful in thinking about protecting girls from a hostile world。 Maybe those with a background in science would find the first half more compelling and those without a suspicion of progressivism could get past the constant mantra of sexism， racism， climate crisis， etc。 take that for what it is worth。 。。。more
Terry ~ Huntress of Erudition
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"Girls on the Brink" has been extensively researched and is practically required reading for parents trying to maintain a healthy self image for their teenage daughters。 I plan to send a hardback copy to my sister to use as a reference for guiding her teenage daughter through high school to adulthood。I thought it was interesting that the first advice to parents was to look back at your own childhood and remember how you reacted to a trauma you may have had， and to realize you should try not to r "Girls on the Brink" has been extensively researched and is practically required reading for parents trying to maintain a healthy self image for their teenage daughters。 I plan to send a hardback copy to my sister to use as a reference for guiding her teenage daughter through high school to adulthood。I thought it was interesting that the first advice to parents was to look back at your own childhood and remember how you reacted to a trauma you may have had， and to realize you should try not to react that way now to a trauma your child may have。 The book states that girls suffer more from poor self image， anxiety and depression than boys。 As a mother of a son， I do not think this is entirely true。 However， this book provides many ways to empathize and empower your teen， which can be applied to both sexes。 。。。more
Jen
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As a mother of two preteens， I needed this book and found it to be a great resource。 Donna Jackson Nakazawa artfully blends cutting edge science with real experiences to create an eye opening and impactful book with antidotes/strategies that we can use in our day to day life。 I will be recommending this book to anyone that cares for or has a girl in their life。
Erin Golden
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I highly recommend Girls on the Brink， a new title by brilliant science journalist， author， and teacher Donna Jackson Nakazawa。 This book is especially relevant for parents of pre-school to college-age daughters， as well as teachers， coaches， guidance counselors， therapists， and all of us who care about helping girls in coping with the challenges relating to living in our world today。 In this book， Jackson Nakazawa potently connects the dots to underscore an unfortunate reality: while the increa I highly recommend Girls on the Brink， a new title by brilliant science journalist， author， and teacher Donna Jackson Nakazawa。 This book is especially relevant for parents of pre-school to college-age daughters， as well as teachers， coaches， guidance counselors， therapists， and all of us who care about helping girls in coping with the challenges relating to living in our world today。 In this book， Jackson Nakazawa potently connects the dots to underscore an unfortunate reality: while the increasing stressors and adversity of growing up today has brought us a never-ending mental health crisis for kids in general， it is especially harmful to girls。 In the first half of the book， Jackson Nakazawa lays out the scientific facts and shares the key factors as to why the stressors of life today are having an exceedingly negative impact on girls。 In the second half， the author shifts from explaining the situation and related problems to offering actionable solutions。 She lays out a framework and tools in the form of fifteen antidotes designed to help our girls overcome the daunting adversity and find a sense of wellbeing。Jackson Nakazawa elegantly weaves together scientific data， research insights， and anecdotal stories to create a compelling work on the urgent need to mitigate the damage from toxic stressors on our girls。 While deep enough in the science， Jackson Nakazawa is also very relatable on an emotional level as she shares her paradoxical feelings of deep concern with her hope for the future and concludes by making a very compelling case that we need to act now。Girls on the Brink gives non-scientists and “regular people like me” a solid understanding of the potential impacts of traumatic childhood experiences on our health and wellness in adulthood – and specifically， to girls and women。 It belongs on the bookshelf next to two other notable works on these complex subjects: The Body Keeps the Score by Bessel Van der Kolk， M。D。 and The Deepest Well by Nadine Burke-Harris， M。D。In my work as a trauma-informed mindfulness teacher and coach， I often work with teenagers and young adults。 I’ve seen the challenges of “growing up today” through the tears in their eyes。 For the sake of all of us， and especially our girls and young women， I hope that the information in this provocative new book reaches as many people as possible， as soon as possible。 。。。more
Robin Cogan
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If you are in search of an excellent book club choice or looking for a fascinating read， here is a suggestion for your next book！ Science journalist and brilliant author Donna Jackson Nakazawa has delivered another beautifully written book， this time focused on our girls。 Donna has a gift for scientific storytelling， steeped in research and evidence， but written with a flow that takes the reader on a journey of discovery。Girls on the Brink faces the enormous challenges of raising daughters but a If you are in search of an excellent book club choice or looking for a fascinating read， here is a suggestion for your next book！ Science journalist and brilliant author Donna Jackson Nakazawa has delivered another beautifully written book， this time focused on our girls。 Donna has a gift for scientific storytelling， steeped in research and evidence， but written with a flow that takes the reader on a journey of discovery。Girls on the Brink faces the enormous challenges of raising daughters but also provides a roadmap， steeped in evidence， to enable our girls to flourish， in spite of extreme societal conditions。 Donna has a gift for digging deeply into the science of being human and unearths stories that reframe the complexities of life， like raising girls， into focus through a new lens。 For my school nurse colleagues， Girls on the Brink is highly recommended to understand how we can help our students thrive in turbulent times。 I can envision sharing this book with girls' parents and hosting a book club！ What an important topic to share with parents， especially of our prepubescent girls。 。。。more
Jane Nault Perron
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Must read if you have girls， work with girls or even know girls。 Informative， enlightening read。 I was able to read it early through Netgalley but it will be released in a couple of weeks。 Don't miss this book Must read if you have girls， work with girls or even know girls。 Informative， enlightening read。 I was able to read it early through Netgalley but it will be released in a couple of weeks。 Don't miss this book 。。。more
Lili Wagner
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I have 2 nieces， 11 and 14。 I see the challenges and complexities they have to deal with and I know I didn't go through as much as they do now。 It's a complex world and social media makes things more challenging for kids and teens， even adults。 This book opened my eyes to some things I didn't know about。 I appreciate how it goes through neuroscience and explains how the brain develops and works。 It's an intricate balance。 The author provides antidotes that are doable and provide guidance on how I have 2 nieces， 11 and 14。 I see the challenges and complexities they have to deal with and I know I didn't go through as much as they do now。 It's a complex world and social media makes things more challenging for kids and teens， even adults。 This book opened my eyes to some things I didn't know about。 I appreciate how it goes through neuroscience and explains how the brain develops and works。 It's an intricate balance。 The author provides antidotes that are doable and provide guidance on how to make things better for these young minds。 An engaging read and a perfect gift for any mom， aunt， teacher， nurse， primary care physician， or anyone who truly cares about the future。 。。。more
Diane Petrella
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I’m a big fan of Donna Jackson Nakazawa’s work。 As a holistic psychotherapist， I routinely recommend her books to clients and friends and am excited about Girls on the Brink。 Donna has a straightforward and warm writing style and a knack for translating scientific concepts into accessible language。 Drawing from cutting edge neuroscience， she reveals the biological and emotional effects of the the many stressors girls face in our society。 These stressors have led to an increase in anxiety， depres I’m a big fan of Donna Jackson Nakazawa’s work。 As a holistic psychotherapist， I routinely recommend her books to clients and friends and am excited about Girls on the Brink。 Donna has a straightforward and warm writing style and a knack for translating scientific concepts into accessible language。 Drawing from cutting edge neuroscience， she reveals the biological and emotional effects of the the many stressors girls face in our society。 These stressors have led to an increase in anxiety， depression， and self-harm。 Donna shares examples and， with thoughtful sensitivity， walks us through the many emotional challenges our girls struggle with in a society not often supportive of， and that at times undermines， girls’ healthy development。 In this hopeful book， Donna offers 15 powerful and simple strategies that parents， relatives， and professionals can immediately put into practice to counteract the effects of stress and help girls foster strong self-worth， emotional connectedness with self and others， and feelings of inner and outer safety。 If you’re a parent or have girls in your life， buy this book and buy it for other parents！ It’s an essential resource for your girls’ wellbeing。 。。。more
Sarah Judd
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If you parent a girl， teach a girl， coach a girl， care for a girl - if you KNOW a girl - you need to read this book。 Donna Jackson Nakazawa blends the stories of girls who are just like girls you know with powerful science writing that helps us understand why our girls are suffering especially now and how we can ACTUALLY help them。 I am a fan of Jackson Nakazawa's previous work， especially The Angel and the Assassin: The Tiny Brain Cell That Changed the Course of Medicine， Childhood Disrupted: H If you parent a girl， teach a girl， coach a girl， care for a girl - if you KNOW a girl - you need to read this book。 Donna Jackson Nakazawa blends the stories of girls who are just like girls you know with powerful science writing that helps us understand why our girls are suffering especially now and how we can ACTUALLY help them。 I am a fan of Jackson Nakazawa's previous work， especially The Angel and the Assassin: The Tiny Brain Cell That Changed the Course of Medicine， Childhood Disrupted: How Your Biography Becomes Your Biology， and How You Can Heal， and The Last Best Cure: My Quest to Awaken the Healing Parts of My Brain and Get Back My Body， My Joy， and My Life。 Girls on the Brink builds on all this previous work， giving us a clear understanding of the most recent science that explains why teenage girls are particularly susceptible to the onslaught of twenty-first-century threats in our hyper-connected world。 I've read all Jackson Nakazawa's books through my mother-teacher lens， looking to build my own understanding， as well as looking for a toolbox I can use。 This book does not disappoint。 Reading about the experiences of girls who are much like the girls I have taught over the years makes this book relatable and user-friendly。 There is an entire section of the book dedicated to 15 "Antidotes，" or strategies， we adults can employ to support and help the girls we work with and love。 For instance， for me as a teacher， reading that having just one trusted adult a girl feels she can rely on expanded my understanding of the crucial positive role a teacher can play in the life of a girl。I will be buying copies of this book to share with my colleagues and friends - I think that says a lot about the value of what Jackson Nakazawa has written for us all。 Go buy a copy for yourself， and buy copies for anyone you know who works with girls， parents a girl， or loves a girl。 I received an early copy of this book through NetGalley in exchange for my honest review。 。。。more
Barbara （The Bibliophage）
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Originally published on my book blog， TheBibliophage。com。Donna Jackson Nakazawa does it again with her upcoming book， Girls on the Brink: Helping Our Daughters Thrive in an Era of Increased Anxiety， Depression， and Social Media。 She blends real-life situations with scientific knowledge and analysis。 And concluding the book with strong antidotes goes a long way to helping parents and mentors counter the toxicity of girls’ everyday lives。Jackson Nakazawa breaks the content into three distinct sect Originally published on my book blog， TheBibliophage。com。Donna Jackson Nakazawa does it again with her upcoming book， Girls on the Brink: Helping Our Daughters Thrive in an Era of Increased Anxiety， Depression， and Social Media。 She blends real-life situations with scientific knowledge and analysis。 And concluding the book with strong antidotes goes a long way to helping parents and mentors counter the toxicity of girls’ everyday lives。Jackson Nakazawa breaks the content into three distinct sections: explaining the situation， exploring the science， and offering fifteen achievable antidotes。 Through it all， she uses the lives of three young women to illustrate her points and balance science with reality。This is a must-read for every parent， teacher， and health care professional。 Jackson Nakazawa has already published several books about science， medicine， and brain health using women’s experiences and perspectives。 Now she turns her eyes to the next generation。 Considering the prominence of cyberbullying， among other concerns， the choice makes perfect sense。Adverse versus Positive Childhood ExperiencesJackson Nakazawa previously wrote about the science behind adverse childhood experiences （ACES） in Childhood Disrupted。 Significant ACES affect our lifelong health。 But， here she revisits that information as it happens rather than decades down the line。 By describing the lives of those three young women， the author illustrates the short-term impact of absentee parents， poverty， childhood sexual abuse， as well as other situations。Conversely， Jackson Nakazawa also discusses the impact of positive mentors and community， such as teachers and nurturing social situations。 Hopefully， seeing girls’ lives from this perspective will inspire more adults to truly listen to and support the young women in their lives。Puberty and HormonesGirls’ early teen years are made more complicated by the hormonal changes they experience。 And girls experience puberty even earlier now。 This means that the time between childhood and the teen years accelerates。 Coping with the change is a struggle for girls and their families。 Jackson Nakazawa shines the light of information and antidotes into this space。It’s also worth noting that social media and popular culture over-sexualize girls and teens。 The back-to-school styles are more provocative than ever。 Girls judge themselves against adult influencers on TikTok and every other platform。 Jackson Nakazawa explains why this is concerning and offers better ways to approach it with our girls。My ConclusionsThis book is full to the brim with information and ideas。 Attempting to summarize every point would only do it a disservice。 But as I worked my way through it， Jackson Nakazawa offered invaluable insights。 Most importantly， she reminds us to listen to girls and provide them a safe space to talk out their challenges。Jackson Nakazawa’s other books tell her own story， which also illustrates an important point。 She repeatedly encourages parents， especially mothers， to deal with their ACES and trauma。 Not only does it model positive behavior for girls， but it also helps keep the temperature down when girls’ teenage issues heat up。It’s also worth saying that the author’s perspective is a feminist one。 She reminds us that girls’ rights are human rights。 And we as adults made this world， which challenges kids today， especially girls。 That attitude resonates with my own and enhances Girls on the Brink。Jackson Nakazawa is a mom as well as an author， so she’s got skin in the game。 That adds to her nuanced understanding of 21st-century girls and teen life。 This book is essential reading for moms， dads， grandparents， favorite aunts， and anyone who influences a girl’s life。 Pick up a few extra to give as holiday gifts—I know I am。Pair with The Angel and the Assassin: The Tiny Brain Cell That Changed the Course of Medicine， Jackson Nakazawa’s 2019 book。 Or try some fiction with female teenage protagonists， like Angie Thomas’s The Hate U Give。AcknowledgmentsMany thanks to NetGalley， Penguin Random House， and the author for a digital advanced reader’s copy in exchange for this honest review。 The expected publication date for this book is September 13， 2022。 。。。more
Sara
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I received a free e-arc of this book through Netgalley。 This review is completely my own thoughts and opinions。It was very interesting to read about why adolescent girls have a harder time with anxiety and depression because of our biology， but that doesn't mean that girls are the weaker sex。 "Stressors unique to modern life including: amplification of toxic gendered messaging via social media， loss of freedom， emotional safety and play in late childhood， increased pressure to succeed and perfor I received a free e-arc of this book through Netgalley。 This review is completely my own thoughts and opinions。It was very interesting to read about why adolescent girls have a harder time with anxiety and depression because of our biology， but that doesn't mean that girls are the weaker sex。 "Stressors unique to modern life including: amplification of toxic gendered messaging via social media， loss of freedom， emotional safety and play in late childhood， increased pressure to succeed and perform， the general chaotic state of the world。" This all plays into our biology that tells us not to be kicked out of the tribe， to conform。 The dichotomy that we say men and women are equal while there is still blatant mysogny in the workplace， the classroom， and every where else。 The author provides 15 antidotes to try to combat the stressors that our daughters face in the world。 I found it to be an interesting read with hope amidst the pain。 。。。more
Kate
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