What do you think?
Rate this book
Il libro delle ragazze
Check it not just a book about sex, but a look at girl culture by teenagers. No stuffy school textbook. No nosy adults. Just a diverse group of teen girls from a community youth project who had questions about sexuality. To find answers, they collected stories, poetry and artwork from other youth. They also interviewed frontline health experts to get solid facts about the personalities and pressures that young women have to deal with.
It's a great mix of real-life examples and life-saving info. Topics
Relationships Periods Sex Birth control Pregnancy Sexually transmitted infections/AIDS Sexual assault All the content has been vetted by doctors, and the book is endorsed by health professionals -- so girls know they're getting good info. There's also a section at the back with places to contact to find out more.
It's all stuff that youth need to know, and it's all decked out in a compact, easy-to-browse zine style. The Little Black Book for Girlz is an important, take-anywhere empowerment guide. Girls shouldn't leave their teen years without it.
It's a great mix of real-life examples and life-saving info. Topics
Relationships Periods Sex Birth control Pregnancy Sexually transmitted infections/AIDS Sexual assault All the content has been vetted by doctors, and the book is endorsed by health professionals -- so girls know they're getting good info. There's also a section at the back with places to contact to find out more.
It's all stuff that youth need to know, and it's all decked out in a compact, easy-to-browse zine style. The Little Black Book for Girlz is an important, take-anywhere empowerment guide. Girls shouldn't leave their teen years without it.
Perfect Paperback
First published September 1, 2006
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
Read
April 8, 2013Solid info with a saucy attitude struts through the pages of two fantastic books about human sexuality for teens: The Little Black Book for Girlz and The Little Black Book for Guys. The by-line, “For youth by youth,” entices young adults to slip inside the seductive black covers where their peers offer a teen-friendly read that features vital, up-to-date information about healthy relationships, their bodies and sexuality. The girls’ “Down and Dirty” discussion group at the Youth Arcade of St. Stephen’s Community House birthed the first book in 2006. It was followed this year by the lads’ straight-talking title written at the same downtown Toronto social service agency.
Health professionals have vetted the information presented by the authors – the how-to facts about topics such as masturbation, lubrication, condoms and, as the Guys book puts it, “arts and craft” tips on fabricating a homemade dental dam for safe female oral sex. Those who are less than savvy about today’s love lingo will appreciate the Glossary’s ‘translation’ of terms. Also, importantly, each chapter has its own section in the Resource pages pointing towards more information.
The style, messages and format are similar for both books. The nine delightful chapters in the female Black Book give generous attention to sexual assault, miscarriage and abortion, while the five chapters in the boys’ compilation chat more about their specific interests, such as, the workings of the penis. The two books strongly support condom use for the prevention of STIs (sexually transmitted infections) and recommend solo sex as a way of completely avoiding STIs and pregnancy.
In both books, each chapter conveys its frank messages in five to six brief pieces written collectively by “The Group” or by individual contributors. A touching personal essay, with perhaps an unexpected point-of-view, comes from a young father in Guys. “It may sound corny,” Anonymous confesses, “but it is the best feeling in the world, being a dad. He’s my little man, and I love him.” In some areas, writers expand their perspectives by interviewing expert health workers or people with first-hand experience. Chi Nyugen crafted a fresh exposé in Girlz after conversing with Jasmine, an amazing HIV positive 17-year-old working on dispelling myths through education.
The sassy and satisfying text, images and poetry accomplish St. Stephen’s declared mandate of challenging assumptions. In Guys, Jordan Cleveland’s poem “Trapped” compassionately considers the feelings of a girl “trapped in the cage of flesh” of a boy. “Garage,” a series of comic-strip pages in Guys, has a surprise in-the-sack-ending that will knock straight and gay readers’ socks off. It was impossible to discern the tiny-print name of the talented ‘strip artist. It was easier in Girlz to credit artists such as Emily T., the creator of a crazy-funny cartoon about a “Dispenser” fairy that unexpectedly pops up with solutions for menstruating young women.
I feel strongly that youth are entitled to the potentially life-saving and other material related to their bodies in these important books. You might share this review with your school and public libraries. And consider buying two copies of the book: one for the young adult in your life and a second so you can shadow read and increase your knowledge of the choices and challenges before teens in the world of intimacy today.
Reviewed by lian goodall in Canadian Children's Book News
Winter 2009 VOL.32 NO.1
Health professionals have vetted the information presented by the authors – the how-to facts about topics such as masturbation, lubrication, condoms and, as the Guys book puts it, “arts and craft” tips on fabricating a homemade dental dam for safe female oral sex. Those who are less than savvy about today’s love lingo will appreciate the Glossary’s ‘translation’ of terms. Also, importantly, each chapter has its own section in the Resource pages pointing towards more information.
The style, messages and format are similar for both books. The nine delightful chapters in the female Black Book give generous attention to sexual assault, miscarriage and abortion, while the five chapters in the boys’ compilation chat more about their specific interests, such as, the workings of the penis. The two books strongly support condom use for the prevention of STIs (sexually transmitted infections) and recommend solo sex as a way of completely avoiding STIs and pregnancy.
In both books, each chapter conveys its frank messages in five to six brief pieces written collectively by “The Group” or by individual contributors. A touching personal essay, with perhaps an unexpected point-of-view, comes from a young father in Guys. “It may sound corny,” Anonymous confesses, “but it is the best feeling in the world, being a dad. He’s my little man, and I love him.” In some areas, writers expand their perspectives by interviewing expert health workers or people with first-hand experience. Chi Nyugen crafted a fresh exposé in Girlz after conversing with Jasmine, an amazing HIV positive 17-year-old working on dispelling myths through education.
The sassy and satisfying text, images and poetry accomplish St. Stephen’s declared mandate of challenging assumptions. In Guys, Jordan Cleveland’s poem “Trapped” compassionately considers the feelings of a girl “trapped in the cage of flesh” of a boy. “Garage,” a series of comic-strip pages in Guys, has a surprise in-the-sack-ending that will knock straight and gay readers’ socks off. It was impossible to discern the tiny-print name of the talented ‘strip artist. It was easier in Girlz to credit artists such as Emily T., the creator of a crazy-funny cartoon about a “Dispenser” fairy that unexpectedly pops up with solutions for menstruating young women.
I feel strongly that youth are entitled to the potentially life-saving and other material related to their bodies in these important books. You might share this review with your school and public libraries. And consider buying two copies of the book: one for the young adult in your life and a second so you can shadow read and increase your knowledge of the choices and challenges before teens in the world of intimacy today.
Reviewed by lian goodall in Canadian Children's Book News
Winter 2009 VOL.32 NO.1
November 1, 2017
Picked this up because I had read an article about a patron trying to get this removed from their library during banned book week, and how it was encouraging children to be raped in the library. I really had to see this for myself.
I think it's a great book for teens, because it is by teens, and it can be really helpful when young girls have questions and don't feel comfortable talking about them with an adult. I think it's great because it dispels the notions of having to be in love to have sex, that you can't get pregnant your first time/in a hot tub/other random beliefs. It encourages practicing safe sex using condoms and birth control, but also states that you don't need to rush into it, you can say no, you can not have sex at all if you want.
Now, does that mean I feel comfortable with teenagers going out and having sex or even want to encourage them to do so? No. I do want them to be prepared, I do want girls to know what options are out there, because I was not prepared in my teens and miraculously didn't end up with any problems. I think a lot of parents (which I believe that this patron was, because honestly if you think reading a book about sex is going to get your child raped in the bathroom, there are more issues than this book at work here) want to protect their child and don't give them the resources they need. These also usually are the parents that end up as grandparents at 40 and can't understand where their little baby went wrong. Let the teens have the knowledge, let them know how to properly prepare for their menstrual cycle, let them know how to masturbate, let them know how to perform oral on GIRLS or GUYS, let them know how to use condoms/pills/patches/rings/shots/etc... so they don't end up with STIs or babies, and let them know about abortions so if anything does happen they are comfortable talking with you and you can make that decision together AND make sure their mental health is taken care of regardless of their decision. I don't get it...
Anyways, great book for teens, sort of silly for adults, let the kids know about sex.
I think it's a great book for teens, because it is by teens, and it can be really helpful when young girls have questions and don't feel comfortable talking about them with an adult. I think it's great because it dispels the notions of having to be in love to have sex, that you can't get pregnant your first time/in a hot tub/other random beliefs. It encourages practicing safe sex using condoms and birth control, but also states that you don't need to rush into it, you can say no, you can not have sex at all if you want.
Now, does that mean I feel comfortable with teenagers going out and having sex or even want to encourage them to do so? No. I do want them to be prepared, I do want girls to know what options are out there, because I was not prepared in my teens and miraculously didn't end up with any problems. I think a lot of parents (which I believe that this patron was, because honestly if you think reading a book about sex is going to get your child raped in the bathroom, there are more issues than this book at work here) want to protect their child and don't give them the resources they need. These also usually are the parents that end up as grandparents at 40 and can't understand where their little baby went wrong. Let the teens have the knowledge, let them know how to properly prepare for their menstrual cycle, let them know how to masturbate, let them know how to perform oral on GIRLS or GUYS, let them know how to use condoms/pills/patches/rings/shots/etc... so they don't end up with STIs or babies, and let them know about abortions so if anything does happen they are comfortable talking with you and you can make that decision together AND make sure their mental health is taken care of regardless of their decision. I don't get it...
Anyways, great book for teens, sort of silly for adults, let the kids know about sex.
April 13, 2018
Basically, the story behind the creation of this book is the actual best and warms my cynical, old feminist heart. St. Stephen’s Community House Youth Arcade Drop-In is a space within a larger non-profit, social services agency in downtown Toronto where teens in the area can come to discuss what’s on their minds in a safe space. Feeling frustrated with a lack of interesting, comprehensive, relatable materials on sex and relationships they just went ahead and CREATED THEIR OWN. I mean, tears. TEARS.
The book has attractive packaging and smart design -- it looks more like a zine or a journal than an ‘official’ book -- and this makes the content seem even more teen-centered and slightly ‘taboo’ in a good way.
The conversations throughout are also so next level . . . so much more beyond STI transmission/prevention.
Just yassss yasss yasssssssssss
The book has attractive packaging and smart design -- it looks more like a zine or a journal than an ‘official’ book -- and this makes the content seem even more teen-centered and slightly ‘taboo’ in a good way.
The conversations throughout are also so next level . . . so much more beyond STI transmission/prevention.
Just yassss yasss yasssssssssss
May 22, 2025
I think this book is great for teenagers just entering puberty. I believe it’s a great book because we know teenagers are going to be curious and do these things, why not give them the sources to know how to be safe !!
July 28, 2010
this book adressed many issues and should be read by all young girls with questions. especially at a time when talking about sex in a positive way and introducing sex and sexual relationships properly is so important. sadly not many people, that i know of at least, get down to the bare bones of sex and sexual relationships with young girls and alot of these girls are left with no one but their peers to talk to about the issues they are stuggling with in their lives, both sexual and with relationships. parents may not readily discuss their child’s sex life in a positive light, or at all to their child, leaving the media and their peers to educate them (because lets be honest, they don’t learn anything in school other than the basic biology, which won’t help them physically or emotionally). how are the young girls of today supposed to know how to react to certain situations if they have no knowledge of possible ways to act. people were meant to have sex, there won’t be any stopping of that, but we can provide our girls with the knowledge of safe sex and healthy relationships.
in some other reviews i was reading, some people didn’t like this book because it promoted homosexuality. of course my usual response to this is welcome to the 2000′s where we’re attempting to stop hating people for sexual preference, but beyond social structure, the fact that homosexuality is mentioned in a book about sexuality doesn’t mean that homosexuality is being forced upon the reader. what discussing homosexuality does is #1, includes homosexuals in the education process, because no one deserves to be abused, and #2 it (hopefully not for the first time) introduces homosexuality to those who are heterosexual and will perhaps allow them to not fear homosexuality, but embrace the people that are homosexuals, for there is no difference between hetero and homosexuals, except to whom they give their love.
in some other reviews i was reading, some people didn’t like this book because it promoted homosexuality. of course my usual response to this is welcome to the 2000′s where we’re attempting to stop hating people for sexual preference, but beyond social structure, the fact that homosexuality is mentioned in a book about sexuality doesn’t mean that homosexuality is being forced upon the reader. what discussing homosexuality does is #1, includes homosexuals in the education process, because no one deserves to be abused, and #2 it (hopefully not for the first time) introduces homosexuality to those who are heterosexual and will perhaps allow them to not fear homosexuality, but embrace the people that are homosexuals, for there is no difference between hetero and homosexuals, except to whom they give their love.
May 7, 2010
Quite informative - a little too informative in some parts. A great guide for the sexually active teenage female. It gave lots of interesting information, and also gave unbiased advice and commentaries. The pictures were kind of annoying, though..but that is just my opinion. Otherwise, good. Definitely read it if you are interested in learning about sex and tips on how to stay safe.
January 1, 2012
Quite informative - a little too informative in some parts. A great guide for the sexually active teenage female. It gave lots of interesting information, and also gave unbiased advice and commentaries. The pictures were kind of annoying, though..but that is just my opinion. Otherwise, good. Definitely read it if you are interested in learning about sex and tips on how to stay safe.
August 16, 2010
Not what I was expecting. Written for teenagers and a bit graphic for my taste.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews