The Blueprint for My Girls in Love: 99 Rules for Dating, Relationships, and Intimacy

by Yasmin Shiraz

This is my first relationship. What should I do?
I don't know who to trust. Which guys can be trusted?
My best friend and I like the same guy. Should we remain friends?
Has everyone had sex except me? How long should I wait?
No one defines your life but you.
After publishing her first book, The Blueprint for My Girls, author Yasmin Shiraz conducted workshops with girls across the country. She was flooded with questions the girls had about love, relationships, and intimacy, questions they didn't feel comfortable asking their family and friends. She realized that her role as the "old enough to advise you, young enough to keep it real" big sister could help girls stay grounded as they experienced dating, relationships, and intimacy for the first time. In this book, Yasmin tackles the pressures of dating, breaking up, and friendships -- as well as HIV, pregnancy, and abuse. By sharing her own mistakes Yasmin helps girls answer the tough questions without being preachy.
It's the perfect guide to help young girls decide for themselves what they want from relationships, guys, and love.

256 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2005

About the author

Yasmin Shiraz is the author of The Blueprint for My Girls as well as The Blueprint for My Girls in Love. She is an empowerment speaker and program developer who has delivered programs and keynotes based on her books.

She is the author of the ALA's Top Ten Quick Pick for Reluctant Readers selection, Retaliation. She has spoken at over 100 colleges nationwide on topics such as empowerment, black history and hip hop culture.

She is an award winning film director as her film, Can She Be Saved? won 4 film awards including Best New film.

When not writing books, she produces documentaries for her company, Still Eye Rise Films.

Reviews

[Temani · Rating 5 out of 5]

After reading The Blueprint For My Girls In Love:99 Rules for Dating Relationships, and Intimacy made me look at things another way. The book helped me have a better of understanding to relationships; and what to do or not do when in a relationship. Some of the rules for dating, relationships and intimacy was obvious and common sense but sometimes young women don't see the bigger picture. I really liked how the author had the book set up with the question, answer, her reasoning and a question to ask yourself. One thing in the book that stood out to me was a question that she asked and it was "Can you get pregnant if your only making out?" I thought you couldn't but turns out the real answer was "If two people are lying together naked, and a man's penis leaks sperm near the opening of the vagina, the sperm can travel and fertilize the egg." After reading that I wasn't sure if I was buying what I just read; was it a fact? I found myself answering some of the questions out of curiousity, overall the book teaches you how to deal with certain problems if you didn't already know. I would highly reccomend this book to any age female that has dating,relationships and intimacy problems or questions. I really liked how at the end of book it has guidlines on who to talk to, what groups to take into consideration if you need help and about birth control.

[Lanetta Dickens · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was very proud of reading this book because it showed and told me alot of things my parents didn't tell me about.

[BCPL Youth Services Librarian]

Click to see book in BCPL's online catalog

[Claire · Rating 4 out of 5]

Most of them did not apply to me but the ones that did were great messages and things to carry on with you. A+ advice for young teen girls though.