Pure Womanhood: How to Become the Woman God Wants You to be

by Crystalina Evert

Pure Womanhood

Genres: Nonfiction, Christian, Religion, Catholic, Relationships, Faith

56 pages, Paperback

First published May 1, 2005

Reviews

[Peter · Rating 4 out of 5]

No, this is not a mistake. Yes, I read this. I have two teenage daughters. I sent them to a talk through our Church - "Romance without Regret". At first they opposed going, but after my youngest said she understood why I sent her and she appreciated it. More kids, especially girls, should read this. The author is no goodie-goodie, not striving for the convent. She lays out her failures and successes in dating and places faith in a position were it should be part of the discussion over dating and romance. This is not a cure-all, certainly not a pill to end the problems with dating (even the real pill does that!), but it is a point of discussion.

It was nice to see that the teenagers coming out of the talk were both male and female. What they took away from it, I do not know. My hope is that it gave them some monetary reflection on how they want to live their lives and how they impact those around them, and the role of their faith in their lives The culture is not helping. One last point on this topic, nothing annoys me more than when I over-hear mothers talking to each other, saying - "I'm so glad I have boys and not girls". At which point I want to say - "If you did a better job raising your boys to be men, I wouldn't have to worry about my daughters". One can only guide, discuss, but also hope and pray our daughter come out of dating safe and happy.

[Maria · Rating 5 out of 5]

I wish I read this book a good 10 years ago.. But it is good I'm reading it now, as this year I've really grown closer to God and He's shown me much about myself and my relations with men. It is too personal to talk about on GR, but I have received a lot of healing from God this year in the area of my heart which dealt with self-worth and emotional scars. I'm thankful for reading this book as well and I know that I'm moving forward in the right direction. Praise be to God!

[~tea~ · Rating 2 out of 5]

How to say "don't do sex kids" in ten different ways

[Marina · Rating 5 out of 5]

Obnavlja nadu i otvara oči ženama.

[Marie-Anna · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 stars
I guess this booklet is intended for people who already believe in the value of purity/for catholics.
I strongly disagree with the implied idea that women are basically asexual beings, going along with sex just because it pleases the man. The reality is women too have sexual desires, experience lust, want to get physically involved with the man they love. Now, you may believe or not that those desires should be fulfilled only in marriage, but it does a disservice to every woman to act like having those are not even worth mentioning. And I'm sorry but the greatest ''gift'' you can give your husband is simply not your virginity. I also don't think it's accurate to say that having sex with a man will make him respect or love you less.
Some good points were made:
-women should not feel the need to ''put out'' to keep someone
-your bondaries should be respected,
- when you're involved physically with someone, you tend to get emotionally attached very quickly (it's part of our biology), which makes you forego getting to know the man in your life/accept red flags/stay in the relationship because it feels like you invested so much in them
(So personally, I do agree with the idea of only getting involved physically when you know you are certain that you know the other person and can trust them with your heart)
- (my favorite point) **appearance is just one part of yourself and your whole self is worth getting to know**

Nonetheless, the holier than thou feeling throughout it all (which I grew up with) is just a big no for me. A quote I despised ; ''Yes, attention from boys feels good but knowing that I'm too good for most of them feels even better''. It's okay and good to know what you deserve but you're not better than other girls/guys because you use those standards. Constantly comparing yourself to others is part of what's criticized in the book, so it feels hypocritical. Those people might be a lot more interesting, kind, knowledgeable and generous than you.

All in all, if you want something to push you to reflect on your position about chastity before marriage, this can be a starting point (to evaluate where you stand), but I feel like there are much better arguments/explanations for it (and against it that were not even evoked).

[Mikia Kriener · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was an inspiring book, the main point being you don't have to throw yourself at a man for him to love you. Crystalina told her story and the excuses she told herself for the actions she was doing. She ended up losing the lust of her life and turned to God. God helped her realize that there are man out there that respect woman. The story ended in a neat way, a prayer to Mary. I think the book ended this way because all woman should strive to be like Mary.

[Lisa · Rating 1 out of 5]

I was raised in a Christian home and we practicing Catholics. This is some of the most toxic information that I've read. NIH sources are outdated at the time of publication, some of her sources for statistics are other authors with no real sources, and her personal feelings are presented as facts (ie, if you date an older guy then you have daddy issues because I did).

I do think the author is well-intentioned, but this is very poorly written with over-simplified and selective data, which turns it hostile and toxic. It doesn't not present uplifting and fair information the the girls, but rather makes very harmful suggestions, such as its a girls job to not distract boys with their body and essentially absolves boys of the responsibility for pushing too hard, and lays blame on the girls for giving in or tempting them. While I agree that girls need self-respect, boys do too and their disrespectful behavior towards girls is symptomatic of deeper issues with themselves rather than the girls allowing/accepting "boys being boys".

Also, there is not a single biblical or theological source cited in this book.

[Jess · Rating 5 out of 5]

i adored this. while touring my top-choice university yesterday, we got the chance to talk to staff-leaders of different campus organizations. the woman at the catholic table gave me this and another book even after i told her i was not catholic, and she was very kind about the whole exchange.
i really appreciated this work because it was not self-righteous at all. the author herself was once having casual sex, partying, etc.; so it read more like a very long chat with a friend than as a repressed catholic lady talking down to me. non-christians may label this as sexist and antiquated without first reading it, but i found it to be empowering and respectful above all else. i loved it!

[Sara Stutmann · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a very educational and important book about Chasity and Purity for us woman. It teaches you how empowering it is to live a chaste and pure lifestyle with the love of God in the center of it. For yourself and with you being in a relationship. It's a very important message for all woman to know and learn from it and remind ourselves of it. I highly recommend this book to all woman out there!

[Florence Bernice · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good primer for purity, especially for teens. The author herself, Crystalina Evert, was not a goody two-shoes in the past. Her party-girl days and history of abusive relationships were her springboard to striving to purity. There is always hope, and change is very much possible.

"Behold, I make all things new." (Rev 21:5)

[Nicole Angelina · Rating 5 out of 5]

I wish that I had read this book much earlier, though there is no regrets reading it now (it is never too late!), as well as re-reading in future. This is a book that I’ll definitely pass down to future daughters or female friends who are interested in understanding purity and chastity better.

[Majo Ferrari · Rating 5 out of 5]

Me encanto!!! Super recomendable

[María · Rating 5 out of 5]

Perfect little booklet every teenager and young woman should read. Filled of "inconvenient" truth and loads of mercy.

[Nora Martinez · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a good little book for young women . It is catholic based, but doesn't make to many references only several at the end.

[Cryste Ashley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book! Especially good for young women who want to learn more about purity, chastity and self love as a Christian. A great intro into Theology of the Body.

[Chelsea Moga · Rating 5 out of 5]

Real love is possible regardless of the past.

[Lynley · Rating 5 out of 5]

~4.5 stars

The pink cover was misleading. This book was fire.

[Angeles Escalona · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great brook! I truly loved I personally don’t read much but I loved this book so much that I could’ve read it in one day.

[Charlie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fantastic - absolutely love Jason and Crystalina Evert. They're such inspirations :)
This particular book wasn't super relevant for me, as it's more trying to convince girls in bad relationships, to move onto a better life of chastity.
This is great - but since I'm already 'convinced', this book wasn't super necessary.
For those girls out there who are looking at living lives of chastity, wanting to know the better options for their love life - I definitely recommend this book.

[Natasha Yong · Rating 4 out of 5]

What I love about the Evert Dou series is how easy and concise to the point their messages on purity and chastity are in these books. The questions posed are challenging and definitely relevant in the lives of a teenager. Also a great resource for people working with teens or need a simple explanation to the subject. Most effective to be read together with "Pure Manhood".

[Melissa Howe · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book may be little but it holds endless amounts of truth. It is amazing but it is only amazing if the readers go into it with an open mind and don't try to write off what the author is saying as trying to shut their lifestyle down. Read it with an open mind and a pure heart and you will walk away with some advice that could change the way you look at this topic forever!

[Yisel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Creo que es un libro que las mujeres deberiamos leer, porque aveces nos dejamos llevar por como la sociedad ha estipulado ciertas cosas, me hizo reflexionar sobre muchas cosas que yo pensaba y las cuales estaba tomando como un hecho. Totalmente recomendado en especial a las señoritas que estan empezando la etapa del noviazgo.

[Katrin · Rating 4 out of 5]

okay so yeah I know what you're thinking "eww not more of that 'touching safety' crapola!" but this was actually pretty good, I mean obviously its not a book, more like a bookLET, but it was pretty inspirational I guess. My mum and aunt made me read it...so...

[Lee · Rating 5 out of 5]

=)

Written clearly and backed up with facts. I like that it was written not from the viewpoint of someone who has lived a chaste life but from someone who has struggled to do so and won. It's not preachy and gives practical advice for people like me who constantly need reminding.

[Elisabeth · Rating 5 out of 5]

SO TRUE!!! This is probably one of the most important books I have ever read. Everything that Crystalina mentions is true. I wish that everyone could read this book, and live their lives by it.

[Princess Banana of Bananaland]

???????????

[Jessica reads stories · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read this book a few years ago and it was very good. I love Crysalina's tips on dating and her testimony is definitely a model to a successful marriage.

[A. Rose · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very good book on how to be the woman God meant you to be even if you have already fallen

[Melissa · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great little book for young ladies to read. I wish I had read it during my teen years.

[Robz Tan · Rating 5 out of 5]

simple read yet full of wisdom..