Book list
From Booklist, Copyright © American Library Association. Used with permission.

Young women, the focus of psychologist and best-selling author Damour's work, seem to be especially vulnerable to stress and anxiety. Stress can be a sign of challenge and growth, and anxiety can be nature's warning to stop and examine events more carefully. But when this tension leads to edginess, fatigue, and depression, and teens become unable to sleep or feel overcommitted, parents need to be on the alert. Damour marks the origins of such stress in such categories as home, friends, boys, school, and the culture. Drawing on her practice with teens of various backgrounds and her experiences as a parent, Damour analyzes sources of stress in interactions with parents, competitions between friends, sexual harassment, academic expectations, and cultural influences. She cites the double standards of society that demand that girls (but not boys) must always be people-pleasers as a central factor in these problems. Damour offers practical suggestions for heading off stressful encounters and counteracting their influences. Although aimed at parents, Damour's sensible and empathetic approach will also be reassuring for teens seeking guidance.--Candace Smith Copyright 2019 Booklist

Kirkus
Copyright © Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

New insight into the old issue of teen girls suffering stress and anxiety.Adolescent girls have always struggled with anxiety, but it's even more of an issue now with the rise of social media, cyberbullying, and the cutthroat competition to get into elite universities across the country. Damour (Untangled: Guiding Teenage Girls Through the Seven Transitions into Adulthood, 2016), an adolescence columnist for the New York Times and director of the Laurel School's Center for Research on Girls, re-examines this problem through real-case scenarios taken from her private practice as a clinical psychologist and her work at her all-girls school. The author helps readers identify key areas where girls may be feeling pressure: home, school, in their relationships with their peers and with boys, and with the culture at large. In readily accessible and easily assimilated prose, Damour first explains how some stress and anxiety is actually good for a girl, as it pushes her out of her comfort zone, forcing her to stretch and reach beyond her safety level to new stages of development. It's when this stress becomes overwhelming that it becomes a problem, and here the author jumps into the many arenas where this is an issue. She discusses the difference between healthy competition and aggressive behavior in school academics, how most girls need more sleep, and how they can protect themselves and each other from sexual harassment. She explains how to build downtime into a hectic schedule so that when things go awry, as they inevitably do, it doesn't lead to a serious mental and emotional collapse. She also makes many other common-sense suggestions to help parents help their daughters in these highly competitive times. Although few of these issues are new, Damour's instructive book pulls them into the limelight yet again, where they can be addressed by a new generation of parents and girls.Practical solutions backed by solid research that will help many girls overcome their high levels of stress and anxiety. Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

School Library Journal
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According to recent statistics cited in this latest book from CBS News contributor and psychologist Damour (Untangled: Guiding Teenage Girls Through the Seven Transitions into Adulthood), 31 percent of adolescent girls and young women struggle with symptoms of anxiety, experiencing edginess, fatigue, and changes in appetite, and are three times more likely than boys to be depressed. Damour testifies to similar conclusions drawn from her private practice and work at an all-girls school but states that these emotions can also stretch girls beyond their comfort zones in positive ways. The author addresses areas of strain such as interactions with family, school struggles, social pressures, relationships, and new tensions added by social media. For each of these facets, Damour offers suggestions for parents attempting to help their daughters manage the complexities of life at this age. VERDICT -Parents of adolescent girls will find this an excellent choice for assisting their children in navigating day-to-day stress and -struggles.-Julia M. Reffner, Richmond, VA © Copyright 2019. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Library Journal
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

According to recent statistics cited in this latest book from CBS News contributor and psychologist Damour (Untangled: Guiding Teenage Girls Through the Seven Transitions into Adulthood), 31 percent of adolescent girls and young women struggle with symptoms of anxiety, experiencing edginess, fatigue, and changes in appetite, and are three times more likely than boys to be depressed. Damour testifies to similar conclusions drawn from her private practice and work at an all-girls school but states that these emotions can also stretch girls beyond their comfort zones in positive ways. The author addresses areas of strain such as interactions with family, school struggles, social pressures, relationships, and new tensions added by social media. For each of these facets, Damour offers suggestions for parents attempting to help their daughters manage the complexities of life at this age. VERDICT -Parents of adolescent girls will find this an excellent choice for assisting their children in navigating day-to-day stress and -struggles. [See Prepub Alert, 8/27/18.] © Copyright 2019. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Publishers Weekly
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved

Clinical psychologist Damour (Untangled) thoughtfully and compassionately discusses the many pitfalls faced by adolescent girls today, advising parents on how to help their daughters past obstacles while reinforcing confidence and minimizing stress. She begins by distinguishing between "healthy" and "unhealthy" stress, and observing that anxiety-riddled situations can provide learning opportunities. Damour astutely notes that, as awareness of psychological terminology increases, parents have begun to pathologize their children, such as by referring to simple shyness as "social anxiety." Tackling the stereotype of backbiting teenage girls, Damour clarifies that young girls are most often supportive and kind to one another. Her instructions largely stress effective communication techniques, including responding to "meltdowns" calmly and empathetically and not offering "hollow reassurances." Damour also considers thorny technology issues, such as how much social media monitoring by parents is actually healthy, and advises having shame-free conversations about sexual harassment and consent. A wealth of examples from her work in private practice and as a counselor at an all-girls private school underscores her advice, and she urges parents to remember that "We really were no different from our own children. We just had lame technology." This is a remarkably thorough and accessible guide for raising girls into strong, independent women. Agent: Gail Ross, Ross Yoon Agency. (Feb.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.