title: Good Girl Messages: How Young Women Were Misled by their Favorite Books
author:  Deborah O'Keefe 
description: Girls in children's books used to be passive, fluttery, saintly, domestic. From Pollyanna to Tarzan's Jane, these characters loved authority; they were always obeying, enduring, sacrificing. O'Keefe believes that many young female readers were damaged by these good-girl stereotypes, though she does quote critics who say that girls identify with Jack the Giant Killer as much as with Sleeping Beauty. For most of the book, O'Keefe analyzes stories she read as a child, all published before 1950, and she admits to being surprised to discover how much things have changed in the last generation. What will interest most readers is her final chapter, crammed with examples of today's strong girl characters: Katherine Paterson's Lyddie, Brock Cole's Celine, Suzanne Fisher Staples' Shabanu, and dozens more. Of course, a lot of the old stuff is still around, and it's interesting to see how far we've come. Be sure to check out the review of Betsy Byars' <i>Me Tarzan</i> (p.1376) in the Books for Youth section for a contemporary view of sex roles in the jungle. <i>Hazel Rochman</i>
zlib_text: DID YOU SAY CHICKS
  Edited By
  
  Esther Friesner
  
  Contents
  Introduction, Esther Friesner
  No Pain, No Gain, Elizabeth Moon
  Slue-Foot Sue and the Witch in the Woods, Laura Frankos
  A Young Swordswoman's Garden Primer Sarah Zettel
  The Old Fire, Jody Lynn Nye
  Like No Business I Know, Mark Bourne
  A Bone to Pick, Marina Frants & Keith R.A. DeCandido
  The Attack of the Avenging Virgins, Elizabeth Ann Scarborough
  Oh, Sweet Goodnight!! Christina Briley & Walter Vance Awsten
  A Bitch in Time, Doranna Durgin
  Don't You Want to Be Beautiful? Laura Anne Gilman
  A Night with the Girls, Barbara Hambly
  A Quiet Knight's Reading, Steven Piziks
  Armor Propre, Jan Stirling & S.M. Stirling
  A Big Hand for the Little Lady, Esther M. Friesner
  Blade Runner, K.D. Wentworth
  Keeping Up Appearances, Lawrence Watt-Evans
  La Difference, Harry Turtledove
  Tales from the Siushpile, Margaret Ball
  
  Epilogue: Yes, We Did Say Chicks! Adam-Troy Castro
  About the Authors
  
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
  
   
  GIRRRL FIGHT!
   
  Milhauser reopened the paperbac