The Secret Lives of Teen Girls

In The Secret Lives of Teen Girls, Evelyn Resh, the mother of a teenage daughter and a certified nurse-midwife specializing in the treatment of teenage girls, explores the mysterious world of female, adolescent sexuality and how parents—especially mothers—can help their daughters through this tumultuous time.

Secrets divulged by teenage girls during consultation have made Resh realize that, with rare exception, most adolescents are left to develop a sexual identity without any adult guidance and often without the most basic knowledge of what is happening to them physically and emotionally. She also realized that many girls are frequently subject to criticism and shaming about their normal, adolescent behavior. Resh believes these issues are what underlie many of the problems teens face during this crucial step into becoming a fully developed adult woman capable of making good, sound, safe, and independent decisions throughout life.

Through compelling, frank, and sometimes humorous stories from both Resh and her patients, The Secret Lives of Teenage Girls explains to parents just what is going on with their teenage daughters during this essential phase of their development. She discusses many of the complicated problems she’s seen in practice, including not just sexual activity but also eating disorders, substance abuse, mental illness, unplanned pregnancies, violence, and STDs. She also looks at less serious but still troubling issues like under-achievement, battles with parents, and lack of emotional and social support.

In this insightful book, Resh provides parents with the tools to help their teen daughters negotiate the waters of their sexual development and emerge with their strength, their sexuality, and their self image intact.

About the Author

Evelyn Resh, MPH, CNM, is the Director of Sexual Health Services for Canyon Ranch Health Resorts. In addition to her twice-weekly lectures on women’s health and sexuality at Canyon Ranch in Lenox, Massachusetts; and/or Tucson, Arizona, Evelyn travels the country and the world giving lectures and presentations on women’s health and sexuality for a variety of groups and conferences. She appears regularly on the Joan Hamburg radio show

Chris Prelitz is the son of an ocean and aerospace engineer father and a mother of Native American descent who grew up on a rural farm. Raised in the midst of these two extreme views of life provided Chris with an appreciation for both high-tech and simple indigenous principles that have stood the test of time yet have been mostly forgotten. Chris is a pioneer of the green movement, heading a successful design-build firm with projects ranging from off-grid solar ranches to the first solar-powered restaurant and solar auto dealership in the U.S. He has served on environmental advisory boards at city, state, and national levels. Chris now touches audiences globally with his uplifting green message, appearing regularly in the print and broadcast media, including the premier episode of the Discovery Channel’s Greenovate show.