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Got
It Goin' On II
reviewed
by Christine Diggs, Virginia State University
Got It Goin'
OnII: Power Tools for Girls, by Janice Ferebee, MSW, 2000, Washington,
DC, $19.95. Available from Got It Goin' On, 1221 Massachusetts
Ave., NW, Ste. 609, Washington, DC 20005-5315, or www.janiceferebee.com.
I enjoyed this
powerful manual on several different levels.
First, it exudes
so much positive energy through creative motivational mantras
throughout. The pages are not traditionally organized; yet, they
seem to attract the reader-participants undivided attention
and desire to be an active rather than passive onlooker.
Second, its message
uniquely captures and affirms the good girl who is
constantly bombarded into giving up her morals and values to
being part of the crowd. At the same time, it provides
comfort and specific guidelines for those who have strayed into
the cesspools of the world to recover with dignity.
Third, books
have been written on the merits of having good self esteem and
self worth, but this book constantly identifies and reminds the
reader that the best existence is being comfortable in
my own skin, regardless of shape, size, color. Being comfortable
with oneself, and keeping that unique self in the best of condition
(mentally, spiritually, physically), assures a standard of excellence
at any given time.
Fourth, the use
of angels, specifically the guardian angels of faith, love, and
hope, being humanized, is absolutely fantastic. Females of all
ages, when dealing with inner conflicts, can connect and be instantly
soothed when they embrace the healing powers of their guardian
angels. It is always comforting to know that regardless of lifes
circumstance or feelings one might have, youll never, ever
have to deal with it by yourself. Also for young girls, the peer
pressure is to conform; to know that the guardian angels have
experienced similar peer pressure and have overcome and are now
willing to step into ones psyche as an added power source
of getting through serves as a tremendous conduit
toward excellence.
Fifth, the Adinkra
symbols serve as an empowering agent to give life to uplifting,
motivation, character building attributes.
Sixth, a constant
sprinkling of testimony and tidbits of advice from teenagers
validates and normalizes the experiences and feelings of the
reader. It doesnt stop therethe teenagers, in their
own voice, encourage the reader to continue to be great within
herself.
The handbook
is organized into eight sections focusing on different aspects
of achieving standards of excellence. There is, in
addition, an introduction, and sections referencing such resources
as hot line numbers, educational resources, references, and a
reading list.
The author takes
a unique perspective in first building the young girls
image by constantly reminding her that she is worthwhile, and
that if there is someone to blame for the lack of being positive,
it has to be attributed to the spiritual void in the lives
of adults.
The explosive
energy throughout the book certainly is demonstrated through
the exercises, mantras, borders/shapes surrounding the comments,
and the illustrations. There is no dead or boring
area in the entire book. It speaks to energy, life, movement,
diversity, and power.
Again, throughout
the book, one feels as though one deserves the very best.
The affirmations found on page 36 further illustrate and encourage
the girl that she deserves to take good care of herself,
and that her body is a divine creation deserving to tender,
loving care and attention. Such a positive imagery could
create wonders for the self image of girls of all ages. They
will act upon such positive energy by not abusing their bodies
and minds and not allowing anyone else to do damage to them.
The author is
very creative in first engaging the reader to be your own
best friend and goes into how to accomplish that task.
She then moves into some of the challenging life forces that
might try to cripple a girls love for self. Specific tips
for coping with lifes challenges are given in a straight-forward
manner. No efforts are made to minimize the stresses. The tips
are also given in a no-nonsense manner, which gives the effect
that for every mess, there is hope for an effective cure.
The author then
retreats back and gives a spiritual massage (not message) and
shares how to take care of the soul. The author uses
teen vernacular without drama to get readers to understand
what pampering really isan inside job to make
the soul smile.
The author moves
on to focus on the realities of the worlddrugs, AIDS, sexual
misbehavior and its results, and other negative, risky behaviors.
Again, the information is presented straightforward, no nonsense.
The how-to information as to how not to get trapped
into these negative behaviors is given in a sensitive, yet firm,
manner.
The Mirror, Mirror
on the Wall analogy is highly identifiable among women because
of the Snow White and the wicked witch story. This mirror, however,
emphasizes that self love, the greatest of them all, is being
reflective of the mirrorthe girl, herself. The 14-year-old
in the encouragement box states you dont
need anybody to tell you that you look good. You need to know
that for a fact.
The book is true
to its word. It is the inspirational, personal development guide
for girls, throughout their teenage years, pre-teens, and beyond.
It also serves as a tool for women to recall their growing
up years and take steps to patch up the tattered places.
Reviewed by
Christine H. Diggs, Ph.D. LMSW, ACP, PR , Program Administrator,
Institute of Leadership Development Honors Program, Virginia
State University. Diggs was the Director of the Social Work Program
from August 1996 to January 2001.
This review
appears in THE
NEW SOCIAL WORKER,
Vol 8, No. 3, Summer 2001.
© 2001, 2002
White Hat Communications
Contact: linda.grobman@paonline.com
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