Daughters of the Moon, Sisters of the Sun: Young Women and Mentors on the Transition to Womanhood

Nowadays teenage girls--at least those depicted in books--seem to wade through rivers of pain to reach womanhood. Time and again we hear of girls tempering their voices and leaving behind skills and interests like cast-off baggage. And small wonder, when faced with serious issues such as sexual abuse, teen motherhood, drugs, lack of a spiritual toehold, and the hoary chestnut that guys don't like smart, outspoken, athletic girls. To counter such sapping influences, K. Wind Hughes, a onetime teen mother, and Linda Wolf started a weekly focus group for girls designed to hurdle ubiquitous mumbles of "I don't know" and draw out personality and desires. Daughters of the Moon, Sisters of the Sun mines this rich lode, pairing the girls with an extraordinary array of mentors who have struggled with some of the same challenges. Poet Maya Angelou, peace activist and Goddess worshiper Starhawk, songwriters the Indigo Girls, and psychologist Carol Gilligan are among those who point the way.