"Consider birthdays. "You measure how much a person actually cares by which form of communication they use," Samantha told me. "Acquaintances will write on my [Facebook] wall. A friend will text me. A best friend will call." When Samantha's best friend texted her late in the day on her birthday, she was hurt. "It kind of makes you feel like an afterthought." With girls constantly connected, they may judge and dissect even the timing of a message."

“Even when she needs a break from the drama, Facebook’s live-feed format is relentless, telling all. “You don’t even have to stalk,” Samantha told me. “Facebook does the stalking for you.””

 

 

"Research confirms that parents and teachers discourage the emergence of physical and direct aggression in girls early on while the skirmishing of boys is either encouraged or shrugged off. In one example, a 1999 University of Michigan study found that girls were told to be quiet, speak softly, or use a 'nicer' voice about three times more often than boys, even though the boys were louder." 

 

Welcome to girls first introduction to sexist double standards. *cue my scream of rage*

 

A must read for any parent of a daughter. Whether your own child is going through the hell that is relational aggression or if she is a perpetrator, Simmons' book shines a light on how our entire society sets girls up to fail each other. By insisting that nice girls only act "nice", we leave them no acceptable way to handle their natural angers, frustrations and hostilities. They are forced to subvert their feelings which eventually come out in all of the cruel behaviours girls are known for.

This book will break your heart. It will also open your eyes and show you that things must change or girls will always be cruel to each other.

Interesting. Informative. Had plenty of resource materials and a decent bibliography. Some interpretations of the data I disagreed with, but on the whole a useful read.