I really enjoyed the stories and especially how it was all presented. The look and feel of a scrapbook / diary really helped cement the voices that we were seeing and hearing.

A beautiful celebration of girlhood. I loved the diversity and the way girls describe themselves with connecting threads but entirely uniquely. A special book.

Girlhood: Teens Around the World in Their Own Voices is a nonfiction book that is more like a questionnaire and diary style for 30 different teenage girls, who live in 27 various different countries around the world, such as Ireland, Kazakhstan, Brazil, and Iraq. Majority of the same questions are asked to the girls – about their friends, family, schooling. A bit of background is then provided in regards to the girl and the country they live in and how the girl’s view of their country may or may not be different to what others in other countries know and perceive that country to be like through news and social media. Then it goes on to be some diary entries for the girls, which some did vary in length and the style of these diary entries.

In a scrapbook form, each girl’s entry shows photos of the girl of interest, along with any other photos she sent it, showing her friends, family, schooling, pets and where she lives in the world. The imagery of these photos were incredibly vivid and helpful in showing the difference what how the girl experiences her country to what the rest of the world would know of the country. My favourite part of each girl’s scrapbook entry was the diary entries. It showed the more day to day mundane events and how the girls saw their experiences amongst their friends and family at school and out in the general public. What I mostly enjoyed about Girlhood was that although these teenage girls were from so varying places in the world, a lot of their experiences were shared. Due to this, I think this is an incredibly important read for teenage girls, especially those in high school, to show them that they aren’t alone in their experiences and they can get through any challenge they face in their teenage formative years. I do wish this was something that existed when I was a teenage in high school, but I’m oh so glad it exists now, especially with how prominent social media and the effects it has on teenage girls in more recent years.

I highly recommend this quick read to anyone, as it is one of the most heartwarming and powerful nonfiction reads. It beautifully shows the power of shared experience whilst these girls live in so different countries with beautifully powerful written components and the photos added extra snippets of the girls’ lives. It was an easy, fun, and fantastic read!

I would use this for the classroom to show students how other kids live around the world. It provided very interesting perspectives that all students should learn about.

I was very interested in this read because of the diversity within. However, the journal entries felt TOO structured & prompted, not like the voices of teenage girls being candid about life.

Also, I feel like this is the type of book that would be more enjoyable in physical print vs an ebook.

This book is filled with experiences from girls acorss the world on their daily routine, their studies, their hopes and their dreams. I loved spending an hour each day reading about a different girl from a different country. There are 30 girls from 27 different countries. This book began as a series in The Washington Post and has now been published! ⠀
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This is such a personal and moving book filled with so many interesting girls! The ages range between early teens to early twenties so you get a really diverse range of stories which makes this book even more special. ⠀
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This is really different to the normal books I’d buy and so I’m so glad I’ve had the opportunity to step outside of my comfort genres and try something new! I feel like I’ve walked away from this book knowing so much more about different countries and the routines girls have dependent on where they live. ⠀

I love the idea behind this book. It's raw and it's real. It helps expand your perception of the world, all the different places and the different people in them. It proves how the differences we may see in one another are only skin deep and helps to break cultural barriers. It's exciting to think about a young girl, reading a story from this book and realising the connection she shares with another girl - a girl whom she may have thought she had nothing in common with. I think that's lovely.

I love the layout, it's very engaging. I love the candid photos of the young girls and I especially love the shots of the girls' bedrooms. I also love the quick facts followed by the lengthier interviews and diary entries, and I love the maps. I think it's great how each girl was in control of her own story and chose what and how much she wanted to share with the world.

My number one quibble is that none of the diary entries are handwritten. Had the book show even just a photo of a partial entry from each girl, written in her own hand - that would have made their stories feel even more personal and made the connection with the reader even greater.

I’m so happy Girlhood exists- this compilation of stories by teen girls from around the world illustrates the “girlhood” experience so well and so diversely, I’d say it’s an essential read for all who identify as girls. It’s presented in a mixed media format, with photos and letters from the girls telling their stories, making it an engaging read for younger readers. I wish I had this book when I was younger, as I always wanted to know more about the experiences of those around the globe. I felt like the coverage of different countries was diverse enough to tag this book as a diverse read, something that lacks in a lot of younger books.
Overall, girlhood was such a pleasant experience for me even as a 25 year old woman!

Girlhood is a compilation of interviews, diary entries, and photographs from 30 teenage girls coming of age all over the world. Teenage girls get a bad rap in many cultures--they're often seen as vapid, immature, combative--so as Ahuja notes, we rarely have the opportunity to see the world from their perspective.⁠⠀
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As diverse as these young women's stories were, many universal themes emerged: their answers to the interview questions and diary entries show us a shared desire to be seen and heard, a harboring of big dreams, a determination to break the cycle of generational trauma. I was a teenage girl not that long ago, and I saw myself in every single one of these girls: I remember being 14 and frustrated because I felt as though people weren't taking me seriously, being 16 and falling in love for the first time, being 18 and determined to make my dreams a reality, all experiences discussed in this book.⁠⠀
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If you are a teenage girl, or were a teenage girl once, read this book.⁠⠀

Remember all those autograph notebooks or slam books back in high school, even grade school? This book felt a lot like that, except more modern and extensive. I liked how on top of engaging profiles and personal accounts via journal entries, there was also a sidebar for research-based information related to the conditions the teens came from or were facing.

It doesn’t cover all nationalities or countries (the closest I could relate to in terms of geographical and cultural factors were those, let’s say, from Cambodia and Singapore), but it’s quite a well-rounded representation, covering six continents. Not only did I learn a few new trivia, but I saw patterns, similarities, and yes, differences as well in the lives of these young girls. The inclusion of their photos made it more personal too, and it was an honor getting to know them through their own words, and I hope they grow up carrying the same, if not more, enthusiasm and idealism in life, and achieve their dreams.

This book is fantastic!!!!! It is about girl empowerment and the experiences that they have while they are in school, at home, in extracurricular activities, and so on. They girls are from different countries, religions, ethnic groups and so on. Some girls are from very poor neighborhoods while others are well off. The girls that are well off can attend ballet classes, are involved in sports, they can travel to different countries, etc. Some of the girls that live in poverty cannot afford to go to school all the time, they have to help their parents with their business of selling brooms or fries, some only eat one meal a day, etc.
Give this book a try. I believe you will enjoy it. It has a beautiful cover and wonderful stories about strong girls that work hard and live life to the fullest.

-Rebeca

Today is International Women's Day and that prompted me to post a review for GIRLHOOD: TEENS AROUND THE WORLD IN THEIR OWN VOICES by Masuma Ahuja. The voices range from Alejandra who is 17 in Argentina to Viona, 15, in Kenya. In between are teen girls from India, Iraq, Mongolia, South Africa, Sweden and more for a total of 30 girls from 27 countries. As Ahuja says in her afterward, "I thought about how rarely we get to see the world through girl's eyes ... about what life looks like for us and for everyone else." This collection of diary entries, quotes, photographs and other images includes a roughly 7 to 8 page scrapbook-like "collage portrait" of each participant. Award-winning journalist Ahuja adds context and analysis of news stories to each, rounding out the pictures of these lives. She includes some shocking statistics like "about 130 million girls between the ages of 6 and 17 are not in school" and "one in five girls around the world marries before the age of 18." The book is recommended for those in middle school and early high school and I wish it would be on the shelves everywhere. The opportunities to reflect on common themes – finding identity and pursuing dreams, separating from parents, developing friendships and struggling to fit in – deserve the time and space that is often not allocated to girls and their issues. It would be fascinating for advisories (homerooms) to read and share these stories as well as to use them for a model to create their own. Somewhat similar stories for older teens was created a few years ago when The New York Times' Jessica Bennett shared "What 18 Looks Like Around the World" with the #ThisIs18 project. Coincidentally, The New York Times posted today "Teens on a Year That Changed Everything" – an absolutely stunning commentary on the last 12 months from a teenage perspective.

Links in live post:
https://www.nytimes.com/2018/10/11/world/this-is-18-through-girls-eyes.html
https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2018/10/11/style/this-is-18.html
https://www.nytimes.com/2021/03/08/learning/teens-pandemic-art.html

This book was an absolute joy to read, to learn about the strengths, cultures, education, hobbies, families of these girls. To read their diary entries and the interviews they gave and to see the personal pictures they shared was eye opening.

I loved hearing what they dream for the future and how they plan to achieve their goals.

I highly recommend!!!!

I loved this story!

Loved reading about all the different cultures and all the powerful stories!
thank you for inviting me

This was a nice book, but it felt a bit repetitive, especially by the end. I wish there was more context around the issues/countries in each introduction instead of an almost summary of the diary entries provided by each of the girls featured. But overall it's a really sweet project and I would definitely get this for young girls in my life, maybe as they are about to head into the teen years. You can read my full review here: https://www.jasbeingjas.com/post/girlhood

Masuma Ahuja’s Girlhood Teens Around the World in Their Own Voices is an interesting and enlightening exploration of teenage girls. While there are many commonalities from country to country, there are also vast differences highlighting political and economic disparities.

While most of the young women dreamed of further education and planning life and goals, some also faced hours of daily chores, the fear of being caught out after dark, and the realities of dealing with unexpected situations. Many binged on Netflix while one wondered if there would be electricity that evening, which puts many things in perspective.

Many of the diary entries read similarly to me. Some were eloquent or loquacious or insightful. While the editor noted that at 29, she was far from being the group of girls being represented in this book, I am even further. However, there is a resonating sense that though years pass the experience of being a young woman, preparing to take on a large world, never changes–even if some aspects of it we wish could.

I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Loved loved loved this one. Very beautiful book filled with different girls and experiences. They made me laugh, shed tears, giggle and made me hopeful. I highly recommend.

Teenage girls around the world go to school, work jobs, talk to friends, and wonder about the future. This book compiles details about the daily lives of 31 girls from 29 countries. Each girl writes in her own voice and shares information and pictures that show readers a snapshot of their education, friendships, schedule, and dreams.
I greatly enjoyed this book. It’s a quick read with plenty of pictures and a layout that resembles a scrapbook. But readers won’t want to rush the stories. They connect us with real girls who face unique and common challenges. I laughed, cried and thought about my teen years as I read. Through this book, I have more compassion and understanding about what life’s like around the world. It’s an important book for girls, parents, educators, historians, sociologists, and anyone who was ever a teen.

In #GirlHood #TeensAroundTheWorldInTheirVoices, Masuma Ahuja a freelance journalist asked thirty girls whose lives span twenty-seven countries to share their diary entries about what's like to be a teenage girls in different contexts and circumstances.

I love how diverse these girls were and how each choose their stories to be told in their own way. We get to see them in what they find joy in doing as well as their struggles (person and in each's country/environment).

A beautiful anthem of the power of girls across the world, Girlhood simultaneously educates, reveals, and empowers. I love the way this book uses the individual voices of girls from a variety of cultures and experiences to make clear the truth that girlhood is a powerful identity to hold, and that in the multitude of ways that we are different from one another we are also made stronger as a unit.