Quiúbole con ... tu cuerpo, el ligue, tu imagen, el sexo, las drogas y todo lo demás: Un libro para niñas, chavas, chicas o como quieras llamarles … (What’s Going on with … A Book for Young Women)

By staff -- Críticas, 7/15/2007

REVIEWED WITH:
Quiúbole con ... tu cuerpo, el ligue, tus cuates, el sexo, tu familia, las drogas y todo lo demás: Manual de supervivencia para hombres.
(What’s Going on with … Your Body, Your Relationships, Your Friends, Sex, Your Family, Drugs and Everything Else: A Survival Manual for Men)
Vargas, Gaby, and Jordi Rosado.
Mexico/U.S.: Aguilar: Santillana. 2006./n/400p. illus. ISBN 970-770-409-8. pap. $19.95

Gr 7+–It is easy to see why this series is so successful (it sold more than 500,000 copies in Mexico): both volumes speak frankly about topics that adolescents are eager to learn about. Vargas, a well-know Mexican author, and Rosado, who hosts radio shows for teenagers, explore the world of adolescence in an informative yet often-entertaining manner. The first book focuses on critical issues facing girls such as peer pressure, the changing body, the first visit to the gynecologist, and how to build positive relationships. It doesn’t shy away from complex and sensitive issues such as sexually transmitted diseases, contraception, eating disorders, and the effects and risks of drugs, including cigarettes and alcohol. The volume for boys covers many of the same topics from a male perspective. It includes an explanation on masturbation (written backwards so it can only be read in front of a mirror) and offers tips on how to understand the opposite sex. Throughout the chapters, the authors encourage readers to take full responsibility for their actions and to establish a dialog with their parents. Written in a conversational tone, the text includes colloquial Mexican expressions and a number of accessible English-language words. Each designed for the intended audience, the volume for girls has brightly colored pink-and-gold pages with amusing illustrations (like an X-ray revealing butterflies in the stomach), and the version for males mimics a Japanese manga. The books include a detailed index, contact information for key organizations (though most offices are located in Mexico City), and a list of helpful websites. Both of these manuals are sure to be a hit with adolescents, school counselors, health-care workers, and parents. Definitely recommended for bookstores and school and public libraries.—Maureen Beristain, Winspear Business Reference Lib., Univ. of Alberta, Edmonton, Canada