10 Ultimate Truths Girls Should Know by Kari Kampakis

10 Ultimate Truths Girls Should Know by Kari Kampakis

This is a book full of important, Biblically-sound truths for young girls. As we all know, the teenage years are difficult for girls as they struggle with graciously accepting all the physical and mental changes which occur at that important time. 
Too often, teenage girls fail this passage into womanhood, not physically but spiritually and mentally. They become broken, wasted creatures who are unable to embrace the futures God has in store for them. Because I was not-to-long-ago a teenager, I know every struggle a girl can face. And most of all, I know it is nigh impossible to convince a teenager that their present struggles will soon fade and seem trivial. I know. I remember the years in which I thought having clear skin was the key to happiness....only to realize when I reached that goal that the key to happiness is definitely something bigger. 
You had to be a teenage girl to understand.
Maybe you are one yourself. This book is for you. The author, Kari Kampakis has four daughters of her own and in this her first book, she gently and lovingly guides the teenage girl through ten ''ultimate truths'' that will change her world. No longer do you, the reader have to be subject to bullying, emotional roller coasters, selfishness, etc. Kari is clear and practical in the way she presents the facts and solutions in this 11-chapter book. 

Chapters include: 

• Kindness is more important than popularity.
• People peak at different times of life. Trust God's plan for you.
• Get comfortable with being uncomfortable. Otherwise, you'll never stick to your guns.
• Today's choices set the stage for your reputation.
• You were born to fly.

A major thing I loved about this book is how adamantly opposed to premaritial sex this author is! She clearly stands against sexual impurity and mothers can be sure that their daughter will be encouraged and convicted through reading the author's thoughts on purity. 

Along that line, this book is definitely targeted towards public school attendees. There were some scenarios and ''quick quizzes'' (''what would you do....") which were extremely racy and outright public school. At least I hope stuff like that doesn't go on in Christian school! 

Some of my confusion stemmed from these scenarios and were answered by the realization that the author is Catholic. Although Catholic schools have high standards, the students come from a variety of families and one can not trust the faith of the children to be true or strong. The same with Christian schools, of course. Anywhere were children are together for hours on end can lead to sinful discussions and desires. 

Another portion of the book which disturbed me was the author's view of dating. She openly expresses the following: "The boys you date now won't be your spouse. They're meant to lead you to your spouse, just as you'll help lead them to theirs." This simply bothered me since I wouldn't want my daughter playing the dating game! The author also upholds the joys of young romance. Although she strongly stands for sexual purity, she isn't very strong on the emotional side. 
Nevertheless, I was impressed by her chapters about romance. In short, this book has much good as well as some less good portions. 
One of the less good facts about this book is that Kari put in her own opinion about when a girl should marry.  I thought this wasn't her place, since marriage is a good thing and such advice up to the mother to give. I quote: ''I started dating my husband when I was 23, which is relatively young. Within a month we knew we'd get married, but we waited 3 years because he lived in a different city and I loved my job. To this day, I take great pride in those 4 years I supported myself and earned career recognition. I 'm glad I was able to marry a man not by necessity--because I needed financial support---but by choice. ''
I don't know about you, but I wouldn't want my daughter thinking like that! 


Lastly, this book is written for the Christian teenager, thus limiting its audience. Throughout much of the book, Kari Kampakis assures the young girl reader that she is a daughter of the King, beloved, cherished...this certainly isn't detrimental to your unbelieving daughter if she knows she is not saved. But I don't want any young girls getting the wrong impression of their standing before Christ if they are not His. 
Thankfully, the author strongly explains that we need Christ as our all in all. 

I would not recommend this book for homeschoolers. I know the author didn't intend it for such, but since my audience may be homeschoolers, I just wanted to throw this in as a homeschool graduate. Although there is much in it that is Biblically-sound, many of the situations are foreign to those who are not in a public classroom environment. Nevertheless, college students may still benefit from this book. Girls, we all know teenage years aren't the only hard ones. I still struggle with many of the issues presented in this book. And although I am sad that I haven't overcome them, it's nothing to be surprised about. Women will always have similar struggles, even as they mature. Thus much of the content in this book is appropriate for all ages. It will be a blessing for a mother to read aloud to her daughter! Also, I can imagine girlfriends benefiting from reading it side by side. 

I received this book from the publisher in exchange for my honest review.