006082964801_aa180_sclzzzzzzz_v39395206_.jpgI was recently asked to participate in a blog book tour for the newly-released Cycle Savvy: The Smart Teen’s Guide to the Mysteries of Her Body, by Toni Weschler. The book is targeted for 14-18 year old girls, and I have one daughter in that range, and one about to enter it. People might remember Weschler’s book, Taking Charge of Your Fertility. She has legions of fans who have managed to become successfully pregnant with her guidance. I have to say, a bit sheepishly, though, that this book is the reason that our sixteen year old is with us today. (ie., I failed to adequately take charge of my fertility; it ended up taking charge of me!)

EDIT: My bad. Weschler reminded me that her book was published in 1996. My daughter was born in 1990. It must have been a different book, with a similar premise. Probably this one?

My plan was to read this book, and then pass it on to my teen for her perusal. I was a bit skeptical about how she’d take it. The book is a little too — pink — and even though it has plenty of perky cartoons, it is set up like a textbook, with a quiz at the end of each chapter. And they’re not the fun kind of quizzes, they’re like tests. Somehow I did not think this would go over well.
The information presented in this book – about anatomy, the physiology and psychology of menstruation, ovulation and whole fertility cycle – is extremely thorough. Maybe a bit too much. Sections on charting one’s daily basal temperature and cervical mucus left me shaking my head. Can I really imagine a 15 year old taking her daily temperature? And examining her cervical mucus? No, I really can’t. Why would someone do this unless they really, really wanted to conceive?

I think that Weschler would have done well to impart the information that she does without adding the parts about charting one’s fertility. She has an impressive appendix of useful resources and a listing of various birth control methods, their pros and cons. I liked the section about being “sex savvy” – a discussion of sexual readiness and choicemaking, but it is really nothing that most contemporary teens don’t already know.

When I turned the book over to my teenager, she eyed it with suspicion. The book’s cover made her roll her eyes; just a little too cute. The cartoonish illustrations inside were not appealing. “If something calls itself COOL, it most definitely is not cool, Mom,” she said. Same with the words “hip” and “happenin’” – these phrases are the kiss of death for teen readers. She gave it a thumbs-down for her own use, but said it could be useful for girls whose mothers don’t tell them anything, or who don’t take Human Development (sex ed) in school. She also said she could see using it as a textbook along with a school course, but nothing she would ever choose to read on her own.

One of my concerns with this book is that a teenaged girl might read this book and then do a half-baked job of “charting her fertility” – taking a superficial glance at her cervical mucus, or taking her temperature for the fun of it, for a week, and then concluding she’s either infertile or fertile, and ready for unprotected sex! O boy! The teens I know are not famous for reading the fine print, and I worry about what would happen if they might read parts of this book and not others. (you remember skimming for the “good parts”) When I brought this concern up with Weschler in an email exchange, she replied:

You mentioned that you were concerned about girls merely skimming Cycle Savvy, leading to the issue of “a little knowledge is a dangerous thing.” But if we as a society never educate anyone for fear of negative consequences, we would never progress! I strongly believe that providing solid and honest education supercedes any risk of misuse of that education. In the case of teenage girls, for example, I would much rather that they be thoroughly apprised of all matters of sexuality and its incumbent risks, allowing them to make informed choices. My hunch is that far more girls will find the knowledge in Cycle Savvy so empowering that it will prevent an unplanned pregnancy rather than lead to one.

Weschler does address the issue of sexual responsibility, by letting other women’s vignettes speak to the numerous issues that will confront girls who choose to have sex as teenagers – everything from STDs and unplanned pregnancies to date rape and emotional vulnerability. And she says, “I never ever say that teenage girls can have unprotected sex, even if they knew when they were fertile, because of STDs.”

I guess my question is: if you’re not going to ever have unprotected sex, then why would a teenager chart her fertility? Just for the fun of it? Hmm.

Finally, you thought that teenagers wouldn’t read this book because they would be put off by it. But the most common themes running through each of the hundreds of letters I have received from women who read TCOYF is, “Why didn’t I learn this information when I was a teenager?” How could I ignore such compelling feedback?

I think there’s a big difference between writing a book for middle aged women who wish they had gotten information when they were teens, and writing for contemporary teens. I’m not quite sure who the appropriate audience is for this book. I think it’s a bit too much of a good thing.

I wish I could be a more enthusiastic advocate for this book – I certainly think that Weschler has great intent, but it falls short of what contemporary girls will want to or need. For younger teens, I prefer the straightforward, simple Period. I also love It’s Perfectly Normal. But Cycle Savvy has plenty of really positive fans, although none of them have teenaged girls (yet).