As a father who has survived watching his two daughters grow up, I can attest to the fact that it is not always fun and easy being a teenage girl. What’s Wrong With Me? by Daree Allen addresses many issues that I observed as my two daughters grew up.

All the chapter titles in What’s Wrong With Me? begin with “What’s wrong with…”. The book offers advice in areas of friends, work, family, money, relationships, sex, and more. Much of the advice is given from a Biblical perspective.  Throughout the book, Daree Allen shares her experiences growing up as well as some of her adult life history. These glimpses into her life are meant to reinforce the lessons that she is trying to teach young girls.

As a parent, I would not advise just giving this book to your daughter. The parent (or responsible adult) needs to read and study What’s Wrong With Me? first. After that, I would suggest using it as a conversation/discussion starter. Not all the guidance given in this book is going to fall in line with the beliefs or convictions of all parents.  Use the book with caution, temper it with your beliefs, and know what your daughter is reading.

I was somewhat concerned about some of the sharing about her personal life that was done by Daree Allen. The reader will soon discover that she was not a “model young lady”. She discourages her readers from doing many things that she admits to doing in her book. In doing this, the author reminds me of some evangelists I have seen that seem to glorify their past to point of loosing the message that they are trying to teach. Instead of the message of “don’t do this”, it could be quite easy to walk away thinking, “I can do the same thing and still be successful later”. I’m sure this was not the author’s intention, but it is a possibility when dealing with impressionable young people.

Although this book is definitely written for the African-American girl, much of the advice could be easily applied to young ladies of any race. With some minor changes in the manuscript, this book would have been one that could have been used by all girls.

Despite these reservations, I feel that What’s Wrong With Me? does offer some sound advice for growing girls. This could be a good resource for the families that are willing to go through the book with their daughters.

What other bloggers have said about What’s Wrong With Me by Daree Allen: 

Disclosure of Material Connection: I was given a copy of this book by the author. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 <http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/cfr/waisidx_03/16cfr255_03.html> : “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”