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Every Christmas I buy books for the children in my life. This includes my nearly sixteen year old niece. I've learned, over the years, that she is not a big reader, so this makes choosing books for her especially important. I want to engage her, whether with fiction or non-fiction, with a book that will stretch her imagination, expand her curiosity or help her mature. So it was with great pleasure that I learned that the books I give her are usually used for one of her required book reports at school.
As she is now in high school, with big dreams but equally big distractions, I have been puzzling over what to get this year. Then today I finally had the opportunity to sit down with The Path Daybook: A Daybook for Young Women by Janet Satterfield. Bingo! I found the perfect book for her.
Janet has created a charming book for young women between the ages of sixteen and twenty two. To quote from Janet's introduction, "This book is an interactive journey through the calendar year. I have written this book to encourage and empower young women like yourself to be the best you can be, to enjoy life and to think for yourself."
Each day of the year has its own page and contains a word or a concept to stimulate thought and, ideally, conversation with peers or adults. The thought or concept may include doing a creative activity or answering questions. Ideally, the more effort the young woman puts into thought or conversation, the more she will gain from it.
The second segment on each page includes a paragraph or two about a fictional quest undertaken by a young woman named Adrielle. Again, the emphasis is on creating empowerment and resourcefulness, two qualities that will assist young women throughout their lives.
The last segment on each page contains two events in history that occurred on that given day. I admit it: I am a great one for collecting curious bits of trivia. Check out the sections on the home page of my site and you'll find tropical trivia galore. But more than just providing interesting historical tidbits, the events listed provide a perspective of past occurrences and how they may relate to what is currently occurring in the world. History has a tendency to repeat itself, as those of us who have lived for more than forty years are acutely aware.
I like this book. Something that is not strongly encouraged in most public high schools is critically thinking. Superficiality and cliches appear to abound throughout society; this minimalist thinking is not useful if we are going to expand our minds and become more conscious adults. Janet's daybook encourages young women to think beyond the usual parameters of dating, trendy clothes, annoying teachers and parents and all the other daily "stuff" that often crowds the minds of teens. Instead, it encourages a deeper consideration of daily life. I hope my niece will take advantage of the book to help her aspire to be all that she can be.
The Path Daybook can be purchased at Amazon or Lulu. Janet has additional books for children and young adults on both of these sites. They look like great resources for those of us wanting to make a difference in the lives of the children we love.
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