Pychologists, nutritionists, sociologists, and others in the medical field have offered many statistics about body image and self-esteem as they relate to teenage girls. In this summation of a three-year study, Nichter (anthropology, Univ. of Arizona) lets 240 American teenage girls speak for themselves. The results, which make up the core of this work, cover weight, appearance, relationships with mothers, and race as variables in the girls' perception of body image and reveal that girls don't diet as much as they talk about dieting. In the third year of the project, 50 additional African American girls joined the study so that Nichter could further explore cultural differences, and of all the issues discussed, the differences in the answers about race were the most interesting. Nichter's writing style is pleasant, using the actual words of the subjects to supplement her theories and observations. Statistical data are supplied at the end. This is most appropriate for academic or libraries specializing in social sciences.

-Mee-Len Hom, Hunter Coll. Lib., New York

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