When this small sized (5 x 7) gift book arrived at my house in the package from Jeff Needle it generated a lot of excitement and interest. My oldest daughters, each over 30 and mothers to a daughter apiece, were visiting. They reverted to their teenage rivalries trying to be the first to see the book. The volume has an appealing cover and we each feel strongly about the issues surrounding women and girls and their physical selves.

I've always admired any treatment Jeffery R. Holland gives to gospel subjects. I'm not as familiar with Susan W. Tanner but her position as general president of the Young Women seemed to make her perfect to address this subject. What Deseret Book has done with this volume is reprint the authors October 2005 conference talks in a pretty package. I remember the talks and found them great conference talks but I confess I feel a bit cheated by this volume and I didn't pay for the book. The volume is illustrated with soft focus black and white photos that are clich‚d and have no relationship to the content other than they are supposed to be beautiful. There are quite a few flowers, a lighthouse, temple exteriors, swans and a baby hand clutching an adult finger. I wish they had used great photos of real young women in the church. The Dove "real beauty" commercials seem to do a lot better. Of course Dove probably spent a lot more designing their advertisements than DB spent designing this book. If you want girls to feel confident enough about their looks to quit worrying about themselves and get on with a happy life I'm not sure a picture of a tree and mist will reinforce the message.

The message itself is solid. Elder Holland tackles how women often feel bombarded by media messages. He says, "The pitch is, "If your looks are good enough, your life will be glamorous and you will be happy and popular.". . . It's really insane . . . what society is doing to women." He warns mothers and other adult leaders in the church that if they are obsessed with weight and appearance then young girls will be also and it will be spiritually destructive to both. Sister Tanner's talk covers the typical areas of modesty, chastity and observance of the Word of Wisdom. My favorite quote from her: "We are not less but more like our Heavenly Father because we are embodied." It seems then that the best illustration for this little book would be pictures of girls, not swans. If you're thinking of trying to influence some young woman by gifting her with this book, just print out Elder Holland's talk and put it in a notebook with a great picture of the girl.

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Cathy Lane
May 29, 2006