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Alarming Observations of Adolescent Young Women.

Psychologist Mary Pipher has worked mostly with teenage girls for over ten years. She's witnessed the "oppression" of teenage girls today, more pronounced than that of their mothers because of the "more dangerous, sexualized and media saturated culture." She argues also that something happens to girls when they reach adolescence, that they lose their "assertive, energetic and 'tomboyish' personalities" to become "more deferential, self-critical and depressed." Pipher has found greater incidents of eating disorders, self-mutilation, underachievement and depression among her clients. Pipher's new book is "Reviving Ophelia: Saving the Selves of Adolescent Girls." (Putnam)

15:33
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Other segments from the episode on April 25, 1994

Fresh Air with Terry Gross, April 25, 1994: Interview with John Matisonn; Interview with Mary Pipher; Review of Mircea Eliade's and Maitreyi Devi's novels "Bengal Nights" and "It Does Not Die."
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23:06

South African Journalist John Matisonn.

South African journalist John Matisonn. Matisonn is white and grew up in the suburbs in Johannesburg. (His grandparents emigrated to South Africa at the turn of the century). To NPR listeners he's best known for his coverage from South Africa from 1986 to 1991. Matisonn also worked in Washington, D.C. He's now the head of elections for the South Africa Broadcasting Company, SABC, (which before the end of apartheid, broadcast purely government propaganda).

Interview
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05:09

A Love Story From Both Points of View.

Commentator Maureen Corrigan reviews "Bengal Nights," and "It Does Not Die," two autobiographical novels about the same romantic affair. They've just been republished. "Bengal Nights" is by Mircea Eliade, "It Does Not Die," is by Maitreyi Devi. (Both University of Chicago Press).

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27:36

Adult Children and their Aging Parents.

Psychologist Mary Pipher is the author of the bestselling book, "Reviving Ophelia" about the struggles of adolescent girls. She's now turned her attention to process of getting older and entering old age and the relationship between adult children and their aging parents. Her new book is "Another Country: Navigating the Emotional Terrain of Our Elders" (Riverhead)

Interview

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