Title: Don’t Give It Away – A Workbook of self-awareness and Self-Affirmations for Young Women

Author: Iyanla Vanzant

Find it at: Bookophilia

92 Hope Road, Kingston 6

Price: $1,967.00

SUMMARY:

If you are looking for a book on abstinence, this is not it. Vanzant does not even bring up the topic of sex, so she definitely won’t tell the young girl whether she should “give it away”.

Don’t Give It Away is a guided diary for developing adolescent girls. The “it” to which Vanzant refers is not the female sex organ, or sexual intercourse. It’s the young person herself, who she describes as a wholesome being of great value.

The slim 126-pager is designed as a workbook that not only allows for the voice of the author to be heard, but provides space for the tween/teen to insert her own words of affirmation and self-empowerment.

Iyanla gives solid pieces of advice in a clear, gentle voice, and uses simple words that any child can understand. She speaks about femininity, personal identity, the need for introspection, acceptance of one’s face and body, developing good personality traits, and making responsible decisions.

Vanzant uses the book as an introduction to key ideas of feminism and spirituality. She emphasises that the reader is very precious and cannot fail at anything. She advises young readers about the steps to take when faced with tough decisions, frightened or doubtful, and offers guidance on how to assess situations thoroughly before acting on emotions.

Text covers only about half the pages in the book, while those in-between are left for the young lady to write her thoughts and feelings, analyze them, and make changes as necessary.

There are prompts on what to write, like “I am beautiful because…” so that the reader is compelled to write positive things about herself. She uses the first person narrative throughout the book, which allows the reader to identify more readily with her strong affirmations, as if they were the reader’s own thoughts.

WHY IT’S WORTH READING:

Vanzant’s workbook isn’t just worth reading, it’s worth doing. Unlike other motivational pieces of literature,

Don’t Give It Away forces the reader to internalise the material and respond to it verbally. This process ensures that she does not put down all that she has learnt when she turns the final page of the book, but would have already made significant changes to her perceptions about herself, and her relationship with others.

Vanzant emphasises the importance of self and helps the reader to appreciate her face, body, mind, and feelings. She reiterates throughout the workbook that the reader is perfect, loveable, powerful, and intelligent. She stresses the need for the reader to learn to enjoy her own company, and set high ideals for herself.

The empowering messages of

Don’t Give It Away make it the perfect gift for a girl who may be struggling with changes in her body, family, or environment.

After completing the activities in Vanzant’s

Don’t Give It Away, the reader is sure to view herself in a more positive, beautiful light.

— Candiece Knight