Too often girls have been the object of the fantasies and expectations of others. Subject from an early age to the male gaze they've been lauded inappropriately in popular song, sexualized in TV and print ads, hit with unfair dress code restrictions, and blamed for the actions and reactions--however extreme or even violent--of those gazing males. Like it or not, the adolescent girl wields a power--and shoulders the burden of that power--that she can't really control or even completely understand. Lucky for us that these amazing former girls grew up into women who do understand. They have written novels exploring the experience of being a girl, an adolescent, a young woman, all of which leave us pumping our fist in the air in gratitude that they [nevertheless] persisted.