In the Land of Believers - An Outsider's Extraordinary Journey into the Heart of the Evangelical Church

Mike Flynt was swapping stories with some old football buddies whenhe brought up the biggest regret of his life: getting kicked off thecollege team before his senior year. So, one of his pals said, "Why notdo something about it?" Most 59-year-olds would have laughed. Flynt'sonly concern was his eligibility. He not only returned to collegefootball, but actually made the team at his alma mater - Sul RossState, an NCAA division III school.

His remarkable story begins with a tough upbringing by aviolent father who trained him to fight at every opportunity. Hisfighting habit took him in and out of jail several times, until a faithconversion turned his life around on the very day he was contemplatingsuicide.

Mike Flynt has much to offer others, not only through hisstory, but through his belief that it’s never too late for God to healyour heart and fulfill your dreams.

Foreword by NBA Superstar LeBron James.

The acclaimed author of the groundbreaking bestseller Schoolgirls reveals the dark side of pink and pretty: the rise of the girlie-girl, she warns, is not that innocent.

Pink and pretty or predatory and hardened, sexualized girlhood influences our daughters from infancy onward, telling them that how a girl looks matters more than who she is. Somewhere between the exhilarating rise of Girl Power in the 1990s and today, the pursuit of physical perfection has been recast as a source-the source-of female empowerment. And commercialization has spread the message faster and farther, reaching girls at ever-younger ages.

But, realistically, how many times can you say no when your daughter begs for a pint-size wedding gown or the latest Hannah Montana CD? And how dangerous is pink and pretty anyway-especially given girls' successes in the classroom and on the playing field? Being a princess is just make-believe, after all; eventually they grow out of it. Or do they? Does playing Cinderella shield girls from early sexualization-or prime them for it? Could today's little princess become tomorrow's sexting teen? And what if she does? Would that make her in charge of her sexuality-or an unwitting captive to it?

Those questions hit home with Peggy Orenstein, so she went sleuthing. She visited Disneyland and the international toy fair, trolled American Girl Place and Pottery Barn Kids, and met beauty pageant parents with preschoolers tricked out like Vegas showgirls. She dissected the science, created an online avatar, and parsed the original fairy tales. The stakes turn out to be higher than she-or we-ever imagined: nothing less than the health, development, and futures of our girls. From premature sexualization to the risk of depression to rising rates of narcissism, the potential negative impact of this new girlie-girl culture is undeniable-yet armed with awareness and recognition, parents can effectively counterbalance its influence in their daughters' lives.

Cinderella Ate My Daughter is a must-read for anyone who cares about girls, and for parents helping their daughters navigate the rocky road to adulthood.