Dee, Catherine 1964-

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DEE, Catherine 1964-

PERSONAL: Born January 29, 1964, in Los Angeles, CA; daughter of Orson R. Dee (a cardiologist) and Frances Zeiner (a health care professional); married Jonathan Ganz (a technical publications consultant), September 29, 2001. Education: Pomona College, B.A., 1986. Politics: Democrat.

ADDRESSES: Home and office—P.O. Box 7035, Redwood City, CA 94063. E-mail—[email protected].

CAREER: Empowering Books for Girls, northern CA, author and public speaker. Also works as a technical and marketing writer and editor.

MEMBER: Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators.

AWARDS, HONORS: San Francisco Chronicle Best Bet, 1997, for The Girls' Guide to Life: How to Take Charge of the Issues That Affect You; Best Book Award, Disney Adventures, 1999; two American Library Association awards, both 2000, both for The Girls' Book of Wisdom: Empowering, Inspirational Quotes from over 400 Fabulous Females.

WRITINGS:

FOR YOUNG READERS

Kid Heroes of the Environment, illustrated by Michele Montez, Earth Works Press (Berkeley, CA), 1991.

The Girls' Guide to Life: How to Take Charge of the Issues That Affect You, illustrated by Cynthia Jabar, photographs by Carol Palmer, Little, Brown (New York, NY), 1997.

(Editor and author of introductions) The Girls' Book of Wisdom: Empowering, Inspirational Quotes from over 400 Fabulous Females, Little, Brown (New York, NY), 1999.

(Editor and author of introductions) The Girls' Book of Friendship: Cool Quotes, True Stories, Secrets, and More, illustrated by Ali Douglass, Little, Brown (New York, NY), 2001.

(Editor and author of introductions) The Girls' Book of Love: Cool Quotes, Super Stories, Awesome Advice, and More, Little, Brown (New York, NY), 2002.

(Editor and author of introductions) The Girls' Book of Success: Winning Wisdom, Star Secrets, Tales of Triumph, and More, Little, Brown (New York, NY), 2003.

OTHER

(Editor) The Women's 1992 Voting Guide, Earth Works Press (Berkeley, CA), 1992.

(Editor) 50/50 by 2000: The Woman's Guide to Political Power, Earth Works Press (Berkeley, CA), 1993.

WORK IN PROGRESS: A new edition of The Girls' Guide to Life.

SIDELIGHTS: In The Girls' Guide to Life author Catherine Dee offers a feminist perspective on the political, cultural, social, and personal issues that face young women every day. As she told CA, she focuses in part on the stereotypes that help to perpetuate the age-old view that women are (or should be) passive, weak, or otherwise inferior to men. Dee explains the stereotypes and presents advice on how to counter them and how to help others to do the same, in what Booklist contributor Stephanie Zvirin called a "refreshingly nonstrident" way. Dee supports her advice with inspirational commentary from a diverse array of contributors in a variety of creative genres. Thus, whether the subject is political awareness, physical attractiveness, sexual harassment, or income disparity, a chapter might contain, in addition to historical facts and cultural background, a poem by Maya Angelou, a comic strip, a short story or nonfiction piece by an ordinary teenager, or a "self-study" quiz.

Dee's effort is not limited to offering inspirational support. Each chapter also includes a list of additional sources of information, ranging from relevant books or videos to addresses of organizations that can help. To Horn Book reviewer Marilyn Bousquin, one valuable component of each chapter is a "Things to Do" list that prompts the reader to become part of a solution, whether by improving her self-understanding or reaching out to others.

Dee explained, "Quotes were one component of The Girls' Guide to Life that girls especially liked, so my next project was a 'companion' book of empowering and inspirational quotes from women and girls, The Girls' Book of Wisdom: Empowering, Inspirational Quotes from over 400 Fabulous Females. This fun little book in turn launched a series that now includes The Girls' Book of Friendship, The Girls' Book of Love, and The Girls' Book of Success."

Like Dee's first book, The Girls' Book of Wisdom is divided into topical sections, nearly fifty of them, devoted to universal themes such as love, beauty, creativity, and leadership. She collected hundreds of inspirational quotations from women who achieved success in a wide range of careers, including pioneers, musicians and actors, politicians and activists for women's rights, and even famous mothers. Contributors range from Eleanor Roosevelt and writer Virginia Woolf to talk show host Rosie O'Donnell and athlete Jackie Joyner-Kersee.

The Girls' Book of Friendship is similar, with sections devoted to specific aspects of friendship, such as making new friends, nurturing relationships, and giving tokens of affection. Contributors come from the past, such as Little Women author Louisa May Alcott, and the present, including politician Hillary Rodham Clinton, television personality Oprah Winfrey, and typical teenagers with a message to share. In addition, The Girls' Book of Friendship offers tips on activities and projects that can help girls meet new people and strengthen the friendships they already enjoy.

Dee told CA: "After college and working as a copywriter in corporate America for a few years, I joined a small publisher, Earth Works Press, in Berkeley, California, and fell in love with the idea of writing books to help people and the planet. While editing a book called The Women's 1992 Voting Guide I realized that there were very few books available to help girls develop strong self-esteem and feel good about themselves. I certainly hadn't had a book like that when I was growing up. So to fill this gap, I wrote The Girls' Guide to Life: How to Take Charge of the Issues That Affect You. I enjoyed every moment of the creation of this book, and I couldn't wait for it to come out so that girls could have access to the information. I'll never forget the way I felt when girls started showing up at my first book signing and began reading it.

"Inspiring and empowering girls through writing these books is the icing on the cake of my life. I feel very fortunate that Megan Tingley at Little, Brown believed in my first book proposal, and I look forward to continuing to provide helpful growing-up resources for girls!"

BIOGRAPHICAL AND CRITICAL SOURCES:

PERIODICALS

Booklist, July, 1997, Stephanie Zvirin, review of The Girls' Guide to Life: How to Take Charge of the Issues That Affect You, p. 1813.

Horn Book, July-August, 1997, Marilyn Bousquin, review of The Girls' Guide to Life, p. 473.

Plays, November, 2001, review of The Girls' Book of Friendship: Cool Quotes, True Stories, Secrets, and More, p. 70.

Publishers Weekly, September 20, 1999, review of The Girls' Book of Wisdom: Empowering, Inspirational Quotes from over 400 Fabulous Females, p. 90.

School Library Journal, December, 1999, Jennifer Ralston, review of The Girls' Book of Wisdom, p. 148; November, 2001, Elaine Baran Black, review of The Girls' Book of Friendship, p. 174.

Skipping Stones, September-October, 1997, review of The Girls' Guide to Life, p. 30.

Voice of Youth Advocates, December, 2001, Jennifer Hubert, review of The Girls' Book of Friendship, p. 380.