"Joan has spent a lifetime enduring the cruelties of men. But when one of them commits a shocking act of violence in front of her, she flees New York City in search of Alice, the only person alive who can help her make sense of her past. In the sweltering hills above Los Angeles, Joan unravels the horrific event she witnessed as a child--that has haunted her every waking moment--while forging the power to finally strike back. Animal is a depiction...

"When Lilly Dancyger was twenty-three years old, her best friend and cousin, Sabina, was violently raped and murdered. In the face of devastating loss, Dancyger stayed sane and whole by the magic and the medicine of her female friends. Each essay in First Love examines a different female friendship in her life, beginning with her first love--Sabina--whose loss becomes the springboard for Dancyger's examinations of her fierce and passionate relationships...

"We congratulate ourselves when we resist the donut in the office breakroom. We celebrate our restraint when we hold back from sending an email in anger. We feel virtuous when we wake up at dawn to get a jump on the day. We put others' needs ahead of our own and believe this makes us exemplary. In On Our Best Behavior, journalist Elise Loehnen explains that these impulses - often lauded as unselfish, distinctly feminine instincts - are actually ingrained...

Presents excerpts from articles published in O, the Oprah magazine, with advice on beauty and health, spirituality, family and love relationships, and actions that can be taken to improve the quality of life for others.

Examines mental health and illness in women focusing on the existence of double standards in diagnosis, the "trauma" of psychiatric stereotypes, psychiatric liberation, and more.