About the Book
In the vein of Reviving Ophelia and Untangled comes a fresh, unexpected, and empowering guide to better understand teenage girls, revealing how their insights can create heartfelt connections and impactful change.
Written with warmth and humor, USA TODAY bestseller UNDERESTIMATED is the first book to invite us into a teenage girl’s brain and heart, as told from the point of view of a beloved and trusted mentor. Chelsey Goodan was a highly sought-after academic tutor who worked with hundreds of girls from all different backgrounds, earning their trust, confidence, and friendship. They in turn have shared with her their innermost concerns, doubts, and what they wish they could communicate to their parents and the world at large.
With topics and language directly chosen by teenage girls, Chelsey reveals how the solutions to a girl’s well-being lie within her. She offers parents the exact words they can use to help her discover these solutions, and demonstrates how adults can better support a teenage girl’s voice to create positive change.
Covering a variety of topics —including Sexuality, Perfection, People-Pleasing, Identity, Friends, Self-Doubt, The Media, Beauty, Shame, and Power— Chelsey invites the reader to self-reflect. She reveals how to heal your own inner teenage girl, in order to bring greater connection into your life.
Rather than dismissing teenage girls based on our own fears or treating them as problems that need to be solved, Chelsey encourages us as parents, and as a society, to help girls unleash their power and celebrate their intrinsic wisdom. With inspiring ease, Underestimated shows us how to do this with accessible advice, entertaining narratives, and profound wisdom.
BOOKLIST said...
“A wise, well-articulated handbook to help adults listen to and hold space for teens... practical wisdom that belongs in the toolbox of every teenager.”
JENNI KONNER, Writer, Director, and Executive Producer of HBO’s Girls said...
“Chelsey is a godsend. This book is a godsend.
In UNDERESTIMATED, Chelsey gives us all the tools needed to have the difficult and much needed conversations with our teenagers. Or any teenagers. I’ve seen her work first hand and trust me, WE ALL NEED THESE TOOLS. Badly. She brings sensitivity to her work and a ‘just removed enough’ perspective that is impossible for parents to have from close up."
KIRKUS REVIEWS said...
“What makes this book stand out is the way Goodan allows girls to share their truths openly and without judgment.
In this way, the author empowers young women by showing readers what they have to teach adults about the power of (inter)personal authenticity."
HODA KOTB, Co-host of TODAY with Hoda & Jenna said...
“We couldn’t stop talking about your book!”
HELLO SUNSHINE said...
“UNDERESTIMATED is a course correction for parents offering practical advice, actual scripts, and exact questions and comments that will help open up conversations with daughters.”
JENNIFER SIEBEL NEWSOM, filmmaker and founder of the The Representation Project said...
“To create a world that welcomes girls’ powerful voices and fosters their agency, we need this book.
UNDERESTIMATED masterfully teaches us how to empower teenage girls by simplifying solutions to challenging topics like self-doubt, shame, the beauty myth, and power, offering effective tools for parents, educators, and trusted adults in girls’ lives."
LAURA DERN, Academy Award-winning actress and New York Times bestselling author said...
“I’ve personally witnessed how Chelsey changes the lives of teenage girls for the better by deepening connections and helping everyone feel more heard and understood.
With passion and enthusiasm, Chelsey empowers girls to discover their voices in both the most practical and deepest of ways. UNDERESTIMATED is exactly what we all need right now, for our families and for our future voices in the world."
LIZ PLANK, award-winning journalist, author of For the Love of Men: From Toxic to a More Mindful Masculinity said...
“UNDERESTIMATED provides a critical blueprint for the kinds of conversations that parents and their children are afraid to have, but deeply need.
It’s an accessible yet poignant exploration of how parents and teenage girls can grow together rather than further apart. And I can’t think of someone more equipped to help us understand and uplift teenage girls than Chelsey Goodan."
EVE RODSKY, New York Times bestselling author of Fair Play said...
“Chelsey expertly reveals the power of teenage girls.
She welcomes us into their minds with curiosity and fun, rather than fear. UNDERESTIMATED gives insight into ways to create a more fair and empowering world where girls and women can thrive."
SARAH JONES, Tony Award-winning writer, actor, and filmmaker said...
“THIS is the book I wish I (and my parents!) had when I was growing up.
Filled with clear, compassionate guidance that debunks the myths around adolescent girls as ‘mean,’ UNDERESTIMATED gives us the tools to support, embrace, and even learn from our teenage girls, who have so much more wisdom than we may realize."
BECKY LYNCH, WWE champion wrestler & NYT bestselling author said...
“UNDERESTIMATED is a must read for anyone who has a daughter, is a daughter, or knows a daughter.
I was honored to be among the first to read UNDERESTIMATED. Chelsey let me read it with the intention that I might provide some feedback or criticism. After flying through the book in one sitting – I had nothing to offer her. Rather, reading this book made me feel as though I had stumbled upon a pot of gold. Suddenly I had a better understanding of my own often misunderstood mind, and as my daughter grows, I'm hoping I can apply the same compassion and understanding that Chelsey teaches."
NEIL STRAUSS, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Truth: An Uncomfortable Book About Relationships said...
“Sometimes we wish our children came with an operating manual.
Fortunately, that operating manual now exists. If you are a parent, caregiver, or educator who cares in any way about understanding this crucial period in a teenager’s development, in a way that supports thriving rather than walling off, UNDERESTIMATED is essential reading. The powerful wisdom will help you not just as a parent, but in every relationship."
