• Nonfiction.

By Wendy Shalit. Random House, $25.95.

Grade: D

Book in a nutshell: Shalit is outraged that American girls are awash in a culture of hypersexuality and filth. Bratz dolls, Abercrombie & Fitch shirts stating "Who Needs Brains When You Have These?" and sex education in schools contribute to a culture that is hostile to innocence, she argues. Stringing together a litany of disjointed anecdotes culled from interviews, Web sites and Cosmopolitan magazine and its ilk, Shalit quotes girls whose parents ridicule them for being virgins and cites unnamed college administrators who "explicitly endorse" casual sex.

Her philosophy degree notwithstanding, Shalit's simplistic argument that adults and the media overwhelming push girls into making choices against their interests defies common sense; these girls also have minds of their own. But having propped up her straw man, she defends the brave, unpopular minority who just want to dress modestly (harking back to her first book, A Return to Modesty) and practice sex as an act of love and commitment (preferably in marriage).

Best tidbit: Contradicting her own argument that most girls have to "reclaim" their self-respect, Shalit quotes 25-year-old "Jane," who never lost it. Jane escaped bad situations as a teen because she valued herself. She realizes that self-respect and self-esteem are the antidotes to a culture that objectifies women. "Instinctively, I want to say that it starts at home, with a mother who values herself, and a father who respects her. I am coming to the conclusion that it starts with us."

Pros: Shalit does lots of hands-on reporting, presenting views of extremists such as a charismatic 15-year-old cheerleader for the abstinence movement, as well as those of NOW president Kim Gandy, who resists the effort to cast girls as either virgin or slut.

Cons: Snide remarks about the "other side" and fawning coverage of the brave warriors who stand up to devils with condoms make Girls Gone Mild cringe-worthy. And boys are caricatured, along with the media, as preying on our hapless daughters.

Final word: Shalit tries to paint a big picture with just a few shades of black and white. The result is a distorted mess, full of bold strokes that don't add up to anything close to reality.

Sarah Peasley