Letters to a Young Sister: DeFINE Your Destiny Book

Foreword   Gabrielle Union     XI
Introduction     XIX
Empowerment 3.0
"Ego Tripping (there may be a reason why)"   Nikki Giovanni     3
Young Sistah: Your FINE Destiny     5
E-mail: Teased for Being Outstanding   Michelle Obama     11
Designing Your Destiny in This New-School World     13
E-mail: Divine Purpose   Tavis Smiley     21
Sistahs: As Unique as Snowflakes and Fingerprints     23
E-mail: It's a Hard-Knock Life for US   Eve     30
The J.J.: Journaling & Journeying Through Life: The Power of One     32
E-mail: No R-E-S-P-E-C-T   Alfre Woodard     42
The Difference Between Need and Purpose     44
E-mail: My Morals for Success?   Ciara     52
E-mail: Too Much Pressure!!   Sanaa Lathan     54
Relationships: Family, Friends, and Boys
Ain't Nothin' but a "G" Thang: GOSSIP     59
E-mail: Gossip Girls   Jasmine Guy     70
The Parent Trap: You Can Choose Your Friends, but You Can't Choose Your Family     72
E-mail: OOOOHH BABY!!   Shar Jackson     78
E-mail: Make Me Beautiful!   Chanel Iman     79
R.E.S.P.E.C.T.: How a Boy Should Treat You     81
E-mail: Boys, Boys, Boys...   Nia Long     90
E-mail: Dating My BGF   Kim Porter     91
The Taboo Topic: SEX     93
E-mail: No Hook-Up/Hurt Feelings   Blair Underwood     98
E-mail: The Dating Game   Lauren London   Evan Ross     100
Sex, Lies, and Texting: The Lies Boys Tell     102
E-mail: Cheating and Lying!?!   Blair Underwood   Terri J. Vaughn     109
E-mail: Love, Sex, and STDs   Shahdae Janelle Holland     111
Daddy's Little Girl: How Shadows Can Loom Large     113
E-mail: Quality Man   Ruby Dee     121
Overcoming Obstacles
Breakup, No Makeup     125
E-mail: Heartache   Niecy Nash     129
E-mail: I Don't Wanna Look Like a Clown   Kenya Moore     131
Words Have Power: The B, H, and T Words     133
E-mail: Nappy-Headed, Well, You Know!   Devynity     139
Double Jeopardy: Racism and Sexism as Obstacles to Success     142
E-mail: Million-Dollar Baby   Cathy Hughes     149
Food for Thought     151
E-mail: Is My Fat Phat?    Dr. S. Elizabeth Ford     156
E-mail: The Not-So-Celebrity Fit Club   Chariesse Griffin     158
Hillified Hugs: Dealing with the Blues     160
"It Really Hurts": Dealing with More Than Just the Blues     165
E-mail: Lonely and Depressed   Bishop Noel Jones     171
Your Future
Educatin' Excellence     175
E-mail: Do I Really Need to Go to School??   Dr. Melissa Nobles     183
The New Cool Money Rule     185
E-mail: Own Business/Own Boss   Marvet Britto     190
The Deadliest Trap: Staying Out of the Debt Pit     193
E-mail: Unhappy and Unorganized   Christina M. Gomes     199
The Linked S's: Savings and Self-Empowerment     202
E-mail: Jane of All Trades, Master of None?   Angela Bassett   Nicole Loftus     212
Careering and Steering     215
E-mail: Career Choices   Candace Bond Mckeever     222
E-mail: When I Grow Up, I Wanna Be ...?   Sharla Crow     224
The Wonderment of Life
Chocolate Cake and Four-Letter Words     229
E-mail: A Dream Deferred   Congresswoman   Carolyn Cheeks Kilpatrick   Malinda Williams      234
Your Heart: Always Follow It (Except with Boys)     236
E-mail: Me and My Boyfriend   Tatyana Ali     241
Throwing Off Limitations     243
E-mail: Ayudeme!   Zoe Saldana     248
Seeing Rainbows: Wonderment of the Everyday     250
E-mail: Dreaming Big???   Tavis Smiley     256
Keys to REAL Happiness: Faith and Service     258
E-mail: Voting and Politics   Michelle Obama     266
Final Letter: Time to Make History     268
E-mail: The Secret of How to Be Happy (Growing to Be Me)   Nikki Giovanni     275
Acknowledgments     277