Mary Pipher

REVIVING OPHELIA by Mary Pipher. (Putnam: $23.95; 320 pp.) According to clinical psychologist Mary Pipher, adolescent girls are in terrible trouble. Teen-age pregnancy, drug abuse, eating disorders, self mutilation and depression are all on the rise. The cause of this, Pipher contends, is to be found in today's society where "(Girls are) caught in myriad double binds: achieve, but not too much; be polite, but be yourself, be feminine and adult. . . .

"Old age," said Golda Meir, "is like flying through a storm. Once you're aboard, there is nothing you can do about it. " It is the ultimate passage, the last hurrah, the final chapter, and--don't kid yourself--you always knew it was coming. But that doesn't make it any easier, nor does it make you prepared. Whether you are already old or worried about loved ones who are, it's not too late to grab a map or two to help you weather the inevitable storm. And, just in time, a pair of bestselling authors have explored the horizon and come back with a report on what to expect.

"Old age," said Golda Meir, "is like flying through a storm. Once you're aboard, there is nothing you can do about it. " It is the ultimate passage, the last hurrah, the final chapter, and--don't kid yourself--you always knew it was coming. But that doesn't make it any easier, nor does it make you prepared. Whether you are already old or worried about loved ones who are, it's not too late to grab a map or two to help you weather the inevitable storm. And, just in time, a pair of bestselling authors have explored the horizon and come back with a report on what to expect.

Mary Pipher is a family psychologist whose 1994 book about adolescent girls, "Reviving Ophelia," became a bestseller. She followed that successful book with another in 1996, "The Shelter of Each Other," about the effect of contemporary American culture on family life. With her new book "Another Country," Pipher will surely attract a lot of readers because it is about the fastest-growing segment of our population: the people who are old and getting older.

Mary Pipher is a family psychologist whose 1994 book about adolescent girls, "Reviving Ophelia," became a bestseller. She followed that successful book with another in 1996, "The Shelter of Each Other," about the effect of contemporary American culture on family life. With her new book "Another Country," Pipher will surely attract a lot of readers because it is about the fastest-growing segment of our population: the people who are old and getting older.

The hands shoot up. The heads nod. And the eager voices of several Porter Middle School students explode in unison. Everyone agrees that if they were home, the TV would definitely be on. Author and therapist Mary Pipher--who moments earlier posed the TV or not TV question--has hit pay dirt. Again. Her newest book, "The Shelter of Each Other" (Putnam, 1996), speaks to the era of high-tech electronics in which TV, the Internet, video games--an all-out media assault--seem to rule our kids.

The beauty of this gentle book for mothers and daughters is that it places importance on the few years before adolescence. It's now well-accepted in child development that adolescence is a time of gripping psychological turmoil for girls that too often results in their loss of identity and optimism. Thus, there is increasing emphasis on providing young girls with a kind of psychological inoculation that might help them avoid some of the pitfalls of the teen years.

HARDCOVER 1. "Body for Life: 12 Weeks to Mental and Physical Strength," by Bill Phillips and Michael D'Orso (HarperCollins, $25) 2. "Life Makeovers: 52 Practical and Inspiring Ways to Improve Your Life One Week at a Time," by Cheryl Richardson (Broadway, $21.95) 3. "Eat Right for Your Type: The Individualized Diet Solution to Staying Healthy, Living Longer & Achieving Your Ideal Weight," by Peter J. D'Adamo (Putnam, $23.95) 4.

1. "Talking to Heaven," by James Van Praagh (Dutton, $22.95) 2. "Simple Abundance: A Daybook of Comfort and Joy," by Sarah Ban Breathnach (Warner, $17.95) 3. "The Gift of Fear: Listening to the Intuition That Protects Us From Danger," by Gavin De Becker (Little, Brown & Co., $22.95) 4. "Don't Worry, Make Money: Spiritual and Practical Ways to Create Abundance and More Fun in Your Life," by Richard Carlson (Hyperion, $15.95) 5. "The Spiritual Warrior," by John-Roger (Mandeville Press, $20) 6.

The hands shoot up. The heads nod. And the eager voices of several Porter Middle School students explode in unison. Everyone agrees that if they were home, the TV would definitely be on. Author and therapist Mary Pipher--who moments earlier posed the TV or not TV question--has hit pay dirt. Again. Her newest book, "The Shelter of Each Other" (Putnam, 1996), speaks to the era of high-tech electronics in which TV, the Internet, video games--an all-out media assault--seem to rule our kids.

REVIVING OPHELIA by Mary Pipher. (Putnam: $23.95; 320 pp.) According to clinical psychologist Mary Pipher, adolescent girls are in terrible trouble. Teen-age pregnancy, drug abuse, eating disorders, self mutilation and depression are all on the rise. The cause of this, Pipher contends, is to be found in today's society where "(Girls are) caught in myriad double binds: achieve, but not too much; be polite, but be yourself, be feminine and adult. . . .