Crystal Kirgiss
Zondervan, 2011, 160 pp., $9.99

Recently I met Crystal Kirgiss at a middle school overnight event, where she was the speaker for the evening and doing a short leader training. I had just a brief chance to talk to her one-on-one but was impressed by her insight and knowledge. Her training topic for the evening was on “Gender Roles and Issues.” It was a condensed version of what she had been leading as part of the YS-paloosas. After hearing some of what she had to share, when the opportunity to review her book More than Skin Deep, I jumped at it.

This book is excellent and once again demonstrates the author’s insightfulness. Even as a man, it allowed me to better understand the girls in my group and my own young daughter. The book uses the idea of skin and our society’s obsession to take readers beyond the physical to the spiritual. In the 10 well-written chapters, Kirgiss does not waste any words encouraging, loving and lifting up girls. Much like her other works, she speaks directly from her heart and life to the hearts and lives of her female readers. Beyond the content of her writing, she includes a journaling element throughout the chapters along with questions at the end of each. This allows the book to go beyond being a quick read to something that can be looked back on and even re-read again later on in life.

I can see this book easily translating into a teaching series or study for girls in a big group setting, small group or privatelybetween a mother and daughter. This is a book that I will be buying a couple copies of to have in my own office to offer as part of counseling, along with suggesting it to my female leaders to use in their mentoring. If you are a male youth worker, this is a highly suggested reading for you in order to better understand and lead well the girls of your ministry.
—Dan Istvanik

Immediately I agree with the metaphor of Skin to Identity—so spot on! Altogether, I’m reading and piecing together the author’s ideas, attempting to understand her silver lining—all the while, not fully grasping the message that my passions, thoughts, identity ideas, dreams, hopes, values, beliefs, joys, fears,and sorrows are what make me who I am. To disregard any of these components is to set the stage for an identity crisis in your life. Kirgiss’ message is jarring to the pulse of humanity that will put your ideas regarding who you are into proper perspective. I tend to dismiss books with work applications, but the subject matter reconfigured some of the programming in my own heart. She showed me how I have misapplied some of the teachings I learned during my adolescent years. This resource is very necessary to the youth worker because it addresses the proper capacity (balance) where people should function. Young people tend to be very relativistic (theoretical) about who they are and what they can and cannot do. Kirgiss helps the Christian hone in on who we are in relation to ourselves, God and the people of the world.
—Rebecca Walton

In More than Skin Deep, Crystal Kirgiss introduces the concepts of skin—who you are on the outside—verses Skin—who you are as a person. The book is definitely aimed toward girls, and it discusses finding worth in inner beauty rather than looking at outward appearances. Kirgiss writes in modern language, and it flows easily enough for young girls to be able to follow along if they were to read it for themselves. I would recommend this book for those teaching young girls, fourth through seventh grades. If the girls are much older than that, they will find the book tedious because it is almost too simplistic. Besides, the advice Kirgiss offers about how to improve one’s inner worth by not surrendering to gossip, drama and obsession about appearances would be better used to equip young ladies before they get into the midst of those things. However, one would not want to use this with girls younger than fourth grade or fourth/fifth graders who are immature because Kirgiss does talk about things that young women talk about—including PMS, bikinis, relationships, etc. If your group could handle discussions such as these, by all means discuss this book together: It is better for girls to get the right impression from adults who care about them than from what today’s culture has to say about these topics.
—Rachel Galarneau, Youth Leader, Springfield, Ohio

This book was a good read from start to finish. The author tackles this subject in a way that  relates to teens and holds their interest without them feeling a sif it is dorky. She dishes out the information in a way that is understandable and without setting the standards of godliness to a seemingly unobtainable height. The section at the back, “Going More Than Skin Deep” is thought-provoking and practical. I have been teaching a self-esteem building program for girls (ranging in age from 9 to 18 years) for several years, and I would feel confident recommending this book to them and plan, in fact, to use this book in the fall when we start again. Youth workers easily could use this as a resource without having to make a whole bunch of changes and adaptations as we often have to do with other curriculum and books. Crystal Kirgiss is quotable, and the questions and activities she presents are revealing and relevant. Her “Advice from the Experts” at the end of the book is a great addition. One thing I didn’t get was why, on page 95, her list of literary female heroes are ones most of today’s teen girls will not be able to relate to (other than Lucy in The Chronicles of Narnia) because they are not from books the vast majority have heard of or read.
—Sandi Reutlinger

“What’s a guy doing reviewing this book?” you might ask. I had the same question, but who better to read More than Skin Deep by Crystal Kirgiss than a male youth worker? Male youth workers do not spend nearly enough time on girl issues; that is to be expected: We’re guys. If your are a female youth worker reading this, you’ll understand more quickly why this book needs to be read by your girls; but guys, let me break it down for you: Crystal begins by sharing a deep part of her junior high life with us, and it was equally as painful as my own experience. When I was in junior high, I did not realize growing up was just as hard for girls as it was for me. Now, having raised a daughter, I get it, but just a little bit. As a youth worker, I have to force myself to remember that not everything I am saying is getting through to both sexes the same way. More than Skin Deep is a book/journal for junior or senior high girls that tackles the tough issues of self-worth, beauty, fashion and relationships in a way that makes it a great small group or Sunday School resource. My suggestion is that you find a woman—young or old—who loves mentoring girls and allow her to lead a small group or mentor a single girl who needs to know she is more than just skin deep.
—Paul Turner

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