Tripping the Prom Queen

The Truth About Women and Rivalry

By: Susan Shapiro Barash

Narrated by: Shelly Frasier

Tripping the Prom Queen is an investigation of the dark secret of female friendships, the deep vein of female rivalry. Based on interviews with women across the social spectrum, Susan Shapiro Barash has exploded the myth that women are generally supportive of one another. In fact, the competition between women is more vicious precisely because it is covert.

She tells us: Why women can't and won't admit to rivalry. How women are trained from an early age to compete with one another. In which areas women most heatedly compete. How rivalry is different among women than among men. The differences between competition, envy, and jealousy. When competition is healthy and when it isn't. Why women find it irresistible to trip the prom queen. Useful strategies to stop the competition and forge a new kind of relationship with other women.

Tripping the Prom Queen is an engrossing exploration of bad behavior that all women will identify with, and a beacon of hope for a better, more promising future.

©2006 Susan Shapiro Barash; (P)2006 Tantor Media, Inc.

Critic reviews

"A helpful starting place for any woman wondering if it's possible to get what she wants without hurting or being hurt." (Publishers Weekly)

Made me want to have all male friends

I began to second guess my judgment about people and analyzed previous failed relationships with female friends - for a few days. Overall, the author made some good points, but 3/4 of the way she continued to gave examples after examples of women treating each other so badly, that I became so depressed. At least the end gave a sliver of hope.

There is No Real Honor Amongst Women!

It's no wonder our country is in the horrible shape that it's in!

female rivalry is nothing more than social mental illness that's being promoted by our competitive / consumer culture and passed down from generation to generation!

Toxic femininity is truly the new cancer of the western world and this book examines the illness!

semi agree

Good narration. not sure I fully agree with some of the points in the book, but do see that women CAN be that way, but I'm not one of them (at least not now).

Men and Women will Enjoy

I really enjoyed this book -- give it a chance and after about half an hour you'll see that it is worthwhile. I like the way the narrator speaks for those interviewed in the same tone of voice throughout. At first, you aren't sure what's going on, but you soon catch on. I also think men should read this -- it would be helpful to those who work with women, manage women, live with women -- a little insight that would be beneficial. It's an area of women's lives that I feel men may realize only on the surface, not with a depth of understanding.

I got a lot out of it and at age 60 I've only come to realize in the last 5 years what's been going on and this book sort of cinches it.”

A Depressing Reality & Too Long Of A Read

This was informative and a very depressing reality of the relationships and rivalries women share. The book could have accomplished its goal in the first 5 chapters though. Examples after examples of women rivalries was exhausting and just a lot to endure. The book was unnecessarily too long. And the point of view is not entirely inclusive. There are Tribal women who also live in a modern world. Still, I think this is an important book to help women navigate amongst their natural "rivals" whether they want to see them as such, or not. I finished the book with a sadness and disappointment I had hoped the book would comfort.