No Time to Be Dumb

Letters to Teenage Girls

By: Rachel Jankovic

Narrated by: Daphne Jankovic, Rachel Jankovic

Rachel Jankovic wants terrible teenage daughters.

Not a wasting-her-time-in-petty-squabbles, doomscrolling, dumb television shows, eating disorders, and foolish crushes kind of terrible.

But a different kind of terrible: to be women who are genuine threats to the enemies of God, “fair as the moon . . . and terrible as an army with banners” (Song 6:10). She is not easily controlled by flattery; her joy is in the Lord. She is growing from a girl you love into a woman you admire.

In this book Rachel covers the topics you would expect, like Modesty and Homemaking and Boys. But Rachel also speaks directly to awkward questions such as Handsiness and Pornography. There’s even a chapter on how to deal with self-righteous church ladies.

Young women have all the time in the world for good things, but they really just don’t have time to be dumb.

©2025 Canon Press (P)2025 Canon Press

This needs to be required reading for ALL women!

My daughter and her friends will be doing this as a study together. There was so much in this book that I didn’t know and I’m excited about sharing it with them!

Good Old, Cut to the Point Truth to Girls & Women

Great book. Not sure why she’s catching so much flack for this work, people nit-picking certain chapters to pieces and whatnot. If you just read or listen for yourself you’ll more than likely be helped and encouraged. Maybe every single chapter won’t apply to you, but lots probably will, and you probably know someone who those other chapters do apply to and it will help you to speak the truth in love when opportunity arises.

Blunt

She is blunt in addressing so many issues that young girls are faced with. It does not leave much wiggle room for excuses, but does give hope and a better direction.

Good book overall, but I'd rather hear an older woman's voice

I agree with most of this book, and as a Christian mother of girls myself, I think it is needed in our culture. The only thing I thought was unnecessary was the chapter on handsiness between girls. This may apply to some, but in circles of church girls that already want to live for God, it brings up things that would not have been there in the first place. Also, not a huge deal, but since this is supposed to be coming from an older woman to her niece, it would be really nice if the narrator had a matching voice. Overall, I still plan to get the hardcopy, and possibly lead a girls group using it. 👍

Not as advertised

This is a very conservative whole life guilt trip aimed at teen girls. Adhering to the author’s interpretation of religious norms is absolutely the central theme of the book. I was hoping for something that conveyed more insight and thinking skills.