Where Girls Come First by Ilana Debare (2005, Paperback, Reprint)

If you're like me, all-girls schools conjure up images like ugly uniforms, harsh nuns, and oppressed young women.

Debare deftly obliterates those images, while giving the reader insight into the founders of various girls schools.

Debare herself is a founding member of an all-girls school in Oakland, California. She juxtaposes her modern day experiences with those of her predecessors. Showing the problems and advantages of single sex vs. co-ed schools, Debare makes it clear that all-girls schools can be of enormous educational value to the students.

She uses a casual, conversational tone, that makes the book an easy, enjoyable read.