Susan Shapiro Barash has exploded the myth that women help one another, are supportive of one another, and want each other to succeed. Based on interviews with women across a broad social spectrum, she has discovered that 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"; and, useful strategies to stop the competition and forge a new kind of relationship with other women. Whether you've tripped the prom queen or been tripped yourself, you will discover an engrossing exploration of this female phenomenon, as well as a beacon of hope for better, more fulfilling relationships.