Anrenee Englandar

This book includes 10 interviews with teen girls from different backgrounds sharing what they did when they discovered they were pregnant at a young age. The stories are real and raw and at times sad, as in the story of Rose who not only relates her abortion and subsequent 2nd pregnancy, but also discusses being sexually abused by her stepfather and being mistreated by her boyfriend. Each girl tells a different story ranging from very supportive parents to non-existent parents, a desire to have and raise the baby to a fear that the baby would burden them down in their youth to extreme guilt over a chosen abortion. They also discuss why they made the decisions they did, how those decisions have impacted their lives and their family’s lives and why they were sharing their stories. Generally the book is easy to read, but it is clear the author transcribed verbatim what the girls were saying since at times the accounts are bogged down with incoherent thoughts. However the intent was to share these stories with teens, so in that respect other teens will easily be able to access these stories. I think it would have been better structured as a conversation with the questions the interviewer asked providing some context to the stories, and it would also have been nice to have an update on how the family’s were doing since this is a re-release of a book published more than 10 years ago. The resources provided at the back are up to date and an excellent way to end the book, especially for those teens who might be reading the book because they are themselves pregnant.… (meer)