Tales of Teenage Pregnancy
Three Young Adult Novels from North America
Teenage pregnancy is currently a popular topic in the media. These three young adult novels approach the sensitive subject in unique and engaging ways.
From the film For Keeps in 1988 to the recent movie Juno (2008), teenage pregnancy has long been an enticing subject. Everything from the causes to the consequences of having a child between the ages of 13-19 has become regular features in newspapers and journals. However, the most thorough way of absorbing such crucial information remains through books. These three novels for readers aged 12-16 years explore the topic of teen pregnancy in sensitive and innovative ways.
A Girl with a Baby
Published by the Canadian First Nations press, Sono Nis, this highly readable story concerns the tale of Jane Williams, a fourteen year old Native girl. She's always been popular, a high achiever and straight laced. However, when she becomes pregnant, Jane has to fight against both personal and racial predjudice. She chooses to keep the baby; this decision leads Jane to a new closeness with her grandmother, Tet. Taking care of her daughter, Destiny, enables Jane to transform her life and comprehend her culture from the vantage point of the matriarch.
The author, Sylvia Olsen, has spent her life on a First Nations reserve. Many of her books deal with Native culture from multiple social perspectives. She has also written the book Just Ask Us, non-fiction accounts from Native teen mothers as they face the struggles and joys of adolescent parenting.
A Girl with a Baby won The Stellar Award and the Teen Readers' Choice Award for British Columbia.
Hanging on to Max
Simon & Schuster of New York published this 2004 book that focuses, uniquely, on the journey of a teen father. Sam Pettigrew is seventeen years old when his girlfriend, Brittany, gets pregnant. After Max is born, Brittany decides she's not ready to be a parent and Sam assumes the responsibility. He joins an alternative school, postpones football and dreams of college, and works hard to care for the infant. However, he has no real support; Brit has left town and Sam's widowed father is resentful of Sam's choice. His only solace is Claire Bailey, a girl in the alternative school, whose parents are supportive of her decision to keep her baby, Emily.
One night, an emergency in which Max hurts himself due to Sam's carelessness convinces Sam that he has to explore other options. Giving Max up for adoption turns out to be best for them both. A highly emotional and convincing read. The author, Margaret Bechard, adds a light touch with her humorous prose style. Won the SLJ Best Book of the Year and the ALA Best Book for Young Adults Award.
Dancing Naked
Dancing Naked was released in 2001 by Orca Book Publishers, again from British Columbia, Canada. The story is related both in chronological narrative form, moving the tale of Kia through the trimesters of her pregnancy, and through innovative email, msn and journal entries. Kia is sixteen, pregnant from a brief encounter with an irresponsible boy. Unable to choose abortion, Kia eventually decides to give her child up for adoption. During the pregnancy, her relationships with the uneasily gay youth worker, Justin, and an elderly lady Grace, who lives at the senior's home where Kia plays piano, transform her feelings about her future.
She learns about loyalties, dreams and the complexities of making decisions when there are no clear answers. The adoption ceremony at the end of the book is a moving addition to this engaging story.
Shelley Hrdlitschka, the author, has written several other books for teenagers, among them Kat's Fall and Sun Signs. Dancing Naked was nominated for the ALA Best Books and won the CCBC Our Choice Award.
