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Sunday, August 23, 2009

Teen Pregnancy in Fiction

In addition to stories about teenage couples dealing with unexpected pregnancies, one must consider protagonists such as Kendra, who are the result of teenage pregnancy. Novels such as these might also deal with the topics of adoption, abortion, or miscarriages. Some may be more blunt than others. Some may be tragic or traumatic, while others are perhaps too happily ever after. There are many books which touch on these subjects. Here are just a few:

Borrowed Light by Anna Fienberg
Someone Like You by Sarah Dessen
Love (and Other Uses for Duct Tape) by Carrie Jones
- This is the sequel to Tips on Having a Gay (Ex) Boyfriend.
Gingerbread sequence by Rachel Cohn
- Read them in order: Gingerbread, Shrimp, Cupcake.
A Swift Pure Cry by Siobhan Dowd
Angel's Choice by Lauren Baratz-Logsted
Making the Run by Heather Henson
Fact of Life #31 by Denise Vega
Almost Alice by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor
Jumping Off Swings by Jo Knowles
After by Amy Efaw
The First Part Last by Angela Johnson
Slam by Nick Hornby
Hanging on to Max by Margaret Bechard
I Know It's Over by C.K. Kelly Martin

Have you read any of these titles? What did you think? What did you learn from them? Do you have any additional recommendations?

14 comments:

proseandkahn said...

Add to the list My Life as a Rhombus by Varian Johnson. I just finished it yesterday.

Also, Jumping Off Swings by Jo Knowles


Brenda
http://proseandkahn.livejournal.com

Maw Books said...

Also I Know It's Over by C.K. Kelly Martin which is told from the point of view of the teen father.

Readingjunky said...

HANGING ONTO MAX is a favorite of mine, along with A SWIFT PURE CRY. That one is incredibly powerful.

I just finished AFTER by Amy Efaw. It approaches the subject in a much different way. Excellent!

Thanks for the list of titles. There are several I hadn't heard of.

RJ

Little Willow said...

Jumping Off Swings and After are both on my to-read list. I loved Knowles' first novel and am looking quite forward to Swings.

Lorie Ann Grover said...

You know Swift Pure Cry is near to my heart, LW. And I love First Part Last.

Thanks for this amazing list!

Doret said...

Read After by Efaw, recently- It was intense and very good. The author does an excellent job with the MC.

Another book for the list I'm Late by Mari Evans. I thought this book was really good. The chapters alternate between the two girls who are pregnant, and for a time one of the fathers.

My review

http://thehappynappybookseller.blogspot.com/2008/11/im-late-mari-evans.html

Jenny said...

I just reviewed After recently here and thought it was very good.

Barbara Delinsky has one coming out next year that covers the topic of teen pregnancy from the parents' point of view and it looks really good. It's called Not My Daughter

Melissa Walker said...

Great list and adds here!

Katie said...

Another one:

This is All: The Pillow Book of Cordelia Kenn by Aidan Chambers

Katrina L. Burchett said...

I've read Kendra, Someone Like You, Angel's Choice and The First Part Last. They were all good reads and Kendra, that one was deep. Coe Booth is very honest in her writing; she did not hold back! Also, I hope you don't mind if I mention that my novel, Choices, is an emotional read that tackles the issue of teen sex, while touching on topics such as teen pregnancy and a miscarriage among other things.

Anonymous said...

Thanks for the this nice list. It will be a useful one to read and understand this delicate issue. There are few new name for me in the list.
vitamine

Josh said...

These books should be read by teens out there, not just for recreation, but for priceless information and lessons that can be learned. Teen pregnancy is at its worst these past few years. It is time for the teens to be more aware regarding this issue.

plentyoffish.com

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