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reader4evr's review against another edition
3.0
A quick read that I think a lot of teens will like even if they were never pregnant. Not only does this book cover teen pregnancy but also bullying and stereotyping.
I liked the way that the book was set because I really liked how Gaby shared her family history because it really played into the whole aspect of her idea for her senior project. It was hard to read it when her family wasn't supportive when she was claiming that she was pregnant. I surprised because I believe Latin families are very supportive of each other and her family was super mean with the exception of her one sister. My heart went out to her mom and the struggles she went through.
I liked all of the statistics that she shared about teen pregnancy. This is such a hot topic now especially with the last season of Teen Mom airing.
Overall, a very interesting book.
Wise words to live by: "There are always going to be some people in life who disappoint you and don't believe in you like you hoped they would, and you have to find the strength to rise above it and realize that they're wrong. If there's no one else to tell it to you, then tell it to yourself".
I liked the way that the book was set because I really liked how Gaby shared her family history because it really played into the whole aspect of her idea for her senior project. It was hard to read it when her family wasn't supportive when she was claiming that she was pregnant. I surprised because I believe Latin families are very supportive of each other and her family was super mean with the exception of her one sister. My heart went out to her mom and the struggles she went through.
I liked all of the statistics that she shared about teen pregnancy. This is such a hot topic now especially with the last season of Teen Mom airing.
Overall, a very interesting book.
Wise words to live by: "There are always going to be some people in life who disappoint you and don't believe in you like you hoped they would, and you have to find the strength to rise above it and realize that they're wrong. If there's no one else to tell it to you, then tell it to yourself".
laurenkreinces's review against another edition
3.0
Although this book needs serious editing, I would like to judge this book more on content. I really enjoyed the story itself and I think reading this in the matter of two days proves that. It sends a great message but needs a new editor...
omvigeg3's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
5.0
robbynjreeve's review against another edition
3.0
Genre(s): memoir, autobiography
Theme(s): teen pregnancy, high school
Award(s): Lincoln Award Nominee
Recommended for ages: 14+
Summary: Gaby Rodriguez has always been told she's going to end up a teen mom like her own mother and older sisters. That has never been part of Gaby's plan, but she wonders, what would happen if she did? How would she be treated if she "lived down" to her family's (and society's) expectations? Every senior is required to do senior project-and this is going to be hers. She only lets a select few know that the pregnancy is fake (her mom, boyfriend, one sister, her best friend, and the school board) in order to get feedback on what others are saying behind her back as well as their visible and audible reactions.
Review: This was a fascinating read. I was so intrigued by the idea that others expectations can have such a profound effect on our personal outcomes in life. It was quick to read and really interesting and eye-opening. I'd recommend it to most everyone just to give them an opportunity to see into a life they may not have experienced first or even second hand.
Recommended for fans of: The Freedom Writers Diary
If you loved this book then you should try.... Plain Truth
Theme(s): teen pregnancy, high school
Award(s): Lincoln Award Nominee
Recommended for ages: 14+
Summary: Gaby Rodriguez has always been told she's going to end up a teen mom like her own mother and older sisters. That has never been part of Gaby's plan, but she wonders, what would happen if she did? How would she be treated if she "lived down" to her family's (and society's) expectations? Every senior is required to do senior project-and this is going to be hers. She only lets a select few know that the pregnancy is fake (her mom, boyfriend, one sister, her best friend, and the school board) in order to get feedback on what others are saying behind her back as well as their visible and audible reactions.
Review: This was a fascinating read. I was so intrigued by the idea that others expectations can have such a profound effect on our personal outcomes in life. It was quick to read and really interesting and eye-opening. I'd recommend it to most everyone just to give them an opportunity to see into a life they may not have experienced first or even second hand.
Recommended for fans of: The Freedom Writers Diary
If you loved this book then you should try.... Plain Truth
advujovich's review against another edition
3.0
I have very mixed feelings about this book. MANY of my teenage students read this for their nonfiction independent reading project and I finally got a chance to read it. The overall message is, I think, an important one for teenagers to digest in high school: we are not forced to live what others expect of us; we are not (or perhaps) should not be judged on stereotypes; we should be "decent to one another" (127). Gaby, the you girl who "narrates" the book, does try her best to live that, and for that I have a tremendous amount of respect for her. In doing her senior project by pretending to be pregnant and examining how stereotypes she was able to send a powerful message at first to her peers at school and then to a much wider audience how exactly stereotypes and the gossip around stereotypes only perpetuates teen pregnancy (and many other issues in this society).
The story itself is intriguing and I find Gaby wonderfully brave for taking this on. I did, however find her a bit "morally superior" (115) a few too many times. She starts the book by talking about how she knew she didn't want her project to be like one of those other projects, which I found annoying. But whatever. I did feel outrageously uncomfortable when she was in Planned Parenthood and sharing her not so cloaked comments on abortion and adoption. Gaby was quite clear in the book that she was not like those other girls. She made good decisions. She didn't put herself in morally ambiguous positions. I am just reminded of Amy Poehler's not on feminism in her book, Yes please!, "Good for her! Not for me!" I guess what I mean is that as dangerous as I think stereotypes are, I don't think it's ok to suggest, especially to girls, that you have to be this one way. And, to a point, I do think that Gaby did that with this book. The topic matter is difficult to talk about, being teen sexual health and pregnancy. Gaby said that when she told her sister she was pregnant, "I waited and waited for an 'I told you so.' How many times had she said I was going to end up pregnant like her and I had said, 'never!' Wasn't this her moment of victory, where she got to gloat that she was right and I wasn't morally superior after all?" (115). Gaby truly does paint herself as morally superior, and that didn't sit well me. A lot of this read as really preachy, I guess is what I am trying to get at.
I was also a bit dubious of Gaby's disregard of the media. How she didn't want to be on tv and be famous. I liked in the beginning that she mentioned she didn't want her message to be distorted by the media. We all know that can happen very easily. But, I think from the beginning of her project this was the end goal. If it wasn't, it should have been. If she doesn't want a really large audience to hear this story, then she's doing something wrong. I think the goal should have been to find a wide audience from the beginning, outside of just Toppenish.
I hate that this had a ghost writer. The wildness of the cover really hid that. I just hate ghost writers. Maybe that's just me.
Overall, I won't dissuade someone from reading this. But it wasn't my favorite.
The story itself is intriguing and I find Gaby wonderfully brave for taking this on. I did, however find her a bit "morally superior" (115) a few too many times. She starts the book by talking about how she knew she didn't want her project to be like one of those other projects, which I found annoying. But whatever. I did feel outrageously uncomfortable when she was in Planned Parenthood and sharing her not so cloaked comments on abortion and adoption. Gaby was quite clear in the book that she was not like those other girls. She made good decisions. She didn't put herself in morally ambiguous positions. I am just reminded of Amy Poehler's not on feminism in her book, Yes please!, "Good for her! Not for me!" I guess what I mean is that as dangerous as I think stereotypes are, I don't think it's ok to suggest, especially to girls, that you have to be this one way. And, to a point, I do think that Gaby did that with this book. The topic matter is difficult to talk about, being teen sexual health and pregnancy. Gaby said that when she told her sister she was pregnant, "I waited and waited for an 'I told you so.' How many times had she said I was going to end up pregnant like her and I had said, 'never!' Wasn't this her moment of victory, where she got to gloat that she was right and I wasn't morally superior after all?" (115). Gaby truly does paint herself as morally superior, and that didn't sit well me. A lot of this read as really preachy, I guess is what I am trying to get at.
I was also a bit dubious of Gaby's disregard of the media. How she didn't want to be on tv and be famous. I liked in the beginning that she mentioned she didn't want her message to be distorted by the media. We all know that can happen very easily. But, I think from the beginning of her project this was the end goal. If it wasn't, it should have been. If she doesn't want a really large audience to hear this story, then she's doing something wrong. I think the goal should have been to find a wide audience from the beginning, outside of just Toppenish.
I hate that this had a ghost writer. The wildness of the cover really hid that. I just hate ghost writers. Maybe that's just me.
Overall, I won't dissuade someone from reading this. But it wasn't my favorite.
christiana's review against another edition
4.0
Thought this book was so well done. Definitely ghost written, but I think a really phenomenal read (especially considering I knew nothing about Gaby Rodriguez until I read this). So give out able, I plan to give this to tons of my teens.
jayney21's review against another edition
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
medium-paced
3.75
daeqt's review against another edition
5.0
The pregnancy project was literally one of my favorite books I've ever read, and I loved the lifetime movie adaption almost as much too.
Gabby Rodriguez breaks down stereotypes that have followed her family and many other families by exposing things friends, students, family, and faculty members say about her while she pretends to be pregnant.
A good portion of the book focuses on her families past and how the stereotypes were involved in her family, making it easier to understand why she chose to do such a presentation in the first place. The next part focuses on actually putting together the project and gathering reactions from those around her and finally presenting the project.
There is a small bit after the project that explains how she was contacted by reporters and also how her friends, family, and people around her reacted to finding out that she wasn't actually pregnant.
All in all, this book was very eye opening and a very quick and easy read.
Gabby Rodriguez breaks down stereotypes that have followed her family and many other families by exposing things friends, students, family, and faculty members say about her while she pretends to be pregnant.
A good portion of the book focuses on her families past and how the stereotypes were involved in her family, making it easier to understand why she chose to do such a presentation in the first place. The next part focuses on actually putting together the project and gathering reactions from those around her and finally presenting the project.
There is a small bit after the project that explains how she was contacted by reporters and also how her friends, family, and people around her reacted to finding out that she wasn't actually pregnant.
All in all, this book was very eye opening and a very quick and easy read.
cstaude's review against another edition
4.0
After hearing my students talk about this book for so long, I finally got to read it. It is a fascinating story of a mature and brave young woman who created one of the most challenging senior projects ever- a fake pregnancy- and used it to study the impact that stereotypes about pregnant teens has on them and their futures. Really well done! Worth a read.