4/5 stars
I am not a non-fiction fan, but I've been trying to broaden my horizons, so I borrowed this non-fiction novel, and found that not all non-fiction is about dry topics and old people (haha). This novel is the true story of Gaby Rodriguez, a teen who pretended to be pregnant for a school project, and ended up gaining national attention. Her story has also spawned a Lifetime film in addition to this book.
Just about two years ago, Rodriguez made headlines when people found out that she faked a pregnancy for about six months, telling only her boyfriend, mother, best friend, and a few professionals for the sake of making things look real. She then announced her project to the entire school, as a way of teaching her peers about discrimination and prejudice. However, the book starts way before all of this happens, going through a brief family history in which it is revealed that Gaby comes from a family of single parents: her mother, as well as many of her brothers and sisters, have had children out of wedlock, and become statistics for teen pregnancy. Gaby is a smart young woman, who has a future in mind and a good boyfriend, but she feels that everyone is waiting on her to be the next statistic. So, as her senior project, she consults with professionals to make everything as realistic as possible, and fakes a pregnancy. Her best friend and boyfriend tell her what others say about her, the comments and judgements they make, etc., and Gaby recorded them for the big reveal. Her findings about her peers, herself, and teen pregnancy in general, are very interesting and opened my eyes about the subject.
This book didn't really change my feelings of indifference toward non-fiction, but it was definitely an entertaining and informative read. It's a subject that I don't read much about, and when I do it's usually in fiction form so it was a good change for me to expose myself to this. Gaby does not endorse teen pregnancy; in fact, she does this project in part to make a point about how it can change your life drastically, and that teens should take care to be prepared. I have never seen the Lifetime film, but if anyone has, please let me know if its worth watching. And, as always, let me know if you read this or any other books I review, and let me know what you think!
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