Me, Him, Them, and It by Caela Carter

imageMy daughter picked this book up from our latest trip to the library.  As soon as she finished it on one of our many snow days, she handed it to me and said, “You have to read this, and you have to put in your classroom library.  It will be powerful birth control.”

Caela Carter gives an intimate look at the heartbreak caused by an unplanned, teen pregnancy in Me, Him, Them, and It (Bloomsbury 2013).  Evelyn is a good girl turned bad.  She’s still in the running to be valedictorian, but she has shortened her skirts and started drinking at parties in order to get back at her silent parents, who are no longer speaking to each other or to her.  As part of her bad-girl makeover, Evelyn hooked up with Todd, a friend with benefits.  She didn’t plan on falling for him–or to become pregnant–or to lose her best friend.  Now that her world is crashing down around her, Evelyn withdraws further and further into herself.

Evelyn is funny and heartbreaking all at the same time as she tells her story and tries to sort out what has happened to her and to her family.  She has no idea about what to do with this new life growing inside of her, and she is afraid to let anyone–even her beloved Aunt Linda–close enough to help her.  As the baby grows bigger and bigger, she is running out of time to make decisions.

I’m not sure any book is enough to be used as book control, but this novel certainly offers an eye-opening look at the changes an unplanned pregnancy can bring, and it does so without being preachy.  Thank you to my daughter for introducing me to another great book and author!

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