The Pregnancy Project (Books From A to Z)

Teen pregnancy is such a big issue.  So many stereotypes associated with it too.  Well, I was always the good girl - everyone expected me go to college and do big things with my life.  Guess what?  My junior year in high school, I ended up pregnant!  But you know what?  I had my beautiful girl and with the love and help of my parents, I ended up still going to college, and am now a teacher.  I blew a hole in all of those stereotypes.


I'm not saying that I promote teen pregnancy by any means. My wish is that all teens get a chance to be teenagers - they are still kids.  But I think we need to be helping those teens that fall into this situation rather than running them down, as is often the case.  We should be building them up and helping them to achieve their goals.  Because I had wonderful parents who were willing to do what they could to help, I was able to achieve my goals.


I found the premice behind this book to be quite fascinating.  I believe this girl is a very strong and brave individual.  She broke boundaries that enabled her to learn so much.  I hope others pick this book up and learn the many lessons she did - without having to go through what she did.

Book Synopsis:  Growing up, Gaby Rodriguez was often told she would end up a teen mom. After all, her mother and her older sisters had gotten pregnant as teenagers; from an outsider’s perspective, it was practically a family tradition. Gaby had ambitions that didn’t include teen motherhood. But she wondered: how would she be treated if she “lived down” to others' expectations? Would everyone ignore the years she put into being a good student and see her as just another pregnant teen statistic with no future? These questions sparked Gaby’s school project: faking her own pregnancy as a high school senior to see how her family, friends, and community would react. What she learned changed her life forever, and made international headlines in the process.


In The Pregnancy Project, Gaby details how she was able to fake her own pregnancy—hiding the truth from even her siblings and boyfriend’s parents—and reveals all that she learned from the experience. But more than that, Gaby’s story is about fighting stereotypes, and how one girl found the strength to come out from the shadow of low expectations to forge a bright future for herself.

About the Author:  Gaby Rodriguez was repeatedly told she would end up a teen mom like her mother. As a high school project, she faked her own pregnancy to find out how her community would react. What she learned changed her life, and made international headlines in the process.


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