Status
Available
Call number
Publication
Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers (2012), Edition: First Edition, 224 pages
Description
In this book, Rodriguez shares her experience growing up in the shadow of low expectations, reveals how she was able to fake her own pregnancy, and reveals all that she learned from the experience. stereotypes, and how one girl found the strength to come out from the shadow of low expectations to forge a bright future for herself.
User reviews
LibraryThing member erineell
Gaby Rodriguez’s memoir about faking her own pregnancy for a high school project is a quick and inspirational read that can act as a self-help book to many youth of today. This book brings to light stereotypes and expectations placed on young women facing adverse situations. Gaby, with the help
Age Appropriate: 15 to 22 years-old
This book could spark the interest of older adults that have frequent interactions with teenagers (parents of teens, teachers, counselors, etc.). It could also be read by mature middle school students who are sexually active and/or pregnant. The book contains minimal profanity.
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of an inner circle, devised and lived out a third term pregnancy to document how having a baby would affect how others would treat her. Keeping this secret from family members, teachers and friends made the reveal of her experiment more powerful and with greater impact to her community. With the intention of being a social experiment, Gabby’s mock pregnancy exposed the harsh realities of gossip, teen pregnancy and stereotyping. The outcome reinforced to others that words do hurt and can hold great influence over the psyche of others. Gaby’s recent graduation from high school adds to her credibility and appeal as a writer of the challenges facing today’s youth. Moreover, her straightforward writing style makes this an easy read. Overall, Pregnancy Project is more than just a book that details out a social experience, it provides statistic and realties on teen pregnancy. Young adult readers will be challenged and encouraged to rise above labels, overcome generational hardships and fight stereotypes. Age Appropriate: 15 to 22 years-old
This book could spark the interest of older adults that have frequent interactions with teenagers (parents of teens, teachers, counselors, etc.). It could also be read by mature middle school students who are sexually active and/or pregnant. The book contains minimal profanity.
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LibraryThing member abbylibrarian
Definitely an interesting book about a teen's dramatic school project designed to showcase how stereotypes and prejudice can affect teens. The first half is all about Gaby's family history of teen pregnancy (her mother started having babies at 15 and most of her older siblings also had teen
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pregnancies). I skimmed the first half because what I was really interested in was her project. Gaby's an inspiration for teens facing stereotypes, bullying, and the mixed messages about teen pregnancy that flood the media. Show Less
LibraryThing member herdingcats
Last year, 17 year old Gaby Rodriguez pretended she was pregnant as her senior project to gague prejudice and sterotyping. She had the cooperation of her mom and boyfriend, but most of their families and friends and teachers at school, had no idea that she was not really pregnant. In this book,
The book is interesting and brings up issues that pregnant teens face that many people may not be aware of.
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Gaby tells about her family and how she planned the project. It turned out to be more difficult than she expected and got much more attention than she had ever imagined, going national with major networks fighting for her story.The book is interesting and brings up issues that pregnant teens face that many people may not be aware of.
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LibraryThing member mamzel
The writing isn't the best I've ever read but the story really takes off. Gaby Rodriguez has given us the story of her extraordinary school project.
Her family is full of examples of girls who became pregnant while a teenager but she had plenty of role models to know this was not the life for her.
All her life she had seen how a diagnosis of pregnancy instantly changes how family, friends, and society view not only the mother-to-be but the father as well. Her idea was to record this shift and reveal to the world how harmful this is to the new family unit. In on her plans was her boyfriend, her mother, one sister, her best friend, the principal, and the assistant superintendent. She tried to show everyone how an honors student can continue to stay in school, get good grades, and continue to college if only she can get the support from teachers, family, and friends. The results of her project were very telling. I can't wait to share this book with students.
Her family is full of examples of girls who became pregnant while a teenager but she had plenty of role models to know this was not the life for her.
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One of the most important was her mother who started having children at a very young age and managed to love and support everyone without the help of a partner. Gaby ended up babysitting many of her nieces and nephews to give their young mothers a break. She saw first hand how life changed for a young mother and it was not all fun and fantasy!All her life she had seen how a diagnosis of pregnancy instantly changes how family, friends, and society view not only the mother-to-be but the father as well. Her idea was to record this shift and reveal to the world how harmful this is to the new family unit. In on her plans was her boyfriend, her mother, one sister, her best friend, the principal, and the assistant superintendent. She tried to show everyone how an honors student can continue to stay in school, get good grades, and continue to college if only she can get the support from teachers, family, and friends. The results of her project were very telling. I can't wait to share this book with students.
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LibraryThing member librarydanielle
I just finished, and I have to say I'm fairly impressed. It isn't 'adult' quality non-fiction, you can definitely tell a teen wrote it. However, it isn't badly written at all. She is passionate about her subject without being too preachy. The subject is an important one, and she does a decent job
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stating how hard it is while still keeping it easy to read. We have it in our ya non-fic, and it has gone out pretty regularly. I've been waiting since April to read it. I'm not sure how ,most adults would take it, but it seems to go over well with the teens. Show Less
LibraryThing member librarybrandy
Gaby's mom first got pregnant at 14, and Gaby's seven older siblings all had children before they could legally drink. So nobody is terribly surprised when Gaby announces that she's pregnant. Disappointed, sure--she was supposed to have learned from all their mistakes--but not surprised. But what
The writing is kind of blah, but the story is interesting enough that I think it could easily be used on the summer list, particularly with the Common Core requirements of more non-fiction. Makes good points about what it means to live down to other people's expectations, and might make students a little more aware of what happens when they gossip about classmates (or others).
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Gaby hasn't told them is that she's not really pregnant: it's all part of a social experiment for her senior project, viewing the effects of stereotypes and how people react to an unplanned pregnancy--and how they treat a teen mother.The writing is kind of blah, but the story is interesting enough that I think it could easily be used on the summer list, particularly with the Common Core requirements of more non-fiction. Makes good points about what it means to live down to other people's expectations, and might make students a little more aware of what happens when they gossip about classmates (or others).
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LibraryThing member molliekay
Congratulations for being the first non-fiction book reviewed with yattitude! As a teen non-fiction title, it's certainly a doozy. No one can tell Gaby that she doesn't have guts! She's a smart girl for realizing how her family's decisions have affected all of them, and she knew from a young age
While the story is compelling, Gaby's writing is what you would imagine for a teenager, though she certainly has potential to become a great writer. The writing is halting yet heartfelt, and very factual. This girl has done her research and drawn conclusions that the rest of us should have. She reminds us that every teen mom needs love and support, no matter what, because her health and the baby's are at stake if they're not taken care of. As a society, we can not continue to look down our noses at these girls.
She's not suggesting we glorify them, either. Somewhere along the way there has to be a happy medium between shunning and making celebrities out of teen moms.
Recommendation: This is the type of book you read because your sex ed teacher has thrust it in your hands. Short and to the point, it's great for any high-schooler or anyone who wants to defy the stereotypes and live their own life.
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that she didn't want to repeat those mistakes. Her project showed an incredible amount of foresight, complete with fake baby bump and borrowed sonograms.While the story is compelling, Gaby's writing is what you would imagine for a teenager, though she certainly has potential to become a great writer. The writing is halting yet heartfelt, and very factual. This girl has done her research and drawn conclusions that the rest of us should have. She reminds us that every teen mom needs love and support, no matter what, because her health and the baby's are at stake if they're not taken care of. As a society, we can not continue to look down our noses at these girls.
She's not suggesting we glorify them, either. Somewhere along the way there has to be a happy medium between shunning and making celebrities out of teen moms.
Recommendation: This is the type of book you read because your sex ed teacher has thrust it in your hands. Short and to the point, it's great for any high-schooler or anyone who wants to defy the stereotypes and live their own life.
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LibraryThing member untitled841
This book reads quickly so it satisfies any curiosity you may have developed. The journey was interesting and the project took on its own meaning making a good story for the reader to get sucked into.
LibraryThing member DeweyEver
After a senior project intended to make an impact in her town goes international, Gaby Rodriguez decided to expand her reach into the future by writing a memoir. Gaby made headlines by faking a pregnancy during the bulk of her high school senior year in order to learn about stereotypes, especially
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others' reactions to pregnant teens and the effect these reactions may have on a teen's future. The book is conversational in tone and an engrossing read, yet it has a great message: you can break away from stereotypes and make your own future, ignoring what others may expect of you. Show Less
LibraryThing member mjspear
17-year-old Gaby Rodriguez fakes a pregnancy as part of a high school project. The first-hand account is unadorned but immediate. Best succeeds as a view into the life of a Hispanic household: unwanted pregnancies, errant birth fathers, minimum wage jobs... balanced by a loving, supportive extended
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family. Show Less
LibraryThing member nancynova
Bookbox; Wow! Excellent YA book. What if you faked a pregnancy, so you can collect social information about reactions of your peers, family and teachers? After all, teen pregnancy is rampant in your family, school and community. And they expect you to be a statistic also. The girl was floored when
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her school project was picked up by the AP wire and went viral. Show Less
LibraryThing member Debra_Armbruster
Overall, I enjoyed The Pregnancy Project, which I read for inclusion in an upcoming YA Memoir book talk. Did I always love Gaby's voice and do I feel that this is outstanding writing? No, but it was what it advertized itself to be - a social experiment conducted in order to shine a light on the
Recommended for students grades 8+, and for fans of Popular: Vintage Wisdom from a Modern Geek by Maya Van Wagenen.
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less-than-glamorous aspects of teen pregnancy. It was an added bonus that Gaby was able to clearly articulate the breaking of stereotypes and expectations, that one can transcend what others have imagined for you. That is where the true message of this book lies, and the part that I will choose to highlight for my audience of readers.Recommended for students grades 8+, and for fans of Popular: Vintage Wisdom from a Modern Geek by Maya Van Wagenen.
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LibraryThing member Salsabrarian
Here's an immediately engaging true story for teens, including reluctant readers. The scope of Gaby's project is immense, and the social reactions she describes will resonate with youth all too familiar with hallway gossip and put-downs. The adult in me though, wondered at the project aproval by
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the school faculty, given the ethical consequences of Gaby's deception. In the end, her ambitious project provides much fodder for discussion and thought. This just needs to be placed into the hands of a few teens for it to take off. Otherwise, it's obscured forever in non-fiction. Show Less
LibraryThing member EdenSteffey
Very good book. It really makes you think about stereotypes and what you assume will happen to people based on circumstances. Very brave girl that had a huge impact on so many people.
LibraryThing member LVStrongPuff
This was a really good book. I am glad she did what she did and showed some of the students in her school what they were doing. I was sorry to read how hateful some people were about it, but there are always going to be hateful people in the world.
Language
Original language
English
Original publication date
2012-01-17
Physical description
224 p.; 5.5 inches
ISBN
1442446226 / 9781442446229