Wednesday Wishlist

Here is what is on my wishlist this week and why I want it!

Dancing Naked by Shelley Hrdlitschka

This story takes place over the nine months of 16-year-old Kia's pregnancy. She loses her virginity with her boyfriend, and though they use a condom, Derek and Kia "must be that lucky one percent or whatever it is." Kia's father pressures her to have an abortion, but she decides to go through with the pregnancy and adoption with the help of her church. Derek immediately breaks up with her, so she leans on Justin, the leader of her church youth group. The moral role is taken by Kia's "kind of liberal" Unitarian church. As her minister says, "Society is so hypocritical, isn't it?... Our own Sex Education course encourages abstinence... but also teaches that sexuality is a wonderful human experience. How can we expect teens to choose to abstain when these powerful messages are everywhere?" Kia's journey, shown in e-mail and journal entries as well as through standard narration, will prove a useful one for readers who want to see an exploration of some choices a pregnant teen may face. Human interaction and spiritual musings are all narrowly focused on Kia's understanding of her pregnancy. The only characters that are condemned by the novel are those who see only one possible option for Kia and refuse to consider others.

Why I want this:

I read this book for extra credit, in 8th grade health. I loved this book so much and found it incredibly in depth. At the start of each chapter it tells you what week in the pregnancy it is and how the baby is forming. As I read this my mom's friend was preggers. I'd call her each week and tell her that her baby had toenails or whatever. A great, must read!