Selected books about Teen Pregnancy and for Teen parents

Dear Diary, I'm Pregnant: Teenagers Talk About Their Pregnancy
by Annrenee Englander, Corinne Morgan Wilks

This book really helped me!
Reviewer: A reader

   A year ago, I found out I was pregnant. I was scared stiff. I was only 15 and I didn't have any time or patience to be a mother. I didn't believe in abortion, my parents didn't want me to give it up, and I didn't want to keep it. I was very confused and I felt like I was alone. Then I read this book. It really made a difference in my life! I read what other girls did about their pregnancies and how they felt about their choices. Thanks to this amazing book, I decided to give birth to a beautiful baby girl, and now I know that my daughter Carisse is living with a very nice couple. She's the baby they always wanted, and none of this would've happened if I had never read "Dear Diary, I'm Pregnant-Teenagers Talk About Their Pregnancies". Thanks to a great book!

I'm Pregnant, Now What Do I Do?
by Robert W. Buckingham, Mary P. Derby

This is the best book written on the teenage pregnancy.
Reviewer: A reader

   This book is by far the best book written for young women on such an important and senistive issue.

   These two authors have done a wonderful job presenting the difficult choices young women face when confronted with an unexpected pregnancy. A must read for all interested in the teenage pregnacy crisis in America.

Jane Fonda

I Wish Someone Had Told Me: A Realistic Guide to Early Motherhood
by Nina Barrett

A breathtaking, honest look at the myths of motherhood
Reviewer: A reader from NO HOLLYWOOD, CA USA

   Nina Barrett's spectacularly written account of the myths and realities of those first terrifying months of motherhood is a must read for any new mom, or mom-to-be. I wish I had read this book before giving birth to my daughter, Emily, this past July. I suffered for weeks with post-partum depression, and found enormous comfort in Barrett's accounts of other mom's journeys; for the first time I realized I was not alone. Barrett interviewed dozens of women from all walks of life about their experiences pre and post labor, and their honest account of their feelings about birth, sex, and returning to work are pearls of wisdom for a new mom. I cannot recommend this spectacular book highly enough.

The Unofficial Guide to Having a Baby
by Ann Douglas, John R. Sussman

A thorough and down-to-earth reference
Reviewer: A reader from Fairfax, VA

   This book hits almost everything a pregnant mom needs to know about carrying and delivering her baby. It's not preachy at all; it simply lays out the facts and lets you draw the conclusion that works best for you. It has an extensive preconception section (which I didn't use, as I bought the book after I got pregnant), a week-by-week guide to fetal development and changes in your body, and tips on preparing your home and lifestyle for the new arrival. All in all, it's a great book, and I would encourage any mom-to-be to check out the new edition being released this January.

The Youngest Parents: Teenage Pregnancy As It Shapes Lives
by Robert E. Coles, Daniel A. Coles, Michael H. Coles (Photographer), John Moses

Best book on teenage pregnancy
Reviewer: Ken & Jolie from Lincoln Park, MI

   What a subtle, beautiful, thought-provoking book. Indispensible for understanding how teenage pregnancy shapes the lives of young people. Offers a poignant view of a variety of American teens facing parenthood, of different classes, different races, different religions and regions. Would be particularly valuable for high-school researchers, or as a complement to drier, more statistical or policy-oriented analyses.

Growing Up Fast: Text and Photographs
by Joanna Lipper

A wonderfully poignant book
Reviewer: Samantha from Bkersfield, CA USA

   This book takes place in Pittsfield, Mass. and it documents the lives of 6 teenage mothers. This book is very sad because of the lives these girls had and the troubles that they went through with the fathers of their children. I am 16 and I have a 5 month old daughter so I can relate to the situation that these girls are in to some extent. I didn't have an abusive boyfriend and he wasn't addicted to drugs. But I can relate to not having the father around and having to do this all by myself while going to school. I couldn't put this book down, I was very moved by it. The stories that these girls had to share about their lives and growing up are just heartbreaking. You are tempted to laugh at some of there thoughts before they were pregnant but then you remember that they didn't know any better. So I recommend this book to teen parents, teens and parents. This book is good for everyone. It teaches us to be thankful for what we have and the freedom that we have. Read this book if it's a rainy day and you just want to curl up in a big comfy chair with a blanket and a hot cup of something. This is definitely a snuggle book.

Operating Instructions: A Journal of My Son's First Year
by Anne Lamott

This book saved a new mother's life!
Reviewer: Elaine Binette from Atkinson, NH

   When I gave birth to a son in 1997 I, quite honestly, didn't know what hit me. I felt joy and wonder but I wasn't "blissed out" the way the people around me expected me to be. I was too frightened by my changing life to be able to live in the moment, laugh at the mishaps, and enjoy the "new guy." The "life-line" I found was literally this book. I read it over and over, as if it was some tonic that assuaged my fears about "doing everything right" and being a perfect mother. I can't tell you the number of times I quoted Lamott's writings to others. She helped me get through a difficult period and adjust. This book changed me. Read it. Lamott is a gifted writer who tells it like it (REALLY) is.

Don't Think Twice
by Ruth Pennebaker

Don't Think Twice -WOW!
Reviewer: An Amazon.com Customer

   I absolutely LOVED this book! Although it started out slowly, the end had me gripping onto my chair for stability. I cried my eyes out. Don't Think Twice literally changed my life and my views on teen pregnancy. Anne's transformation as an expecting mother is what transformed me as a reader. Pushed into this place where she thought she had nothing in common with anyone else, this teen went through so many stages of pregnancy. Through rejection and depression, and then to feeling nothing, more or less, until she finally loved this person she had been keeping safe inside her. Ruth Pennebaker's book significantly changed my life and this is an amazing book I recommend to any teen girl. This book has a heart and a soul that melts your emotions and flips your world.

Facing Teenage Pregnancy: A Handbook for the Pregnant Teen
by Patricia Roles

This book is amazing.
Reviewer: A reader

   As a a teenage mother of a 1 year old son and being 6 months pregnant with twins, I find this book amazing. It has very many helpful resources, tips, planning, guides, and other useful things throughout. I wish I had this book during my first pregnancy.