Review: Me, Him, Them and It by Caela Carter

Title: Me, Him, Them and It
Author: Caela Carter
Publication Date: February 26, 2013
Publisher: Bloomsbury
Source: Publisher via NetGalley

ME is Evelyn Jones, 16, a valedictorian hopeful who's been playing bad girl to piss off THEM, her cold, distant parents. HIM is Todd, Evelyn's secret un-boyfriend, who she thought she was just using for sex - until she accidentally fell in love with him. But before Evelyn gets a chance to tell Todd how she feels, something much more important comes up. IT. IT is a fetus. Evelyn is pregnant - and when Todd turns his back on her, Evelyn has no idea who to turn to. Can a cheating father, a stiff, cold mother, a pissed-off BFF, and a (thankfully!) loving aunt with adopted girls of her own help Evelyn make the heart-wrenching decisions that follow?

Every teenage girl and every parent of a teenage girl should read this book.  It's raw, it's harsh, but it's reality.  It packs a hard punch right to the abdomen (no pun intended) and really makes you think.

Evelyn is sixteen.  Evelyn is a junior on the track to being valedictorian in her class, with dreams of going to an Ivy League school.  Evelyn has a tough life at home with her non-speaking parents.  Evelyn is depressed.  Evelyn is pregnant.  Crap.  Now what?  Evelyn is faced with a huge burden, major decisions, and parents who are of no help at all.  No matter how hard she tries, she's unable to bring herself to tell her BFF of her predicament.  She doesn't know who to turn to, or what to do next.

Evelyn is asked over and over again by the counselor at Planned Parenthood the same questions: Will you have this baby?  Will you have an abortion?  If you have the baby, will you give it up for adoption or care for it as a teen mother?  If you decide to parent this child, where will you live?  How will you support it financially?  But Evelyn doesn't have the answers.  She has no idea what to do.  She's lost and insecure.  Evelyn needs help.

Me, Him, Them and It is a stark look at the life of a pregnant teenager, the roller coaster ride that consumes her mind, and the emotional toll it takes on her and everyone in her life.  The thoughts that run through her head.  The questions being asked of her.  The strength it must take to put your own dreams and desires on hold long enough to consider the life of the being growing inside of you.  I think teenage girls and mothers will definitely benefit from reading this story.  I'd have to say it's the best teenage pregnancy book I've read thus far.  I'm neither a teenager nor a parent of one, but I really enjoyed this book.  It was REAL, and that says a lot.