That Just Happened!

Efaw, Amy.  After.  Penguin Group (2009).

An infant left in the trash to die. A teenage mother who never knew she was pregnant . . .

Before That Morning, these were the words most often used to describe straight-A student and star soccer player Devon Davenport: responsible, hardworking, mature. But all that changes when the police find Devon home sick from school as they investigate the case of an abandoned baby. Soon the connection is made—Devon has just given birth; the baby in the trash is hers. After That Morning, there’s only one way to define Devon: attempted murderer.

And yet gifted author Amy Efaw does the impossible— she turns Devon into an empathetic character, a girl who was in such deep denial that she refused to believe she was pregnant. Through airtight writing and fast-paced, gripping storytelling, Ms. Efaw takes the reader on Devon’s unforgettable journey toward clarity, acceptance, and redemption.

Penguin.com

I had heard good things about this book and I was very excited to finally have my turn come up at the library.  I must say this is a troubling story.  A young girl, who until then had been pretty close to perfect, throws her baby out with the trash.  I liked how the author dealt with the psychological aspects of the event.  The dissociation Devon feels with what happened and her life immediately after the event.  The legal aspects of the case are outlined, both for and against her being tried as an adult.  This does give the Reader pause for consideration.  If she is old enough to have sex, is she old enough to face the consequences, or is she just a scared child who was in way over her head?  Although you may have an opinion one way or another, Devon’s story definitely makes you think about your stance and question it just a bit.

As a Reader I flipped between feeling sorry for her and extremely annoyed at how immature she was acting.  Then I reminded myself she’s just 15 years old.  How did I act at 15?  What would I have done if I were in that position?  What would I do now?  The conflicting emotions we feel as Readers is reflected in the attitudes of the Devon’s lawyer.  Part of the time you feel so sad and the other part you think “grow up”. 

Themes are accountability, life decisions and legal vs social norms.  I would not recommend this book to everyone, but I would say it was a pretty good book if you don’t like a tidy ending and your teen isn’t pregnant.  I would Keep This Book in Mind.

I read this towards the 2010 YA Challenge.