Customer Reviews

The Amazing True Story of a Teenage Single Mom

5 star:		(12)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This is the true poignant story of a young woman and her struggles to make dreams come true. Katherine Arnoldi, raped and left with a baby at 17, was forced, out of necessity, to take a dead-end, hazardous factory job. Her dysfunctional family tried to crush her and her dreams; her boyfriend turns on her and beats her. Yet through all of her pain and despair she does not give up. Arnoldi shows, in her comic book form, that if you hold on and pursue your dreams that you can overcome the ugliest past. This book is a treasure. It is simply great. And because it is so good you will want to pass it on. This is a book that can speak to the broken hearts of hundreds, if not thousands, of struggling teenagers, single moms or not. Her enduring love for her child, her courage to change her circumstances, a little luck, and a few kind people, transforms what could be a disheartening story into an inspiration.

I checked this book out from the library. The next day, I bought a copy. I have bought 12 more copies in a week. Everyone who reads this book gasps at its truth. The blockades of Arnoldi's past abuse and present hardship would have stopped her from becoming who she was becoming before she became a mom. In a perfect combination of words and art, she conveys her perilous journey. Thoughts and emotions overflow her drawings, MAD Magazine-style. As it dawns on you that she's writing from a place of victory, you laugh, cry, and cheer. If you're a school counselor, as I am, buy copies for your teen moms and fellow counselors.

This is a great book that will inspire teens to realize that there is no situation that cannot be overcome. If they are young mothers, they will realize that they can be a great parent, as well as succeeding as individuals. Arnoldi teaches young girls to strive towards their dreams, and as teen moms to fight for equality in the educational system. She even includes the step by step procedure of getting financial aid, and enrolling yourself in college. A very inspiring book for people of all ages.

This story brings tears to my eyes every time I read it. It tells the struggles and hard ships of being a single teenage parent. It really makes you stop and think before you make the same mistakes. I recommend this book to EVERYONE!!

As an educator, I have found myself sharing this book with college aged women I work with. It's message is subtle, but strong. I'm so glad Katherine Arnoldi shared this story.

Katherine Arnoldi's truly amazing Amazing True Story probably starts off like the true stories of far too many women. But hope gets her through, and she succeeds through her own faith, and just a little bit of help from others. More than just an inspirational work for other single moms, this is a story that everyone should read. You can make your life better. All you need is a reason.

I found Arnoldi's comic to be wonderfully honest and frank and I thank her for sharing it with us. The turning point of the book is when she becomes grateful for what she has, and what she is, and her horrid past becomes a memory and not a sentence. Three cheers for her dreams and her fulfillment. I too graduated college with a very young child. The love for her child is apparent throughout, and despite the horrid circumstance in which the child was conceived, it is clear the author views her child as a blessing and never a burden. The book is a stark graphic comic about the author's life between the ages of 10 and 21. The artwork is wonderfully descriptive and that which anyone can understand and relate to.

This is one of the most popular books in my "Hot Topics" section of the Teen Library.

All too many of my patrons can relate to the story of an already emotionally abused girl whose first sexual experiences are rape and who becomes pregnant as a result. Through gritty work, optimism, and luck she gets an education and resolves to help others do the same. Part of that resolution is telling her story, through this beautifully illustrated and starkly written graphic novel.

Problem 1: Not enough information. Her rape results in her pregnancy, so you can hardly fault her for being unprepared. But she leaps into a live- in relationship with the first person who __seems__ tender toward her, and I am left to wonder, did she then learn about contraceptives? Or was she just lucky? Since this is meant to be a teaching book, this is a huge omission.

Problem 2: Personal view. Yes, it is meant to be personal, and that's why it's so poignant, but her view of teenaged motherhood is in its way as skewed and judgemental as those she attacks. Arnoldi says in the back of the book that teenaged mothers should go to college, and if they can't get a babysitter, bring the child to class. Don't let a prejudiced instructor keep you from getting an education. She seems unaware that she is very lucky to have had a healthy and exceptionally good-natured child. I worked hard for my 2 degrees, and I have taught at the college level, and I had a baby with colic. Any professor who invited me and my screaming baby to leave would have been right to do so. Not prejudiced or unkind, but interested in quality education.

I hope that this book comes back in print, and with additions to the story, both background and "where are they now?" parts. It would be a title I'd be glad to have in multiple copies.

I am a divorce attorney. I picked up this book and read it in 15 minutes tops. If you are the subject matter yourself, or just interested in the subject matter, it's a Keeper; a book that somehow deserves to be bought and taken home (or shared). I bought it for a Family Law Judge as a gift. This Judge collects books and displays them for the people who pass through her Courtroom/Chambers. It's corny and all comic strips but if you've left an abusive relationship and had a child with you (or know someone who did), it's just SIMPLY POWERFUL in its clear truth.

Arnoldi's graphic-novel about a single mother is great. It is not only a direct and clear critique of the problems facing young single-mothers today (an increasingly large demographic in the U.S.), but it is also a hopeful and inspiring story about the way out of those problems -- a way out created by young single mothers cooperating as they find solidarity with one another. Although the story is simply told and very easy to read, it is not a simple story, and she weaves together issues of sexuality, family, and labor union politics.