Don't Think Twice [Hardcover]

Ruth Pennebaker (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 15, 1996

"During the summer of 1967, Anne Harper, 17, enters a home for pregnant teens.... This powerful novel will be enlightening reading for any young woman today." --School Library Journal, starred review

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Set in 1967, before the legalization of abortion, this insightful story presents an engrossing, grimly realistic depiction of pregnant teens who have been ostracized by their families and rejected by their lovers. Upon her arrival at a Texas home for unwed mothers, 17-year-old Anne is sure that the next few months will be as dismal as the shabby interior of her new living quarters. Among strangers with backgrounds vastly different from her own middle-class experiences, however, Anne gradually begins to feel more accepted and acceptable than at home with her judgmental parents. She finds the freedom to analyze her mistakes as she plans for the future. The tone of this reflective and sometimes wrenching first novel could easily become oppressive if not for the protagonist's astute, often witty appraisals of housemates, also struggling to rebuild their lives. Without moralizing, Pennebaker conveys a pointed message about social hypocrisies, family relationships and desperate attempts to find love. Ages 13-18.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal

Grade 7 Up?During late summer in 1967, Anne Harper, 17, enters a home for pregnant teens. Forced by her parents to live there, she is unhappy and uncooperative. The woman in charge, Mrs. Landing, insists that Anne attend group meetings, and she eventually becomes involved in the other residents' lives. The young women are there to await the birth of their children (most of whom are given up for adoption), as well as to work on their feelings and personal crises. Pennebaker introduces each character through achingly realistic passages. Anger, resentment, loneliness, confusion, longing, and love wash over these teens as they face the hard facts of life and try to learn from one another's experiences. One girl has been raped by her father; another has been seduced by her pastor. The honest depiction of Anne's physical and emotional development is well presented and renders a strikingly intimate portrayal of teenage pregnancy. Despite the historical setting, the author delves into many aspects of this contemporary social dilemma, from parents' reactions to boyfriends' desertions. This powerful novel will be enlightening reading for any young woman today.?Jana R. Fine, Clearwater Public Library System, FL
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 12 and up
  
• Hardcover: 196 pages
• Publisher: Henry Holt and Co. (BYR); 1st edition (April 15, 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0805044078
• ISBN-13: 978-0805044072
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.7 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (24 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #4,414,673 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

WOMEN ON THE VERGE OF A NERVOUS BREAKTHROUGH is Ruth Pennebaker's first adult novel. She's also written three highly acclaimed young-adult novels, DON'T THINK TWICE, CONDITIONS OF LOVE, and BOTH SIDES NOW, as well as essays and articles for The New York Times, The Dallas Morning News, Texas Observer, Parents, Redbook, McCall's, Cooking Light and other nationwide publications. She is a commentator for KUT, Austin's public radio station, and the author of A TEXAS FAMILY TIME CAPSULE, a collection of her favorite columns.

Ruth lives in Austin, with her mad-scientist husband, the scattered memorabilia of their adult daughter and son, and a neutered cat named Lefty. Her hobbies are reading, yoga, social criticism, and free-form worrying. A card-carrying member of the Chickasaw Nation, Ruth was born in Ponca City, Oklahoma, close to a refinery. She holds a bachelor's degree in comparative literature from Eckerd College and, for reasons that now elude her, a J.D. with honors from the University of Texas School of Law.

Ruth also blogs at www.geezersisters.com.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Moving and Heartbreaking, June 23, 2000

By 

Amy - See all my reviews

This review is from: Don't Think Twice (Laurel-Leaf Books) (Mass Market Paperback)

Sarcastic, teenage and pregnant Anne renders an honest, touching and tear-jerking portrayal of the brutal realities of teenage relashionships and pregnancy.

Anne, the unrequited lover of Jake, her boyfriend who impregnates and then breaks up with her, is shunned from her family and sent to a home for pregnant teenagers. Bitter and depressed, she narrates sarcastically and honestly, profoundly capturing human emotion and pain. Unwillignly, she becomes attached to her companions at the pregnant home, and together they struggle through their deeply painful issues. By the end of the novel, Anne is not healed and perfect, but she has made a remarkable journey of self awareness that is ironically relatable.

I am an avid reader who devours on average 5 books a week. That in mind, now take into consideration this was truly one of the best books I have ever read. It is entertaining, elegantly crafted, has funny, relatable characters, a sense of realism... and above all, Anne's strong voice conveys an amazing story of self awareness and overcoming hardships.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Realistic View of Unwanted Pregnancy, June 6, 2007

By 

A. Luciano (Lowell, MA United States) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Don't Think Twice (Paperback)

Anne is seventeen and accidentally pregnant. Before this, her life had seemed to be going pretty well. Her mother was sometimes depressed and in and out of mental hospitals. Her sister Pamela was the classic dumb cheerleader type, very concerned about her looks and about getting boys to like her. Anne was very smart and involved in high school and her father lavished attention on her. She was his pride and joy, but her pregnancy disappoints him and turns off any emotions he had for her. Anne and her family don't want anyone to know she is pregnant, especially the boy she used to date and whom she thought loved her, the boy who got her pregnant.

So Anne is stuck here at a home for unwed mothers in the country. She and a bunch of other pregnant girls are living together with a housemother who takes care of them and gets them to the hospital when they go into labor. None of the girls has much contact with her family while at the home, and Anne is no exception. She receives occasional letters from her family, but they never acknowledge her pregnancy. Anne feels like she is moving father and farther away from them, and feeling closer and closer to these other girls who once seemed so strange and different from her. How will this pregnancy end up changing her life? Will Anne be able to give up the baby once she gives birth?

I liked that this book showed a pretty realistic view of pregnancy from the point of view of a girl who didn't want to be pregnant. Pregnancy wasn't romanticized or portrayed as something completely wonderful. The characters were interesting and I liked how each one helped Anne gain some insight into herself.

I didn't like the parents of any of the girls, who sent them to this place instead of supporting them and letting them stay at home. I was also horrified at the party the girls had where they were smoking and drinking. I couldn't stop worrying about the damage they could be doing to their babies.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Girl Interrupted, Maternity style, December 13, 2003

By 

Rebecca - See all my reviews

This review is from: Don't Think Twice (Paperback)

This book was excellent. I laughed out loud several times. It took me right back to 1967, what it must have been like to be a young pregnant girl back then, when everyone was so intolerant. The characters were interesting. Anne was hilarious. The end was very touching and moving. The only thing that made me nervous was when they all got drunk, but then I realized no one back then knew that alcohol will hurt an unborn baby.

This book would be a really great movie.