Book Review: The Pregnancy Project by Gaby Rodriguez

By: Gaby Rodriguez & Jenna Glatzer

Published by: Simon & Schuster

Released on: January 17th, 2012

Source: book from publisher to review

Stars: Unrated

Purchase from: Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Growing up, Gaby Rodriguez was often told she would end up a teen mom. After all, her mother and her older sisters had gotten pregnant as teenagers; from an outsider’s perspective, it was practically a family tradition. Gaby had ambitions that didn’t include teen motherhood. But she wondered: how would she be treated if she “lived down” to others' expectations? Would everyone ignore the years she put into being a good student and see her as just another pregnant teen statistic with no future? These questions sparked Gaby’s school project: faking her own pregnancy as a high school senior to see how her family, friends, and community would react. What she learned changed her life forever, and made international headlines in the process.

In The Pregnancy Project, Gaby details how she was able to fake her own pregnancy—hiding the truth from even her siblings and boyfriend’s parents—and reveals all that she learned from the experience. But more than that, Gaby’s story is about fighting stereotypes, and how one girl found the strength to come out from the shadow of low expectations to forge a bright future for herself -quoted from Goodreads

I'll be really honest, when I first received this book I had no intentions of reading it, and I can't tell you exactly why. Sure, I've had mixed feelings on this (true) story. I understood why some people felt betrayed and were mad at young Gaby for lying to them about her (fake) pregnancy. I get why some people wouldn't want to read this story, let alone admire Gaby for what she did. BUT, there's the other side to the story that got my attention. It's the bigger part of this story that made me want to read it. So I did a little research and the more I read about Gaby and the story behind this book the more interested I became.

Here's a girl who has grown up dealing with more in her young life than many of us have ever even thought about, let alone dwelt with in our own lives, and yet at the same time her story is one that many people will relate to. Gaby is Latina (quoted from her own word) and grew up with a single mom, in poverty, in a disadvantage town. Her strength and her own personal story is what made me pick up this book. I had to know more. I have to say I'm proud of Gaby for taking a stand to prove to others she wasn't just "another statics". How could I not? This is a story about someone who has dwelt with being stereotyped her whole life and how she set out to prove them wrong. Though Gaby is just a teen when this story takes place, this bright young honor roll student has always been told that she'd turn out like her mom and sisters. That she'd be "just" another statistic. She'd never go to college. She'd be a teen mom, a school drop out. Wouldn't that make you want to prove everyone how wrong they are? Wouldn't that make you want to prove something to those who looked down on you and told you'd never be someone you're working hard to be? It would make me want to make prove them wrong and make a point.

What a point she made. Gaby took it upon her self to turn her senior project into a what if scenario, a reality for a lot of young people she knew. What if she did become pregnant, what would happen then? So, Gaby faked her pregnancy to take a brave stand against stereotypes, and she learned a lesson about life, herself, the meaning of family and what friendship is all about. Before Gaby even had this idea I have to say I was impressed with her. She was and still is a bright young girl, a good student, has a good head on her shoulders, she's responsible and she's far from being another statistic. Putting my understanding of how people on both sides of this story feel and focusing on Gaby herself, I admit I admire the guts it took to do this. I'm not saying this is something I'd ever do, but I'd be a liar if I said I didn't admire the strength Gaby had to do what she did and only tell her couple people about her project, including her boyfriend (who by the way she's still with).

This isn't necessarily one of those feel good books that makes you feel all happy after you read, but it's a story with a powerful message that will make you realize one person can make a difference. It's a real, honest look into the life of a teen who set out to make a point about the rumors, stereotypes and statistics we as a human race put on each other. It's story about one girls fight to break those and prove to those around her she's not just another statistic and neither is anyone else. She proved that everyone has the power within themselves to rise about the stereotypes they're given, that they can be better than they're told they are. This is a story about a girl who wasn't given much of a chance to do something with her life and how she proved them wrong.