Detour for Emmy

This book was on my teenage daughter's recommended reading list at school. My daughter is not an avid reader but after giving this book accolades, I decided to read it myself. I found this book very well written and the message was conveyed clearly and realistically. After reading this book, I had a discussion with my daughter and was amazed and delighted to see that the book had reinforced all the things I have been teaching her about the consequences of teenage sex that had seemed to be going in one ear and out the other for years. Peer pressure in high school is overwhelming enough as it is, and this book accomplished in a much better way, what I, as a mother, have been trying to accomplish on my own. Written from a teenage viewpoint, this book helped my daughter relate in a much better way than I or any other than any parent could strive for. The only thing my daughter complained about after reading this was that she felt the author should have stressed more on the difficulty in caring for a baby on a day to day basis, especially for a teenager (i.e. the everyday trials and tribulations you go through from the incessant crying, walking the floors all night, teething crankiness, chasing after them, dealing with illness and the extensive patience (and maturity) one needs in order to cope with a baby every single day). This book should be on every required reading list in schools across the United States. It should be viewed as an excellent aid in teaching teens across America the importance of safe sex and abstinence. Kudo's to the author on this accomplishment.

Detour for Emmy is an exceptional book, it is well written and has a great plot for young adults. Emmy found herself 16 and with a baby. With no help from her mother a single parent who is an alcholic and works late nights, the boyfriend that claims he would never leave her has broken up with her when he found out that she is pregnant. The only person who believes in her is her brother, but is no help now because he is in and out of jail. Before all this confusion started, Emmy was a well rounded girl. She was a straight A student, a star soccer player, a lead soprano choir singer, with an opportunity to get 4 years of collage paid for. All this and a upper classman boyfriend that everyone girl fawns over. Life is good until one night on the beach Emmy and her boyfriend have unprotected sex. That is when Emmy's life goes down the drain and to the gutter. Although her mother and boyfriend insist on her having an abortion, Emmy refuses she thinks by having the baby that someone will finally love and appreciate her.

Detour for Emmy is an exceptional book, it is well written and has a great plot for young adults. Emmy found herself 16 and with a baby. With no help from her mother a single parent who is an acholic and works late nights, the boyfriend that claims he would never leave her has broken up with her when he found out that she is pregnant. The only person who believes in her is her brother, but is no help now because he is in and out of jail. Before all this confusion started, Emmy was a well rounded girl. She was a straight A student, a star soccar player, a lead soprano choir singer, with an opportunity to get 4 years of collage payed for. All this and a upper classman boyfriend that everyone girl fawns over. Life is good until one night on the beach Emmy and her boyfriend have unprotected sex. That is when Emmy's life goes down the drain and to the gutter. Although her mother and boyfriend insist on her having an abortion, Emmy refuses she thinks by having the baby that someone will finally love and appreciate her.

This is a story about a girl named Emmy's struggle through real life issues as a young adult of fifteen years old. This story portrays love, heartbreak and everyday conflict of teenagers. It begins with Emmy, straight A student, has two, perfect best friends and a loving relations ship with her upperclassman, boyfriend Art. She seems to have everything going her way except a relationship with her mother, an open alcoholic, and with a brother who's always in and out of jail due to drugs inhabitation. Emmy, after facing the facts of her unplanned pregnancy finds her life going downhill. Emmy's once loving boyfriend Art breaks up with her in fear of ruining his life, and the lose of her two best friends due to the embarrassment of her struggles. The character Emmy showed strong will power to succeed and overcome her challenges. For example, when Emmy was faced with the responsibility of an unborn life continued academically in search of her new future after giving birth. I believe that Emmy put up with a lot of stereotypical judgment from other characters in the story including her mother, boyfriend, best friends, and the community itself. For instance, when Emmy decided to keep her baby her mother went nearly distraught and refuses to help her. The story uses a lot of insightful and detailed description on what is going through Emmy's head for example, Emmy once said, " I felt the catch in my throat, the gaping emptiness, before he even said what I knew was coming." (p. 96)I didn't enjoy the way the author displayed the climax in the story. For instance, the author used many extreme conflicts in the story, which made the climax unclear and hard to come across. I enjoyed the way the author used issues as main inconsistencies as well as invoices on other characters points of view. For instance, the author showed great detail in the way Emmy's mother didn't agree with her daughter decisions on keeping the baby. I thought this was a gratifying book and I think the author not only used true issues but also made them personal. The author used interesting elements to keep the pages turning. Therefore, I would definitely recommend this book to all readers as well as her other great novels, The Telling, and Beyond Dreams.

I really liked this book because it was extremly realistic and down-to-earth. It goes through the year before Emily gets pregnant to when her daughter turns 3 years old. When I became pregnant a year ago I bought many books on teen pregnancy, but most of them were so hokey and the mother almost always gives the baby up for adoption in the end. I liked this book because it gave me an idea of how hard it would be if I decided to keep my baby. I am proud to say today I have a beautiful 5 month old daughter. This book really helped me figure some things out, and I would recommend it to any pregnant teenager out there!