LitPick Review
Set in the late 1950's during the McCarthy Era, Jamie and Elaine are best friends and now they are finally juniors in high school. Elaine has a college boyfriend named Neil and Jamie could have a boyfriend, if only she would open her heart up to Paul. During this time, girls who get "in trouble" are ignored, made fun of and are sometimes even sent away. So what happens when Elaine gets "in trouble". Will she be sent away, leaving Jamie without her best friend? Will Elaine and Neil get married? Jamie's head spins with all of these thoughts. Also at this time, Jamie faces her haunting past of what happened "that night" and also the reunion with her Dad as he comes home from prison. Who knows what will happen to Elaine, but she is one girl of many facing "trouble" during this time.
Opinion:
In Trouble was a book that took me back to the 1950's and gave me the idea of what happens to girls who are facing teen pregnancy. The setting was really important in this book because teen pregnancy in the 1950's was very unthinkable. Discrimination and being sent away were very likely if you were a pregnant teenager. Jamie, as the main character, was very dynamic, meaning she changed drastically throughout the book. Throughout the book I felt sympathy for Elaine because she was a pregnant teenager without much support from her family or her boyfriend Neil. However I loved both of the characters, and I think the author did a great job including them in the plot. Also, I thought the author did a great job of explaining what happens to girls who get "in trouble" and the consequences they must face. I really liked this book and I would recommend it to girls 13 years and above, due to the talk of pregnancy and abortions.
