After

Efaw, Amy. After. Viking Juvenile (2009). ISBN 0670011835

Plot Summary

                After is about a girl, Devon, who doesn't know (or is in denial about it) she's pregnant and when it's time to give birth, she does it by herself in the bathroom and throws the baby in the garbage.  The baby is found and connected to Devon, who is then taken to juvenile hall to await her trial.  This book goes through the ups and downs that this kind of experience can take on a person.  Devon has to go through the trial of the post-partum period while she is in jail.  Not only that, but she must immediately begin focusing on her hearing to determine whether she will be tried as a minor or as an adult.

                She is only fifteen but because of the magnitude of the crime, the state wants her in the adult system.  Devon’s lawyer is able to help Devon come to terms with what happened and remember those parts of her past that she had been suppressing.  Devon wins her hearing and is able to be tried in the juvenile system.  Her lawyer feels certain that Devon won’t have to serve any jail time but Devon decides that she wants to pay for what she’s done and plead guilty.  That is where we leave them.

Critical Evaluation

Personally, I feel sick when I think about this happening to any child but, when reading the book, I felt myself pulling for Devon.  She was obviously scared, confused and in complete denial about her situation.  Her mother is so absent it’s not even funny.  She has basically been living as an adult since a very young age and when she needs an adult more than ever, she doesn’t feel as if she can turn to her mom.  I really hope there are not mother’s out there like Devon’s.  Unfortunately, I know there are. 

 This book gives insight into what it might be like in a juvenile detention facility and what the system is like from the inside.  I’m not sure how many juvenile jail books are out there featuring a girl as their main character, but this is definitely one to note.  The situation is portrayed realistically without being unnecessarily graphic.  Overall, the major themes in this book go over well and are understandable for the reader.  

Reader’s Annotation

Devon experiences life in juvenile hall when she commits a crime so heinous even she has blocked it out.

Author’s Information

Amy’s first attempt at writing was a picture book that was rejected by several publishers.  Not to be deterred, she started writing for a newspaper and got better and better.  After her first book was published, Battle Dress, it took her seven more years to finish After (she had five young children at home!).  To find out more about her and her very interesting life visit her website: http://www.amyefaw.com/

Genre

Realistic Fiction

Book Talking Ideas

This is a topic that hasn’t been dealt with a lot in YA literature.  Teen pregnancy, yes.  Abortion, yes.  Adoption, yes.  But having a teenage mother be so in denial about her situation that she throws her baby away?  That is a new idea.  I’d maybe read a passage from Amy about when she was giving birth.  It is very striking without being too graphic. 

Reading Level/Interest

12/15

Challenge Issues

                This is a hard topic to broach with young adults.  Pregnancy is a huge issue with teens now a days and this book gives a new perspective on the topic.  The baby actually lives, so it has that going for it against potential challengers.  Any well written perspective on teen issues is important and should be available to any who want to read it – provided it’s age appropriate.

Why Include This Title?

I felt like After was a really good addition to the books dealing with pregnancy and other teen motherhood issues.  This topic of child abandonment doesn’t seem to be broached too often in YA.