Girls on the Verge

Girls on the Verge
by Sharon Biggs Waller

It is the summer before Camille's senior year and she is going to a prestigious theater program when she finds out she is is pregnant.  She is scared to tell her parents.  Camille ends up reaching out to a girl she don't know well, Annabelle, for help.  Camille wants an abortion and those are not easy to get in Texas, particularly for someone unmarried and her age.  

Camille's best friend, Bea, also ends up going with them on the road trip. Bea is religious and is having a hard time with Camille's choice, but she wants to support her friend.  Camille, Bea, and Annabelle are on a road trip to southern Texas / Mexico to try to buy illegal pills that are supposed to cause a miscarriage.  

It was scary how these teens girls were traveling so far to basically purchase illegal pills.  This sounds dangerous, what if something had gone wrong?  Camille could have gotten very sick from the pills, or they could have been attacked as they were not going into safe neighborhoods.  And then they end up traveling across the state for an abortion.  Scary.  Both scary what might happen to them and scary that they are traveling so far to decide what will happen to their own body.

Camille made a poor decision when she had sex.  And unfortunately, it did only take the one time.  And then she had to face hard decisions.  Does she have the baby and it changes her life? Does she have the baby and give it up for adoption?  That still changes her plans to go on to her acting school.  Or does she have an abortion and try to move on with her life?  

I do not agree with abortion, but that is still such a scary situation for someone so young.  Her parents needed to know what was going on, but she was too scared to tell them.  And then her friend, Annabelle, seemed to know so much more than Camille and Bea.  What their choices and options might be.  Annabelle also knew more about just plain birth control which is something that all the girls should know about.

The double stigma.  Here Camille is scared, what does she do about this baby?  And the father of the baby knows nothing.  They mention another girl at school who was pregnant and picked on, yet the boy was left alone.  That is so not far, a baby does not happen by itself.  

This one was interesting and very thought provoking.  This book would make a really good book discussion book for teens.  It would open up a discussion on abortion, birth control, and sex.  Something that should be talked about.