Gaby Rodriguez grabbed headlines with her senior project.
With the knowledge and blessing of her mother, boyfriend and senior project committee, she faked being pregnant in order to better understand the stigma and societal reaction to teen mothers.
The Pregnancy Project is a look back at the project, what Gabby learned about herself, her family, her school and society as a whole and her reaction to her post-reveal fifteen minutes of fame.
Recommended by Unshelved’s Friday book recommendations, The Pregnancy Project is a fascinating, compelling story of how teenage pregnancy is viewed in our society. Rodriguez addresses the trials she faced as well as the questions of how her friends, family and peers would react when they found out it her pregnancy wasn’t real. Gabby spent a lot of time thinking through how she would physically change if expecting, but she didn’t factor in the emotional changes and toll the project would take.
The book, while interesting, doesn’t seem to go deep enough into the implications of Gabby’s plan and it’s impact on her long-term. Like a DVD commentary for a recent release, not enough time has elapsed to give those involved the distance needed for deeper analysis.