In Trouble by Ellen Levine

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In Trouble by Ellen Levine

Carolrhoda Book, September 28th 2011

Summary from Goodreads:

Jamie and Elaine have been best friends forever, and now they’re finally juniors in high school. Elaine has a steady boyfriend, and Jamie could have one—if she'd just open her eyes and see Paul. But Jamie has a bigger problem to worry about. 

Then Elaine gets "in trouble"—something they thought only happened to "other" girls. Are there any good choices for a girl in trouble? 

In Trouble is a novel born of author Ellen Levine’s interviews with women who came of age in the late 1950s and early 1960s, including those who knew what it was like to be a teen facing a horrible choice. 

In the decades before Roe v. Wade, a young woman "in trouble" had very few options—and all of them meant shame, isolation, and maybe much worse. 

Jamie and Elaine's stories are just two among the thousands of stories of teenagers facing unplanned pregnancies. 

There was something about this story that drew me in, so when I saw it on NetGalley I snapped it up. It sounds like a really interesting story. 


To be fair, I struggled to get through the book mostly because there were a lot of errors in my electronic copy. There was a lot of duplication of the text, which made it hard to focus on the story. What I could focus on, however, I liked. The tone was definitely one of desperation--you truly got a sense of how few choices there were during that time frame for women--and even less choices for teenage girls who find themselves "in trouble."


Jamie was a reliable narrator, and you definitely get the sense that there's more to the story than she's letting on. Oh, and did I mention that her father is just coming home from jail? Yeah, he was a political prisoner--this IS the era of McCarthyism, after all. 


This was a quick, interesting read. I didn't expect the ending at all, but I thought it fit the story. This book is definitely going on my re-read pile so I can revisit it in its final publication. 


eGalley received from NetGalley.


Enjoy your reading!
Christi