annotated bibliography!

Thesis

      Throughout time, societies viewpoints of teenage pregnancy have slackened significantly. Today, we celebrate shows like 16 and Pregnant and Teen Mom, both of which show case the lives of teenage motherhood. These reality television shows document the parents' reactions to the pregnancy - some take it well, offering to assist the mother with her long journey; others turn away completely, shutting their daughters out of their lives because of her mistake. In 2010, the ladder seems insensitive and uncaring. In 1960, this was considered normal. Whenever the media (television, movies, books, etc.) portrayed pregnant teenagers in the mid twentieth century, there were many universal messages for both the teens and the parents. The teens were expected to  be turned on their own without help from their family, and the parents were supposed to turn away from them out of unbearable shame and disappointment. Meredith Hall's shunning by her family in her memoir Without a Map, was indicative of the era of her adolescence.

Benson, Mark J. “After the Adolescent Pregnancy: Parents, Teens, and Families.” Child & Adolescent Social Work Journal Oct. 2004: 435-455. Academic Search Premier. EBSCOhost. University of New Hampshire Lib., Durham, NH. 9 Nov. 2010 <www.search.ebscohost.com>.

This article was written for social workers to outline how they should handle teen pregnancies. Helpful parts for my argument include the profiling of a typical pregnant teenager, which is very indicative of Hall’s teenage years. Since this literature was written in 2004, the information is relatively up-to-date, it can easily be contrasted with Hall’s experience from the 60s. It also touches on the issue of regret after giving a child up for adoption, which Hall suffered from herself.

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Davis, Joy B. and Laurie MacGillivray. “Books about Teen Parents: Messages and Omissions.” The English Journal Jan. 2001: 90-96. Academic Search Premier. EBSCOhost. University of New Hampshire Lib., Durham, NH. 9 Nov. 2010 <www.search.ebscohost.com>.

This source is a critique of seventeen short stories and books that address the issue of teen pregnancy. It points out eight common themes that occurred throughout this literature, such as, “Don’t have unprotected sex, even once!” and “When you are pregnant, you are on your own.” Both of these themes directly relate to Hall’s experience. The article even points out a “me and my baby against the world” attitude with Hall embodies throughout her months of shunning. It also points out the parents disappointment and anger when discovering that their daughter is pregnant, as well as some of the typical ways they deal with it.

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Emge, Diane. “I’m Pregnant! Fear and Conception in Four Decades of Young Adult Literature.” Young Adult Library Services Winter 2006: 22-27. Academic Search Premier. EBSCOhost. University of New Hampshire Lib., Durham, NH. 9 Nov. 2010 <www.search.ebscohost.com>.

This article provides a brief overview of how teen pregnancy has been portrayed by fictional characters in books throughout the past four decades. Emge explores the options that were available to each character, such as adoption, abortion, marriage, and parenthood. She also remarks about the availability of birth control and American society’s acceptance of premarital sex. I could use this source as evidence of the commonality of the cultural taboo against sex out of wedlock. As literature from the 1960s and 70s shows us, Hall’s family was expected to hide her away during her pregnancy in shame. She was supposed to feel embarrassed and dirty by her actions.

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“Forced to Give Up Their Babies.” People Weekly 18 Sept. 2006: 159. Student Resource Center – Gold. Gale Group. University of New Hampshire Lib., Durham, NH. 9 Nov. 2010 <www.find.galegroup.com>.

This article tells abbreviated stories of three middle aged women who became pregnant as teens in the 1950s. Like Meredith Hall, two of the three were shunned by their parents and sent to homes for expecting teenage mothers. All three were forced to give their child up for adoption and pretend that they were never pregnant. These three women all struggled with reconnecting with their children after they reached their 40s and 50s – it was an extremely emotional experience. I could use this source to show that Hall was not the only mother sent away during her pregnancy and forced to give up her child for adoption. There are many strong connections between these women’s stories and Hall’s.

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Ojeda, Auriana. “Preface to ‘Is Teenage Pregnancy a Serious Problem?” Opposing Viewpoints: Teenage Pregnancy 2003. Student Resource Center – Gold. Gale Group. University of New Hampshire Lib., Durham, NH. 9 Nov. 2010 <www.find.galegroup.com>.

This article is a brief overview of statistics about teenage pregnancies during the 1950s and 60s in the United States. It also addresses society’s shift in understanding and acceptance toward pregnant teens. I could use this source for some concrete data about single parents in the mid twentieth century – such as how many teenage girls were pregnant then as compared to 2003 (the articles publication). I can also talk about why American culture has become more tolerant of child-bearing out of wedlock since the 60s, and why we never hear about girls being shunned because of their pregnancy.