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Choices
Binge drinking, date rape, family secrets, and teen pregnancy collide in Choices, a compelling and bumpy coming-of-age journey that hurtles fifteen-year-old Kara MacNeill into a state of panic, fear, and confusion.
A sophomore at an all-girls Catholic academy in Colorado, Kara finds herself crossing the line into womanhood after an arrogant high school basketball star rapes her, then urges her to get an abortion when she tells him she is pregnant. Facing life-changing decisions and a major confrontation with her conservative Catholic parents, Kara discovers the allies who will help her to deal with her crisis and recover from her mistakes.
Choices is the powerful story of a teenage girl who learns to think for herself, take responsibility for her choices, and discover a solid sense of self along the way.
- GenresYoung Adult
208 pages, Paperback
First published April 28, 2007
1 person is currently reading
57 people want to read
About the author
Kate Buckley
2 books6 followersKate worked as a screenwriter in Hollywood, developing and writing screenplays about women's issues. After receiving her MA in Human Development, Kate worked as a teen advocate in the Los Angeles Commission on Assaults Against Women’s Teen Abuse Prevention Project. She also trained to be part of the LA Commission’s Rape Crisis Hot Line team. She is a member of the Writers Guild of America and PEN USA. Kate facilitated support groups for adolescent girls in California and New Mexico. She facilitated a three-year drug and alcohol abuse prevention program in the public middle schools of Santa Fe, New Mexico. Kate is currently teaching her fifth PEN in the Classroom writing workshop to eighth graders at Capshaw middle school in Santa Fe. She will teach her sixth to tenth graders at Santa Fe High next fall.
CHOICES is her first Young Adult novel.
CHOICES is her first Young Adult novel.
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
November 14, 2009
This novel has a great deal to offer. HOWEVER, from the very beginning of the novel, it presents a one sided, PRO-ABORTION RIGHTS viewpoint. Characters with PRO-LIFE opinions are depicted as unthinking, small-minded religious drones.
The story is written from the point of view of a young teen in a believable way. Faced with an unexpected pregnancy as the result of a single instance of binge drinking & date rape, the novel explores the emotional tumult the young girl experiences.
If an adult is willing to present some of the other view points in the right to life argument in conjunction with reading this book, I would recommend it as a good source to open dialogue.
The story is written from the point of view of a young teen in a believable way. Faced with an unexpected pregnancy as the result of a single instance of binge drinking & date rape, the novel explores the emotional tumult the young girl experiences.
If an adult is willing to present some of the other view points in the right to life argument in conjunction with reading this book, I would recommend it as a good source to open dialogue.
January 7, 2018
A powerful story of the aftermath of date rape and pregnancy at 15 for Kara, a girl at a Catholic high school in Colorado who is damaged by an 18-year old basketball star. An excellent book for any teenage girl to think through the consequences of their choices, and realize they are not alone in responsibility, nor are they alone when help is needed.
January 5, 2009
In this novel for young adults--with something valuable to say to older adults, as well--Kate Buckley has had the courage to take on subject matter few will touch. As evidence: after a long search for a traditional publisher, Buckley had to self-publish for her story to see print. While none of the traditional publishers denied the quality and value of Buckley's writing, all were squeamish at backing up a topic that continues to ignite a furor among those who are pro-life and those who defend a woman's right to make choices about her pregnancy. Only after Buckley's book saw quick success and critical acclaim (Kirkus, Ms. Magazine, and others) did traditional publishers consider her work, and Choices may yet see the imprint of one of these on its title page in a second printing.
The author comes to her writing with substantial experience. A Santa Fe, New Mexico resident, Buckley holds a master's in human development with a concentration in women's studies. She has facilitated support groups for girls in California and New Mexico. An activist for women's rights, she has worked as a teen advocate in the Los Angeles Commission on Assaults Against Women's Teen Abuse Prevention Project and has trained for the LA Commission's Rape Crisis Hot Line team. Buckley has administered a three-year, science based drug and alcohol abuse prevention program in public middle schools of Santa Fe, New Mexico.
When Buckley wrote Choices, she meant it to be read and discussed not only by teen girls, but to open lines of communication between girls and their mothers, equally their fathers and brothers, even an entire community, for it takes a village to protect a young woman. Indeed, this is the line running through the novel. When 15 year old Kara MacNeill finds herself pregnant after being raped by a school jock at a party, she must confront her every fear in dealing with a moral and ethical dilemma. There is the rape itself. She must cope with the violation of body, mind and spirit that a person undergoes after a rape. To complicate matters, Kara's mother is an impassioned pro-life activist who often has her daughter help in passing our flyers and joining in protests against abortion clinics. Surely, Kara will not find help in her dilemma at home. Time is of essence, however, as Kara searches for support in various places with varied results. The young rapist adds pressure to abort the fetus, for, as it turns out, she is not the first girl in school he has raped. The complicit and shamed silence in his female victims is something he has come to rely upon.
Choices addresses all variations and possible solutions to a problem too many adolescent girls and young women face. Is Kara in some manner responsible? Is a girl at a party who drinks too much accountable for what a boy does to her? Will a parent who has strong pro-life views feel the same way when a daughter has been raped? As simple as it can be to hold firm views when they apply to others, the insights Kara's parents experience when the results of rape hit home are fascinating for the reader to witness.
This is a story about growing up, about being accountable and taking responsibility, about taking risks and being honest when honesty becomes a matter of life and death. This is a story about what it means to be a young not-yet-woman in a society that often puts the blame and the shame on the female (in no small part due to the views of women themselves about being "nice" and that "boys will be boys") when sex becomes an act of force. Kudos to Buckley for speaking up.
Author interview in the Summer 2008 issue of The Smoking Poet: http://thesmokingpoet.tripod.com/summ...
The author comes to her writing with substantial experience. A Santa Fe, New Mexico resident, Buckley holds a master's in human development with a concentration in women's studies. She has facilitated support groups for girls in California and New Mexico. An activist for women's rights, she has worked as a teen advocate in the Los Angeles Commission on Assaults Against Women's Teen Abuse Prevention Project and has trained for the LA Commission's Rape Crisis Hot Line team. Buckley has administered a three-year, science based drug and alcohol abuse prevention program in public middle schools of Santa Fe, New Mexico.
When Buckley wrote Choices, she meant it to be read and discussed not only by teen girls, but to open lines of communication between girls and their mothers, equally their fathers and brothers, even an entire community, for it takes a village to protect a young woman. Indeed, this is the line running through the novel. When 15 year old Kara MacNeill finds herself pregnant after being raped by a school jock at a party, she must confront her every fear in dealing with a moral and ethical dilemma. There is the rape itself. She must cope with the violation of body, mind and spirit that a person undergoes after a rape. To complicate matters, Kara's mother is an impassioned pro-life activist who often has her daughter help in passing our flyers and joining in protests against abortion clinics. Surely, Kara will not find help in her dilemma at home. Time is of essence, however, as Kara searches for support in various places with varied results. The young rapist adds pressure to abort the fetus, for, as it turns out, she is not the first girl in school he has raped. The complicit and shamed silence in his female victims is something he has come to rely upon.
Choices addresses all variations and possible solutions to a problem too many adolescent girls and young women face. Is Kara in some manner responsible? Is a girl at a party who drinks too much accountable for what a boy does to her? Will a parent who has strong pro-life views feel the same way when a daughter has been raped? As simple as it can be to hold firm views when they apply to others, the insights Kara's parents experience when the results of rape hit home are fascinating for the reader to witness.
This is a story about growing up, about being accountable and taking responsibility, about taking risks and being honest when honesty becomes a matter of life and death. This is a story about what it means to be a young not-yet-woman in a society that often puts the blame and the shame on the female (in no small part due to the views of women themselves about being "nice" and that "boys will be boys") when sex becomes an act of force. Kudos to Buckley for speaking up.
Author interview in the Summer 2008 issue of The Smoking Poet: http://thesmokingpoet.tripod.com/summ...
December 10, 2009
Kara MacNeill disobeyed her father's strict rules so she could spend time with Jake Dodson. She chose Jake over her friends, thinking she was too mature for them. She even broke a vow she had made with her friend, Mel, to please Jake, but he led her down the wrong path and she paid a price for wanting to fit in with him and the so-called popular crowd.
There is so much I didn't like about this story. I felt so bothered after I read it and I was still bothered when I woke up the next morning. It screams pro-choice and doesn't give pro-lifers a chance. In fact, it doesn't say one positive thing about making the choice to give an unborn child a chance at life. I realize the story focuses on Catholic beliefs but not all pro-lifers are judgmental, insensitive extremist. The author does send the message that the choice to have an abortion isn't always an easy one - I can appreciate that- but even though Kara seemed to have mixed feelings before and after the abortion, I couldn't feel for a girl who chose to kill her baby because the pregnancy wasn't convenient for her. And her family bonds grow closer after the choice she made? So sad.
I didn't expect to learn so much about Catholic beliefs and that was interesting, but they were all so concerned about the "rules" of the Catholic Church; no one was thinking about the "life" inside of this girl.
Quite a bit of this story reads like an instruction manual. Buckley does have good writing skills and if Choices hadn't been so one-sided I may have liked it better. I don't know.
There is so much I didn't like about this story. I felt so bothered after I read it and I was still bothered when I woke up the next morning. It screams pro-choice and doesn't give pro-lifers a chance. In fact, it doesn't say one positive thing about making the choice to give an unborn child a chance at life. I realize the story focuses on Catholic beliefs but not all pro-lifers are judgmental, insensitive extremist. The author does send the message that the choice to have an abortion isn't always an easy one - I can appreciate that- but even though Kara seemed to have mixed feelings before and after the abortion, I couldn't feel for a girl who chose to kill her baby because the pregnancy wasn't convenient for her. And her family bonds grow closer after the choice she made? So sad.
I didn't expect to learn so much about Catholic beliefs and that was interesting, but they were all so concerned about the "rules" of the Catholic Church; no one was thinking about the "life" inside of this girl.
Quite a bit of this story reads like an instruction manual. Buckley does have good writing skills and if Choices hadn't been so one-sided I may have liked it better. I don't know.
July 31, 2011
CHOICES is a YA novel that discusses some very serious topics; underage drinking, date rape and abortion. Buckley did an amazing job representing the teenage girl and their struggles when it comes to friendships, dating and coming of age. I was immediately drawn into the story and Kara (the main character) was a girl I was rooting for. Being a teenage girl is not an easy time in life and CHOICES helps to identify some of the struggles that we as parents, educators, social workers, and friends need to pay attention to. We need to offer our children an environment where they can talk to us, so we can keep them safe.
Buckley tackled the subject of abortion and the view of the Catholic religion in a way that will make you really think about what side you are on. CHOICES is a book that everyone should read. I absolutely loved this book and will be telling my friends that this is a must read book. Whether you have a teenage girl or teenage boy, the lessons contained in this book are ones that need to be discussed with our children. There are serious consequences for our actions and we all make choices...
"And choices? We make them everyday without a second thought, or even a first." (page 195, CHOICES)
Buckley tackled the subject of abortion and the view of the Catholic religion in a way that will make you really think about what side you are on. CHOICES is a book that everyone should read. I absolutely loved this book and will be telling my friends that this is a must read book. Whether you have a teenage girl or teenage boy, the lessons contained in this book are ones that need to be discussed with our children. There are serious consequences for our actions and we all make choices...
"And choices? We make them everyday without a second thought, or even a first." (page 195, CHOICES)
May 24, 2010
I read this book in one night, couldn't put it down. A real page turner, which gripped me from the get go, scared to death about what choices Kara would make and how they would affect her life. Kate's characters were so alive and true. Kara's mother realizes she can no longer view the complexities of a woman's right to choose through the single lens of her anti-choice group. Thank you, Kara, for helping your mother see the light and bringing her into the 21st century! Buckley's ability to be inside the head of a teen girl is remarkable ... I felt like I was back in high school again while reading these girls lives, it's a coming-of-age message that crosses the decades. Choices will be as relevant in 2050 as it is today.
December 28, 2010
Wonderful story. Great character--the kind you keep thinking about long after finishing the book. This protagonist deals with date rape, binge drinking, pregnancy, and the ensuing choices that are the toughest a person has to make. Kate Buckley handles these tough issues deftly. Every teen girl--and every person who knows a teen girl should read it. So should every teen boy, to get some insight into how all of our behavior affects those we touch. Great read for the sake of the story itself.
April 9, 2011
It was a pretty good book. About how it is like to make big decisions at a young age. There was a lot of things I didn't like about the book. Most of it was that the book was just to long and in the end it didn't need the last few chapters and I would have been okay with it. The story just dragged on to the point of boredom.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews