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Un-Birthday
A college-bound high school senior seeks advice and information in order to decide whether she should terminate her pregnancy.
- GenresYoung Adult
112 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1982
30 people want to read
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Displaying 1 of 1 review
January 31, 2026
This cover is so cringey, I almost couldn't bring myself to read the book. But it's a Flare Original, so I wanted it in my collection.
I really loved it! Mostly. I love Louisa's voice. The writing is funny. I love that Louisa and Charlie love each other and are in a long-term, committed relationship that began slowly, that everything is consensual and without pressure, and that they always use condoms. When Louisa misses her period, she reminds Charlie that condoms are not 100 percent effective.
Once Louisa knows she is pregnant, I love that she goes to the women's center at a college for help. Jane from the women's center is also a great character. Louisa educates herself and she makes her decision. Charlie has to beg to help, and she finally accepts. The author presents everything realistically and relatably, and doesn't shy away from the tough parts, emotionally or physically. Well done.
The only thing I completely object to is the plethora of terms we used so ubiquitously in the 1980s that I now understand are ableist/offensive/just plain mean-spirited and absent of any kind of empathy for mental illness or intellectual disability. It horrifies me now to read phrases like, "illiterate, uneducated moron." Lots of terms tossed about like schizoid, idiot, moron, the r word... The very first page opens with, "The girls' room was even more chaotic than usual, and usually it resembled the psycho ward in an asylum for demented baboons." Awful.
This book gives today's audience a good look at what unintended pregnancy was like in the 1980s. No dollar store tests, for sure. Making appointments without cell phones, oof. But abortion was legal and safe, even though some people wanted to make that not so.
I wish this author had written more. The characters are smart and sarcastic, and I really enjoyed the deadpan humor. For example, as Louisa recalls how both she and Charlie are misfits: "He writes a scathing denunciation of Coach Apollinaris's baseball strategy. After which, the paper's faculty advisor predicts that Charlie doesn't have much of a future in journalism at Tollefson High. Charlie makes the adviser a profit by giving him the finger" (15).
I really loved it! Mostly. I love Louisa's voice. The writing is funny. I love that Louisa and Charlie love each other and are in a long-term, committed relationship that began slowly, that everything is consensual and without pressure, and that they always use condoms. When Louisa misses her period, she reminds Charlie that condoms are not 100 percent effective.
Once Louisa knows she is pregnant, I love that she goes to the women's center at a college for help. Jane from the women's center is also a great character. Louisa educates herself and she makes her decision. Charlie has to beg to help, and she finally accepts. The author presents everything realistically and relatably, and doesn't shy away from the tough parts, emotionally or physically. Well done.
The only thing I completely object to is the plethora of terms we used so ubiquitously in the 1980s that I now understand are ableist/offensive/just plain mean-spirited and absent of any kind of empathy for mental illness or intellectual disability. It horrifies me now to read phrases like, "illiterate, uneducated moron." Lots of terms tossed about like schizoid, idiot, moron, the r word... The very first page opens with, "The girls' room was even more chaotic than usual, and usually it resembled the psycho ward in an asylum for demented baboons." Awful.
This book gives today's audience a good look at what unintended pregnancy was like in the 1980s. No dollar store tests, for sure. Making appointments without cell phones, oof. But abortion was legal and safe, even though some people wanted to make that not so.
I wish this author had written more. The characters are smart and sarcastic, and I really enjoyed the deadpan humor. For example, as Louisa recalls how both she and Charlie are misfits: "He writes a scathing denunciation of Coach Apollinaris's baseball strategy. After which, the paper's faculty advisor predicts that Charlie doesn't have much of a future in journalism at Tollefson High. Charlie makes the adviser a profit by giving him the finger" (15).
Displaying 1 of 1 review