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Growing Up Fast
Growing Up Fast tells the life stories of Shayla, Jessica, Amy, Colleen, Liz, and Sheri--six teen mothers whom Joanna Lipper first met in 1999 when they were enrolled at the Teen Parent Program in Pittsfield, Massachusetts. Less than a decade older than these teen parents, she was able to blend into the fabric of their lives and make a short documentary film about them. Over the course of the next four years she continued to earn their trust as they shared with her the daily reality of their lives and their experiences growing up in the economically depressed post-industrial landscape of Pittsfield, Massachusetts.
- GenresNonfictionSocial Science
432 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2003
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Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews
January 1, 2018
Kids with Kids
Pittsfield, Mass. used to be a company town. General Electric provided work that in turn enabled a big percent of the population to live middle class lives. When the company closed down most of its divisions in Pittsfield, the economic and social climate plunged into the depths. Families that didn't leave suffered large drops in income, many people turned to drugs and alcohol, and education and health care---despite some government aid---plummetted too. The city was found to be highly polluted as well. In this atmosphere of despair and disappointment, child abuse and domestic violence grew. Teenage pregnancies have been around forever, but in an environment like Pittsfield's in the 1990s and early 2000s, the problem was intensified. Many girls associated sex with violence, felt that abusive men were the norm. Families could not cope; many teenage fathers could not or would not cooperate, and at last we learn that as many as two-thirds of the teenage girls who gave birth to babies had suffered heavy abuse of some kind as children. These girls, not even 20 years old, were left to cope with bringing up children, almost always without the support of the father.
Joanna Lipper not only wrote this sad, but interesting book, she made a film about the main participants---six teenage mothers, some of the fathers, some parents and siblings. The bulk of the book traces the stories of the six girls in very empathetic detail, combining interviews, observations, and records of participation in various programs. Drugs, violence, and general unawareness of life and its possibilities play strong roles in nearly all cases. Race is factored into the picture. Most of the girls are white, but race doesn't seem to be very important here. But what about class? While economic background and education are often discussed and described, Lipper makes no effort to draw any conclusions about class and people who "fall" from middle to lower, people who resent being at the bottom. Where does all this self-destructive behavior come from ? I would say such questions are not dealt with. A few black and white photos only make the stories more poignant. If----if only---there are so many of these ifs. What can be done ? The author outlines various programs that exist or existed in Pittsfield, but offers no general ideas on the problem. The strong point of the book is the well-written stories of the teenage mothers. I admit I had never given much thought to teenage mothers and their children until I read GROWING UP FAST. I think that for raising the consciousness of people about this problem, you would have to go a long way to beat Lipper's book.
Pittsfield, Mass. used to be a company town. General Electric provided work that in turn enabled a big percent of the population to live middle class lives. When the company closed down most of its divisions in Pittsfield, the economic and social climate plunged into the depths. Families that didn't leave suffered large drops in income, many people turned to drugs and alcohol, and education and health care---despite some government aid---plummetted too. The city was found to be highly polluted as well. In this atmosphere of despair and disappointment, child abuse and domestic violence grew. Teenage pregnancies have been around forever, but in an environment like Pittsfield's in the 1990s and early 2000s, the problem was intensified. Many girls associated sex with violence, felt that abusive men were the norm. Families could not cope; many teenage fathers could not or would not cooperate, and at last we learn that as many as two-thirds of the teenage girls who gave birth to babies had suffered heavy abuse of some kind as children. These girls, not even 20 years old, were left to cope with bringing up children, almost always without the support of the father.
Joanna Lipper not only wrote this sad, but interesting book, she made a film about the main participants---six teenage mothers, some of the fathers, some parents and siblings. The bulk of the book traces the stories of the six girls in very empathetic detail, combining interviews, observations, and records of participation in various programs. Drugs, violence, and general unawareness of life and its possibilities play strong roles in nearly all cases. Race is factored into the picture. Most of the girls are white, but race doesn't seem to be very important here. But what about class? While economic background and education are often discussed and described, Lipper makes no effort to draw any conclusions about class and people who "fall" from middle to lower, people who resent being at the bottom. Where does all this self-destructive behavior come from ? I would say such questions are not dealt with. A few black and white photos only make the stories more poignant. If----if only---there are so many of these ifs. What can be done ? The author outlines various programs that exist or existed in Pittsfield, but offers no general ideas on the problem. The strong point of the book is the well-written stories of the teenage mothers. I admit I had never given much thought to teenage mothers and their children until I read GROWING UP FAST. I think that for raising the consciousness of people about this problem, you would have to go a long way to beat Lipper's book.
June 4, 2017
Growing Up Fast tells the stories of half a dozen teen mothers in Massachusetts. Lipper spent four years following these girls—youth with adult responsibilities—through good and bad. It's a compassionate look that nonetheless lets the reader see the messy side of teenage parenting. The girls Lipper follows are generally from working-class backgrounds, and most of them are white (in line with town demographics), but other than that their families varied substantially. Some come from much more stable families than others; some have much better family support than others; some are themselves the daughters of teenage parents. Some of the girls got pregnant intentionally, thinking that a child would give them a sort of fifteen minutes of fame at school or that they would have somebody who loved them unconditionally; others got pregnant a second time intentionally, or sort of accidentally on purpose. Few of their children's fathers are fully in the picture.
If Lipper's trying to make a point, it's a pretty straightforward one: society does teenage mothers a huge disservice. For most of the girls in the book, teenage motherhood means the end of dreams: going away for college is out, going anywhere for college is out, steady jobs (which require hours that don't jive with childcare options) are out. They're all working, sometimes multiple jobs at once, and all scraping by. Only one is portrayed as having a viable chance of making it through university in the near future. But...it's also worth noting that the options weren't always great for these girls in the first place. An economically depressed town, parents with major problems, boyfriends with major problems, abuse, drugs, lack of information. But as teenage mothers, regardless of their circumstances beforehand, society expects them to take on far more: to take responsibility for things they might not have understood, and to do it with far fewer resources than most (while the fathers are, for the most part, free to do as they will).
Only a couple of times did I question Lipper's methods/focus. She talks a lot about race and class and expectations of gender, but she's really careful around those questions of race, bringing them up and then backing up. There's also one point when she talks about criminal records, which she requested at the police station:
But still...it's fascinating and sad. Lots of good research here, lots of interesting insights, and a good balance of compassion for the people (the girls, anyway) she followed and recognition that they're still human, with many human flaws.
If Lipper's trying to make a point, it's a pretty straightforward one: society does teenage mothers a huge disservice. For most of the girls in the book, teenage motherhood means the end of dreams: going away for college is out, going anywhere for college is out, steady jobs (which require hours that don't jive with childcare options) are out. They're all working, sometimes multiple jobs at once, and all scraping by. Only one is portrayed as having a viable chance of making it through university in the near future. But...it's also worth noting that the options weren't always great for these girls in the first place. An economically depressed town, parents with major problems, boyfriends with major problems, abuse, drugs, lack of information. But as teenage mothers, regardless of their circumstances beforehand, society expects them to take on far more: to take responsibility for things they might not have understood, and to do it with far fewer resources than most (while the fathers are, for the most part, free to do as they will).
Only a couple of times did I question Lipper's methods/focus. She talks a lot about race and class and expectations of gender, but she's really careful around those questions of race, bringing them up and then backing up. There's also one point when she talks about criminal records, which she requested at the police station:
At the Pittsfield police station, a computer search of the names of the fathers of the six teen mothers' babies revealed more than sixty police reports. The policeman who conducted the search explained that certain basic reports were available to any American citizen under the Freedom of Information Act, provided that the names of victims and witnesses are blacked out. Many of these reports documented arrests for assault and battery, restraining orders, and larceny charges, in addition to describing altercations or incidents involving harassment.I have questions about this, because on the one hand I think that's incredibly valuable information for Jessica (or the other girls for whom such information is relevant) to have; on the other hand, I have to assume that Lipper was the one presenting her with the information (she keeps herself out of the story), and it seems like...skating an ethical grey line, I guess, for a researcher to involve herself in this way.
Jessica knew that Dwayne had a violent streak but was shocked when she was presented with copies of page after page of police reports that featured the name of her son's father. There had been many more arrests than even she had suspected. The majority of them were for assault and battery of other women—particularly the mothers of his other children. (298)
But still...it's fascinating and sad. Lots of good research here, lots of interesting insights, and a good balance of compassion for the people (the girls, anyway) she followed and recognition that they're still human, with many human flaws.
December 15, 2020
This book, first published in 2003, can't help but be a little dated. It sets the scene in Pittsfield, MA where GE was the dominant employer, and the devastation to the community from the toxic waste produced and, finally, the loss of all GE jobs. In this working class community, teen pregnancy increased and this author profiles 6 teen mothers to exemplify why they became pregnant and how their lives changed. Each one found their options limited and motherhood to be more than they bargained for. It usually did not lead to a family life with the father, although each of the mothers loves their child and would not have chosen any differently once they became pregnant. I found the voice of the author to intrude in the narrative at times, as she categorized some of their behaviors, but this was not frequent. The book ends with some programs aimed at teen mothers or in preventing teen pregnancy.
January 17, 2018
Growing Up Fast (Hardcover)
by Joanna Lipper
Regarding single motherhood.
by Joanna Lipper
Regarding single motherhood.
May 27, 2015
About teen pregnancy, in beautiful Pittsfield MA. I've been meaning to read this book *forever*, based on the subject material and proximity to places I know. Now that I live here, it seemed like time to do it. Um. Highly depressing. She basically tells the stories of 6 teen moms, mostly in their own words. Abuse, drugs, lack of opportunities, missed opportunities, dysfunction, dysfunction, dysfunction..... A good depiction of what it's like to be stuck in a town that's going nowhere, and going nowhere yourself.
June 28, 2007
I found this to be a really fascinating book mostly because it is set in my hometown of Pittsfield, Mass. I recognized many of the places and even some of the service providers. It also included a pretty good description of the community and the levels of despair and pessimism related to the economy there. A quick and slightly depressing book but very fascinating.
October 1, 2011
A compilation of teenagers who became parents. At times overwhelmingly depressing, the book is full of wisdom and courage that the young women share. Their struggles are so incredibly hard, and they exhibit strength well beyond their tender years. This is a book that all of us need to read, so that we meet teenage mothers with the compassion and respect they deserve.
April 27, 2012
I had to read this for my sociology class and it was way better than I thought it would be. I enjoyed the stories of each girl and seeing how they are getting their life together. I think for a school reading assignment it could have been much worse and for the book itself, each girls story could have been more depressing.
November 12, 2012
Since i grew up in Pittsfield, I thought this would be an interesting read. I was right. The stories of these 6 young girls at times made me feel sympathetic at times for them but also anger at their sometimes lack of taking responsibility for their lives. It made me realize how an environment can play such a large part in shaping the lives of all of us.
September 20, 2010
I found this book to be very interesting. It gives a pretty depressing picture of what can happen in economically depressed areas. It also gave some insight into the girls' and their families' thoughts.
December 28, 2010
read this for my work PLC group...very interesting book looking into the lives of teen mothers and the struggles of the families...very work related..very well written...would recommend to others who work with teenagers, other social workers.
January 19, 2016
This was a really interesting and enlightening account of teenage mothers. It shed some light on how these bright women get into the situation and how they cope with the enormous challenges. It taught me a lot.
April 15, 2007
Teenage mothers in Pittsfield, MA - after GE abandoned the town.
February 3, 2008
Another must if you teach or in any way work with or interact with young people on a regular basis.
March 13, 2008
Not exactly cutting edge, but a very interesting profile of girls in difficult situations. If you like sociology and memoirs like me, this is a good read.
Want to read
November 29, 2009still trying to read it - started but got distracted and read something else
Read
January 15, 2010sociology
June 2, 2011
A sad but honest portrayal of teen pregnancy in Pittsfield, MA. Lipper seems to really understand the reasons for the city's issue.
November 28, 2011
Not a type of book I typically read, was basically about teen motherhood in Pittsfield, MA. A real life grittier version of Teen Mom.
Read
July 31, 2013Loved the stories. Tough teen moms making it in a hard world. Most were luckier than some--graduated, not on drugs
May 27, 2014
At times really hard to read, but an eye opening book.
Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews