Ready or Not (review)
2005; Johns Hopkins University Press; Volume: 59; Issue: 2 Linguagem: Inglês
10.1353/bcc.2005.0152
ISSN1558-6766
Autores Tópico(s)Themes in Literature Analysis
ResumoReviewed by: Ready or Not Deborah Stevenson Cabot, Meg Ready or Not. HarperCollins, 2005238p Library ed. ISBN 0-06-072451-X$16.89 Trade ed. ISBN 0-06-072450-1$15.99 R Gr. 6-10 It's been more than a year since Samantha Madison saved the life of the president and began dating his handsome son, David (see All-American Girl, BCCB 12/02). Sam and David are now seriously involved, but she's still a little unsure when he invites her to stay with his family for Thanksgiving, in order, Sam thinks, that the two of them can finally have sex. Despite her uncertainty about her own plans, she objects when the president announces a plan to require parental consent or notification when a teen seeks birth control—objects on national television, in fact, and implies that she and the president's son are already having sex. This has the usual Cabot high-spirited writing, but there's a serious underlying point here about young women having power over their own lives and making the decisions that are right for them. While Sam has obviously misread David's innocent invitation, the book doesn't turn that misreading into a predictable tale of relieved abstinence; instead, Sam decides that her conclusion that she's ready is valid, misunderstanding or no, and she and David do indeed become sexually active. There are plenty of admirable characters who've made different decisions (including, much to Sam's surprise, her older sister, Lucy); the only people the book condemns are those who are trying to pressure or condemn others in order to bolster their own positions (there's a cafeteria showdown with a girl whose ostentatious championing of chastity is an excuse to call other girls sluts to their faces). Though the book is tactfully circumspect about Sam's actual experience and other details, information about safe sex and sexual pleasure arises naturally in the story with a humorous frankness that keeps it from being preachy. Readers looking for bubbly and entertaining romance won't be disappointed, and those seeking a little sisterly input on an important subject will find Sam a congenial comrade. Copyright © 2005 The Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois
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