Love and Haight

Publishers Weekly

As New Year 1972 approaches, pregnant Chloe and her longtime best friend MJ drive from Phoenix to San Francisco, where abortion is legal. But even in the counterculture haven, 17-year-old Chloe must first complete several steps, including finding a psychiatrist who will declare that her pregnancy is a risk to her sanity. There are other complications as well, including a run-in with antiabortion protestors; growing tension with Catholic MJ, who believes that Chloe’s “little being.... has a soul”; and Chloe’s unexpected rekindled flirtation with MJ’s brother. Carlton (Lobsterland) blends educational elements about abortion services and attitudes in the early 1970s into her story, including descriptions of Chloe’s meetings with various medical professionals, while still making this the personal story of a girl who worries both that she will regret her choice or that “For the rest of my life, I will be the girl who had an abortion.” Readers will appreciate the different loved ones in Chloe’s life who struggle to support her in a world that, as her hippie aunt Kiki says, “shimmers in shades of gray.” Ages 14–up. Agent: Rosemary Stimola, Stimola Literary Studio. (Mar.)

Children's Literature - Karen McCoy

Chloe Switzer hopes to ring in 1972 in the heart of San Francisco. But she is also there to get an abortion, even though it requires a written note from Virginia (her mother) and proof that the unborn baby will put her sanity at risk—the things required before Roe v. Wade passed. Chloe's friend MJ has taken to praying at every possible opportunity, but she would be praying even harder if she knew the extent of Chloe's romantic relationship with her brother Teddy. As it is, Chloe cannot bring herself to tell Teddy about her predicament, even though he is not the one who got her pregnant. Even Chloe's free-spirit aunt Kiki and her boyfriend Fig are not immune from the heaviness of the decision that rests on Chloe's shoulders, especially when they encounter abortion protesters outside the hospital and Chloe has to field unexpected questions before the procedure, leading her to an even harder question of her own: "Will I regret it?" As these issues compound it becomes less clear to Chloe why she was so sure about getting the abortion in the first place—leaving the reader wondering if she will actually go through with it. Carlton does a good job of tackling the issues and concerns surrounding this controversial issue, and provides a lens into the difficult choices facing pregnant teens. The entire story takes place over the course of a week, and while the descriptions are superb, the plot doesn't advance all that quickly. Not all content would be considered appropriate for all ages, but the themes are still relevant, especially for teenage girls. Reviewer: Karen McCoy

VOYA - Donna L. Phillips

This, always in italics and capitalized, represents the unplanned pregnancy threatening to derail Chloe Switzer's life during Christmas break of her senior year, 1971. She and her best friend, MJ, travel from Phoenix to San Francisco, where abortion is an option, if not easy, for a teen under twenty-one. They plan to crash with Chloe's free-spirited aunt, Kiki, and her live-in boyfriend, Fig. The already-complicated situation goes further awry because Chloe's mother has no idea about her pregnancy, and MJ has no idea that Chloe has become romantically (though not sexually) involved with MJ's brother, Teddy. The emotional toll on everyone as the truth is revealed suggests that free love is not free, then or now. Carlton does a fine job depicting the youth culture of forty years ago. By situating the story there, she also provides historical perspective on the legal intricacies of abortion. For instance, Chloe is urged to claim she is suicidal in order to have a psychiatrist certify that the pregnancy jeopardizes her own well-being. Chloe also confronts the misgivings of any young woman struggling with this decision. Minor characters inexorably raise the issues so deftly that until the very end of the book, this reviewer was unsure whether or not Chloe would go through with the abortion. The book is honest in presenting Chloe's medical care, the culture of the time, and conflicting views on this controversial topic. This book is not for every reader but will be satisfying for those with an interest in the time period or the topic. Reviewer: Donna L. Phillips

School Library Journal

Gr 10 Up—Best friends Chloe and MJ have left their homes in Arizona and headed to San Francisco. It's 1971 and bell bottoms, crystals, and mind-expanding drugs are all the rage. Chloe is pregnant, and this is the closest place she can go to get a legal abortion. At the start of the novel, neither teen seems too shaken by Chloe's unplanned pregnancy as she begins the tedious process of getting approved for the procedure. The girls stay with Chloe's Aunt Kiki, whose over-the-top hippieness causes her to say things like, "there's something different in your aura." Carlton offers readers detailed insight into the process of getting an abortion pre Roe v. Wade. The book is well researched but the historical information doesn't get in the way of the relationship-driven narrative. The frankness, language, and ideology of the characters should be appealing to most teens. Might be reason enough to purchase it.—Emily Chornomaz, Camden County Library System, NJ

Kirkus Reviews

It's the end of 1971: prairie skirts, marijuana--and no Roe v. Wade. Chloe and her best friend, MJ, drive to San Francisco to ring in the new year--and to get Chloe a legal abortion. Loaded up on Tab, they seek a decent women's clinic while staying with Chloe's wacky aunt Kiki, who enjoys public nudity, stores boxes in the oven and hangs ornaments from roach clips. But getting an abortion in San Francisco isn't as easy as Chloe hopes. Even in the city of free love, psychiatrists can be anti-abortion activists in disguise. When she finally discovers a good clinic, 17-year-old Chloe discovers she needs parental permission. Chloe's own fears and confusions play off against Catholic MJ's; MJ adores her friend but hates the reality of terminating a pregnancy. Neither Kiki nor Chloe's mother, still learning to negotiate the self-actualization of second-wave feminism with the responsibilities of parenthood, provide the kind of support Chloe wants. In the wild-and-crazy rock 'n' roll, aura-reading, yoga-filled, feathery environment of San Francisco, Chloe comes to terms with decisions only she can make. Ultimately, Chloe's story is not about abortion, but about a child becoming a young woman while rebuilding tenuous relationships with her loved ones. A well-framed historical, with a wholly realized setting and believable, rich, likable characters. (Historical fiction. 14-18)