Nina de Gramont's book, Every Little Thing in the World, is about a teenage girl dealing with her unexpected pregnancy.
Sixteen-year-old Sydney Biggs and her friend Natalia Miksa drive from Natalia's home in Linden Hill to a keg-party at Overpeck to try to find Sydney's friend Tommy. They've broken their promise to Natalia's parents to not leave the house as they've been grounded for the past two weeks. Sydney and Natalia had gone to the keg party last year, Sydney with her then boyfriend, Greg and Natalia had met her current boyfriend Steve.
Not involved anymore with Greg, Sydney had met Tommy at a pizza parlour only a month earlier. After sneaking out one night with Natalia so they could meet up with Steve and Tommy, Sydney is intimate with Tommy.
Sydney has missed her period and a pregnancy test was positive. She doesn't believe she's pregnant because she has no symptoms, although she continually feels nauseous.
Sydney doesn't want to tell Tommy she's pregnant but Natalia insists. At the keg party they find Tommy drunk and she runs away. Sydney doesn't understand how Tommy can help her. The two girls are escorted back to Natalia's home after their cell phones and the missing cadillac are discovered by her parents and they contact the police. When Sydney's mother picks her up and takes her home, she lectures Sydney about many things. Sydney realizes that her mother would be even more furious if she knew she was pregnant. Her mother has made it clear that she has made many sacrifices so that Sydney could attend a private school. She tells Sydney she will be spending time with her father on her farm because she can no longer deal with her.Sydney's parents broke up when she was eight-years-old. While her mother has never remarried, her father has a new life that includes his wife Kerry, three-year-old twins Ezra and Aaron, and eight-month old Rebecca. That night Sydney learns that Natalia is being sent to boarding school in Switzerland.
Her father lives in a refurbished barn that belongs to one of the farmers, Bob Pearson. Watching her stepmother feed Rebecca, Sydney wonders if Kerry would take her baby if she gave birth. When her father returns home he tells Sydney that Bob Pearson has a friend who runs a camp on a lake in Ontario, Canada, called Camp Belle. In the camp, kids spend time canoeing on the lake and camping on the islands in the lake. No internet or devices.
A letter from her mother states that Sydney will not be returning home for the summer and that she has cancelled her job at the pool. She calls her mother to complain but her mother will not relent. At this point, neither of Sydney's parents know of her pregnancy. At this point Sydney becomes desperate and decides to look through an old phone book for information on getting an abortion. With nothing local she is frustrated because she has no money, no car and no license. Now determined to have an abortion and to do that she needs to get back home.
A letter from her mother states that Sydney will not be returning home for the summer and that she has cancelled her job at the pool. She calls her mother to complain but her mother will not relent. At this point, neither of Sydney's parents know of her pregnancy. At this point Sydney becomes desperate and decides to look through an old phone book for information on getting an abortion. With nothing local she is frustrated because she has no money, no car and no license. Now determined to have an abortion and to do that she needs to get back home.
But when her father gets home that evening, Sydney learns that she is to spend the month of July at Campbell's Camp Belle canoeing in Ontario and then she will return in August to work on Campbell's farm to repay him for the month at the camp. She will live at her father's house and work selling produce for Campbell at his roadside stand. This "adventure" is unexpected to Sydney and she thanks her father.
Sydney struggles to find someone to confide in but eventually she does reach out to her mother who helps Sydney with her fateful choice.
Discussion
Every Little Thing In the World is realistic fiction novel of a girl struggling to deal with an unplanned pregnancy. At the heart of her struggle is whether she should continue the pregnancy or have an abortion. The novel tackles invites young readers to explore many issues, divorce, teen drinking and partying, unplanned pregnancy, and abortion.
Sydney and Natalia are best friends who as many teens do, are engaging in risky behaviour. Despite knowing that this behaviour can result in pregnancy, Sydney has a brief relationship with Tommy. In typical teen fashion, Sydney cannot believe she is pregnant despite taking three pregnancy tests the day she is due for her menstrual period. "It didn't seem possible that something so huge, so catastrophic and monumental could be going on inside my body." In this respect, the novel at least portrays the reality of engaging in sexual activity - the risk of pregnancy is real despite what the media often leads people to believe. It's rare that movies and television shows portray this real consequence. Sex makes babies and if you are not ready for a baby, do not engage in sexual activity. The novel also realistically portrays the difficulty young teens have in telling parents that they are pregnant. This struggle means delaying obtaining medical help and support as a young pregnant teen.
It is important that novels which explore real problems teens face today such as abortion, teen sex, pregnancy, and substance abuse do so with honesty, presenting both sides of an issue in a truthful, unbiased manner. In the case of Every Little Thing In The World, this is not so. Although it may appear that de Gramont explores both sides of the abortion issue, she really doesn't. De Gramont's treatment of the issue is biased towards abortion rights and filled with incidents and dialogue that perpetuate misinformation about abortion, abortion providers and the prolife movement. The book is mainly a parroting of misquoted prolife phrases that never quite meet the mark nor make the case for Sydney having her baby, all the while portraying prolife people as self-righteous and pushy. And maybe that's because de Gramont doesn't know nor understand the prolife position or maybe because she supports abortion rights.
It is often the situation that women who seek abortions feel they have no options and receive little support to choose continuing their pregnancy. Abortion presents itself as a quick and easy option, but many women reveal that what seemed to be a simple straightforward "procedure" becomes a life-time of regret or worse. We are reminded of this pain and regret by the many famous women who eventually express this publicly, sometimes years later.
Social media portrays having a child is as a very life-ruining event. It's true that for a sixteen-year-old girl it is far more life-altering than for someone in their twenties or thirties. But it doesn't have to be this way: there is the option of adoption, a difficult and sacrificial choice to be sure. The novel also portrays families with children as eccentric and a bit off, reminiscent of what was portrayed in the movie Brokeback Mountain in 2005.
Sydney is staying at her father's home. Her father is portrayed as fully into health food, sustainable living, raw milk and organic foods. This sets him and Kerry up as eccentric and to Sydney as a bit weird.. Kerry is mother to twins and an eight-month-old. Sydney notes that Kerry is twenty-nine-years-old and "since the twins and Rebecca, she had gained over a hundred pounds." To Sydney, she considers her stepmother's pregnancies as making her once slim stepmother, fat and ugly. This section of the novel is rife with derogatory descriptions of Kerry. "Kerry was a big believer in breast-feeding, and the only thing that ever calmed her babies down was one of her giant boobs.....I sang a little, but without much feeling, knowing nothing I did would make a difference until Kerry returned and peeled off her shirt." The message is clear: having a baby ruins a woman's body. Babies mean a woman's body is not her own. Breastfeeding, a very natural part of being a mother, is presented in an almost degrading way, with women losing their freedom and control over their bodies. How many young teens reading this will believe that breastfeeding is disgusting and unnatural.
De Gramont has Sydney seeking out information about fetal development and babies in her stepmother's baby book. She states "Across the country politicians and Christians fought over whether life began at conception." What isn't presented in this novel is that every embryology text used in medical schools worldwide define conception as the beginning of a new human life and that obstetricians, the medical professionals who care for women during pregnancy have always considered that they have two patients - the mother and her unborn baby. It is politicans and abortion rights advocates who have campaigned for the change in the medical definition of when life begins so as to market drugs such as RU-486 and Plan B as contraceptives rather than abortifacients.
When Sydney decides to search through the telephone book for abortion providers. she is shocked that abortion is first in the yellow pages but upon closer inspection she realizes that in fact, "abortion alternatives" are listed first. Oh the deception! Sydney finds "...Birthright of Northern New Jersey, and New Jersey Citizens for Life. I knew that if I called any of them, I would get a lecture on the evils of abortion. They'd call it murder. Being against sex education themselves, they probably wouldn't have taken it.....Probably they would drop the name Jesus Christ.....and tell me that fetuses screamed during D & C's....." This entire section is filled with misinformation designed to foster the view that real efforts to help girls in a pregnancy crisis receive proper medical care and support. Organizations like Birthright, founded by Louise Summerhill, are volunteer organizations whose mission is to help women of all faiths. It connects women with the resources they need to give birth. A woman contacts Birthright is provided with the resources she needs to have her baby, but it is her choice. A woman wanting to abort her baby would have to seek that help elsewhere. Did de Gramont do any research on her own for this novel or did she rely on biased media reports. Did she ever contact any prolife group to determine exactly what they tell women or where they refer women who call them. Did de Gramont contact any pregnancy support group to determine what they do?
Sydney's cynicism towards prolife groups reflects the projection of adult bias onto a teen character in the novel. Sydney thinks, "At any rate, The New Jersey Citizens for Life would pretend to care about me, but their real goal would be nine months down the road, a nice white baby for a nice white - and Christian - family." Sadly what this passage demonstrates is the author's bias and cynicism shown through the character of Sydney. Does Sydney contact any pregnancy support center to find out what they offer? Ironically it is Planned Parenthood, the largest abortion provider in the United States and whose origins are based in the white supremacist and eugenics movement founded by Margaret Sanger, who is racist. Not the prolife pregnancy centers. This is another example of misinformation designed to indoctrinate young teen readers into believing that organizations like Birthright are harmful and racist.
De Gramont has Sydney seeking out information about fetal development and babies in her stepmother's baby book. She states "Across the country politicians and Christians fought over whether life began at conception." What isn't presented in this novel is that every embryology text used in medical schools worldwide define conception as the beginning of a new human life and that obstetricians, the medical professionals who care for women during pregnancy have always considered that they have two patients - the mother and her unborn baby. It is politicans and abortion rights advocates who have campaigned for the change in the medical definition of when life begins so as to market drugs such as RU-486 and Plan B as contraceptives rather than abortifacients.
When Sydney decides to search through the telephone book for abortion providers. she is shocked that abortion is first in the yellow pages but upon closer inspection she realizes that in fact, "abortion alternatives" are listed first. Oh the deception! Sydney finds "...Birthright of Northern New Jersey, and New Jersey Citizens for Life. I knew that if I called any of them, I would get a lecture on the evils of abortion. They'd call it murder. Being against sex education themselves, they probably wouldn't have taken it.....Probably they would drop the name Jesus Christ.....and tell me that fetuses screamed during D & C's....." This entire section is filled with misinformation designed to foster the view that real efforts to help girls in a pregnancy crisis receive proper medical care and support. Organizations like Birthright, founded by Louise Summerhill, are volunteer organizations whose mission is to help women of all faiths. It connects women with the resources they need to give birth. A woman contacts Birthright is provided with the resources she needs to have her baby, but it is her choice. A woman wanting to abort her baby would have to seek that help elsewhere. Did de Gramont do any research on her own for this novel or did she rely on biased media reports. Did she ever contact any prolife group to determine exactly what they tell women or where they refer women who call them. Did de Gramont contact any pregnancy support group to determine what they do?
Sydney's cynicism towards prolife groups reflects the projection of adult bias onto a teen character in the novel. Sydney thinks, "At any rate, The New Jersey Citizens for Life would pretend to care about me, but their real goal would be nine months down the road, a nice white baby for a nice white - and Christian - family." Sadly what this passage demonstrates is the author's bias and cynicism shown through the character of Sydney. Does Sydney contact any pregnancy support center to find out what they offer? Ironically it is Planned Parenthood, the largest abortion provider in the United States and whose origins are based in the white supremacist and eugenics movement founded by Margaret Sanger, who is racist. Not the prolife pregnancy centers. This is another example of misinformation designed to indoctrinate young teen readers into believing that organizations like Birthright are harmful and racist.
It's interesting that despite having health classes beginning in seventh grade Sydney still got pregnant. De Gramont's portrayal of Sydney's use of "protection" with her previous boyfriend Greg demonstrates behaviour that is atypical of teenagers. Most teenagers do not use contraception and certainly not two forms of contraception, despite intense indoctrination and "education". And in fact, countries with mandatory sex ed classes/programs such as the United Kingdom, show burgeoning teen pregnancy rates.
Moving along with the storyline, we learn that Sydney is to be packed off to a summer camp in northern Ontario to learn about responsibility and rediscover herself. Her best friend Natalia Miksa, also grounded for bad behaviour ends up at the same summer camp. Prior to arriving at camp, Natalia discovers that her much older sister is in fact her mother who had her at age sixteen or so. Natalia, originally in favor of abortion, is now prolife.
Natalia states, "...I keep thinking about your plans, and then I feel sort of grateful. If Margit had had an abortion, I woudn't be here." Sydney counters with, "You wouldn't be here if Margit had stayed a virgin till she was twenty-two," I said. "You wouldn't be here if your parents, your grandparents, had never met, or if they'd stayed in Hungary...."
While this is all true, the fact is that Sydney's baby is real and already now exists. The fact that Sydney cannot feel her baby yet doesn't make that baby any less real. The choice to not have a baby is made before engaging in sexual intercourse. Sydney made a choice. She chose to have sex at a time when she was not ready to have a baby. She is now pregnant with a human baby. The argument she presents is diversionary and irrelevant.
Throughout their time canoeing through northern Ontario, Natalia offers to help Sydney. She eventually offers to take her baby and to make things right for her. However, Sydney remains ambivalent and undecided until finally she takes Natalia up on her offer. Near the end of camp, all the campers in Natalia and Sydney's group come down with food poisoning. While Sydney herself doesn't become sick, she does paddle to the nearest outpost for help. When everyone is taken to hospital Sydney makes the impulsive decision to have an abortion. When she learns that as an American citizen she cannot have an abortion in and Ontario hospital unless someone pays for the "procedure", she finally reaches out in desperation and calls her mother.
Sydney's mom who was so in favour of tough love at the beginning of the book, now caves in when she learns her daughter is pregnant. Instead of supporting her daughter who is pregnant with her grandchild, helping her to take responsibility for her actions, Sydney's mother pays for her abortion. There's no discussion about the other possibilities such as having the baby and adoption. There's no discussion of the risks involved in having an abortion. Abortion is presented as a quick, easy solution to an unwanted, life-changing situation.
When Sydney tells Natalia that "there's no more baby", Sydney states "...I wasn't sorry. I couldn't be. In the end I had chosen hope when hope presented itself. I had chosen me, and a life beyond that fleeting craziness two months before. I had chosen this new wisdom and resignation over months and years of uncertainty and trouble." Abortion as hope? A baby is nature's way of saying that life goes on, that there is a future. How is killing a baby an act of hope? It is an act of cowardice.
Sadly, this novel portrayed abortion as a responsible, self-liberating act of hope. Abortion is anything but this. One needs to only consider the growing "I regret my abortion" movement in the United States to see that for many, many women abortion is a traumatic life experience in which they remain forever regretful and forever the mother of a dead baby. Despite abortion advocates attempts to portray abortion as a affirming experience, it remains one of deep shame and deep internal conflict for many women.
It is disappointing but not surprising that de Gramont did not present a stronger case for a teen girl having her baby and considering other options than single parenthood or abortion. It is irresponsible to portray abortion as an easy way out without offering any discussion of the physical, emotional and psychological risks of abortion.
Moving along with the storyline, we learn that Sydney is to be packed off to a summer camp in northern Ontario to learn about responsibility and rediscover herself. Her best friend Natalia Miksa, also grounded for bad behaviour ends up at the same summer camp. Prior to arriving at camp, Natalia discovers that her much older sister is in fact her mother who had her at age sixteen or so. Natalia, originally in favor of abortion, is now prolife.
Natalia states, "...I keep thinking about your plans, and then I feel sort of grateful. If Margit had had an abortion, I woudn't be here." Sydney counters with, "You wouldn't be here if Margit had stayed a virgin till she was twenty-two," I said. "You wouldn't be here if your parents, your grandparents, had never met, or if they'd stayed in Hungary...."
While this is all true, the fact is that Sydney's baby is real and already now exists. The fact that Sydney cannot feel her baby yet doesn't make that baby any less real. The choice to not have a baby is made before engaging in sexual intercourse. Sydney made a choice. She chose to have sex at a time when she was not ready to have a baby. She is now pregnant with a human baby. The argument she presents is diversionary and irrelevant.
Throughout their time canoeing through northern Ontario, Natalia offers to help Sydney. She eventually offers to take her baby and to make things right for her. However, Sydney remains ambivalent and undecided until finally she takes Natalia up on her offer. Near the end of camp, all the campers in Natalia and Sydney's group come down with food poisoning. While Sydney herself doesn't become sick, she does paddle to the nearest outpost for help. When everyone is taken to hospital Sydney makes the impulsive decision to have an abortion. When she learns that as an American citizen she cannot have an abortion in and Ontario hospital unless someone pays for the "procedure", she finally reaches out in desperation and calls her mother.
Sydney's mom who was so in favour of tough love at the beginning of the book, now caves in when she learns her daughter is pregnant. Instead of supporting her daughter who is pregnant with her grandchild, helping her to take responsibility for her actions, Sydney's mother pays for her abortion. There's no discussion about the other possibilities such as having the baby and adoption. There's no discussion of the risks involved in having an abortion. Abortion is presented as a quick, easy solution to an unwanted, life-changing situation.
When Sydney tells Natalia that "there's no more baby", Sydney states "...I wasn't sorry. I couldn't be. In the end I had chosen hope when hope presented itself. I had chosen me, and a life beyond that fleeting craziness two months before. I had chosen this new wisdom and resignation over months and years of uncertainty and trouble." Abortion as hope? A baby is nature's way of saying that life goes on, that there is a future. How is killing a baby an act of hope? It is an act of cowardice.
Sadly, this novel portrayed abortion as a responsible, self-liberating act of hope. Abortion is anything but this. One needs to only consider the growing "I regret my abortion" movement in the United States to see that for many, many women abortion is a traumatic life experience in which they remain forever regretful and forever the mother of a dead baby. Despite abortion advocates attempts to portray abortion as a affirming experience, it remains one of deep shame and deep internal conflict for many women.
It is disappointing but not surprising that de Gramont did not present a stronger case for a teen girl having her baby and considering other options than single parenthood or abortion. It is irresponsible to portray abortion as an easy way out without offering any discussion of the physical, emotional and psychological risks of abortion.
Every Little Thing In The World is a disappointing and dishonest treatment of teen pregnancy, abortion and motherhood. The only possible use for this novel is as a discussion as to how abortion, sex education, adoption, teen pregnancy and teen sexuality are presented in young adult literature. Parents and prospective readers should be aware that the topic is graphic in nature and that the novel does share information about sex and pregnancy, but nothing about the reality of abortion. Not recommended.
Book Details:
Every Little Thing In The World by Nina De Gramont
New York: Atheneum Books 2010
New York: Atheneum Books 2010
288 pp.
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