A sixteen-year-old girl’s road trip across the country to get an abortion becomes a transformative journey of vulnerability, strength, and above all, choice. From the acclaimed author of A Heart in a Body in the World , this is both an achingly tender love story and a bold, badly needed battle cry about bodily autonomy and the experiences that connect us. Ivy can’t entirely believe it when the plus sign appears on the test. She didn’t even know it was possible from . . . what happened. But it is, and now she is, and instead of spending the summer working at the local drugstore and swooning over her boyfriend, Lorenzo, suddenly she’s planning a cross-country road trip to her grandmother’s house on the West Coast, where she can legally obtain an abortion. Escaping her small Texas town and the judgment of her friends and neighbors, Ivy hits the road with Lorenzo, who, determined to make the best of their “abortion road trip love story,” has transformed the journey into a whirlwind tour of the all the way from Paris, Texas, to Rome, Oregon . . . and every rest-stop diner and corny roadside attraction along the way. And while Ivy can’t run from the incessant pressure of others’ opinions about her body or from her own expectations and insecurities, she discovers a new world of healing and hope. As the women she encounters share their stories, she chips away at the stigma, silence, and shame surrounding reproductive rights while those collective experiences guide her to her own rightful destination.
Publication Year: 2023
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Five Reasons to Read Plan A by Deb Caletti
Her Body, Her Choice - this book discusses bodily autonomy and various ways in which misogyny tries to claw rights away from folks looking for health care. Given the state of things, choice is a right that needs to be fought for.
Road Trip - by coincidence, I was also on a road trip while reading this book, and can confirm that the jubilant aspects of being on the road (places with fun names, spotting things you don't see every day) are present and serve as fun reminders of past travels. ALSO! Ivy and Lorenzo visited Dinosaur National Park on their trip, and we happened to stop in the Dinosaur Capital of the World on ours.
Pancakes - this is such a little detail, but road snacks and the type of food one gets during an actual driving break can change your whole mood. Out of all the foods I could have picked (Mountain Dew, Red Vines, all the amazing sounding stuff Mase made before/after the trip) I picked pancakes because on this trip one of our hotels had an automatic pancake maker.
Love Story - yes, this is an Abortion Road Trip Love Story, and though the love between Ivy and Lorenzo is new, we get to see it blossom, and there is so much love that surrounds them. Sometimes it is in words or actions or just being present, and despite her small-minded town being full of people who don't have it in them to open their eyes fully, that doesn't mean the whole world is against her.
Why is history so important? - It repeats itself, especially when it is left unchecked. What you are facing has been faced before and so many people have made it through. In order to make things better for those who come after you, you need to stand up for your own human rights.
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