Look at You Now : How Keeping a Teenage Secret Changed My Life Forever

CHICAGO TRIBUNE BESTSELLER • For readers of Orange Is the New Black and The Glass Castle, a riveting memoir about a lifelong secret and a girl finding strength in the most unlikely place In 1979, Liz Pryor is a seventeen-year-old girl from a good family in the wealthy Chicago suburbs. Halfway through her senior year of high school, she discovers that she is pregnant—a fact her parents are determined to keep a secret from her friends, siblings, and community forever. One snowy January day, after driving across three states, her mother drops her off at what Liz thinks is a Catholic home for unwed mothers—but which is, in truth, a locked government-run facility for delinquent and impoverished pregnant teenage girls. In the cement-block residence, Liz is alone and terrified, a fish out of water—a girl from a privileged, sheltered background living amid tough, street-savvy girls who come from the foster care system or juvenile detention. But over the next six months, isolated and in involuntary hiding from everyone she knows, Liz develops a surprising bond with the other girls and begins to question everything she once held true. Told with tenderness, humor, and an open heart, Look at You Now is a deeply moving story about the most vulnerable moments in our lives—and how a willingness to trust ourselves can permanently change who we are and how we see the world. Praise for Look at You Now “A funny, tender and brave coming-of-age tale.”—People “A poignant, often funny reminder that we learn who we are when we’re at our most challenged.”—Good Housekeeping “Searingly honest.”—Family Circle “Readers will swiftly be drawn into the author’s compassionate retelling of her teen pregnancy—her fear, shame, regret, joy, and even her forgiveness of her parents for sending her away. This coming-of-age memoir is authentic and unforgettable.”—Publishers Weekly “[Liz] Pryor’s refusal to bury the truth of her experiences is the greatest strength of her book. Her honesty about a youthful error and desire to let that honesty define the rest of her life are both uplifting and inspiring. An unsentimental yet moving coming-of-age memoir.”—Kirkus Reviews “Pryor has vivid memories of her time in the facility, and her straightforward, unvarnished narrative, written as if by her seventeen-year-old self, rings true. Her story is well worth sharing.”—Booklist “I started reading this book thinking it was a compelling, honest, sometimes funny, sometimes poignant look at the world of teenage pregnancy, and knowing it would offer an inside look at the places where girls used to be hidden away until their babies came. I finished it damp-eyed and understanding that Look at You Now is much more than that. It is a story about how family dynamics work. It is about how wrenching it is to give away something born of your flesh, even if you know it’s the right decision. It’s about how much we can learn from people very much different from us. Most of all, it is a subtle, graceful story about how sometimes the worst things in our lives work best to shape our characters into something shining and true, something that will serve us for the rest of our lives.”—Elizabeth Berg, author of The Dream Lover “Liz Pryor’s story is shocking, moving, riveting, and, ultimately, inspiring. She writes like a natural, can balance humor and sorrow perfectly, and in Look at You Now, has written a pitch-perfect memoir.”—Darin Strauss, author of Half a Life CHICAGO TRIBUNE BESTSELLER • For readers of Orange Is the New Black and The Glass Castle, a riveting memoir about a lifelong secret and a girl finding strength in the most unlikely place In 1979, Liz Pryor is a seventeen-year-old girl from a good family in the wealthy Chicago suburbs. Halfway through her senior year of high school, she discovers that she is pregnant—a fact her parents are determined to keep a secret from her friends, siblings, and community forever. One snowy January day, after driving across three states, her mother drops her off at what Liz thinks is a Catholic home for unwed mothers—but which is, in truth, a locked government-run facility for delinquent and impoverished pregnant teenage girls. In the cement-block residence, Liz is alone and terrified, a fish out of water—a girl from a privileged, sheltered background living amid tough, street-savvy girls who come from the foster care system or juvenile detention. But over the next six months, isolated and in involuntary hiding from everyone she knows, Liz develops a surprising bond with the other girls and begins to question everything she once held true. Told with tenderness, humor, and an open heart, Look at You Now is a deeply moving story about the most vulnerable moments in our lives—and how a willingness to trust ourselves can permanently change who we are and how we see the world. Praise for Look at You Now “A funny, tender and brave coming-of-age tale.”— People “A poignant, often funny reminder that we learn who we are when we’re at our most challenged.”— Good Housekeeping “Searingly honest.” — Family Circle “Readers will swiftly be drawn into the author’s compassionate retelling of her teen pregnancy—her fear, shame, regret, joy, and even her forgiveness of her parents for sending her away. This coming-of-age memoir is authentic and unforgettable.” —Publishers Weekly “[Liz] Pryor’s refusal to bury the truth of her experiences is the greatest strength of her book. Her honesty about a youthful error and desire to let that honesty define the rest of her life are both uplifting and inspiring. An unsentimental yet moving coming-of-age memoir.” —Kirkus Reviews “Pryor has vivid memories of her time in the facility, and her straightforward, unvarnished narrative, written as if by her seventeen-year-old self, rings true. Her story is well worth sharing.”— Booklist “I started reading this book thinking it was a compelling, honest, sometimes funny, sometimes poignant look at the world of teenage pregnancy, and knowing it would offer an inside look at the places where girls used to be hidden away until their babies came. I finished it damp-eyed and understanding that Look at You Now is much more than that. It is a story about how family dynamics work. It is about how wrenching it is to give away something born of your flesh, even if you know it’s the right decision. It’s about how much we can learn from people very much different from us. Most of all, it is a subtle, graceful story about how sometimes the worst things in our lives work best to shape our characters into something shining and true, something that will serve us for the rest of our lives.” —Elizabeth Berg, author of The Dream Lover “Liz Pryor’s story is shocking, moving, riveting, and, ultimately, inspiring. She writes like a natural, can balance... A vivid portrait of a secret teenage pregnancy, in 1979, that would change the authors life forever. For readers of Orange is the New Black and Girl, Interrupted , this riveting memoir is about a girl finding strength in the most unlikely place. In 1979, Liz Pryora girl from a good family in the ritzy Chicago suburbsfell pregnant during senior year of high school. Her parents made what they thought to be the right decision: to keep the pregnancy a secret. For six months, Liz lived in a dismal government facility for impoverished pregnant teenagers, hiding from everyone she knew. She was a fish out of watera girl from privilege surrounded by girls from the foster system and juvie. This is a story told through the eyes of a 17-year-old girl, with tenderness, humor, and an open heart: a story about unexpected friendships and the moments that shape us for the rest of our lives. Rich with wisdom and insight, this is also a universal story about the weight and anguish of the mistakes we makeand how we ultimately rise above them. "The author describes her experience hidden away by her wealthy Chicago parents in a dreary government facility for impoverished pregnant teens after she discovered she was accidentally expecting at age 17 in 1979,"--NoveList. Chicago, 1979. Halfway through her senior year of high school, Pryor discovers that she is pregnant-- a fact her parents are determined to keep a secret from her friends, siblings, and community forever. Driving across three states, her mother drops her off at what Liz thinks is a Catholic home for unwed mothers but is, in truth, a locked government-run facility for delinquent and impoverished pregnant teenage girls. She's alone and terrified, a fa girl from a privileged, sheltered background living amid tough, street-savvy girls who come from the foster care system or juvenile detention. As Pryor develops a bond with the other girls, she begins to question everything she once held true AIn 1979, Liz Pryor, a good girl from a privileged Chicago family, discovered that she was pregnant. At only 17 years old, her parents were determined to keep this shameful event secret from everyone, even her siblings. One snowy January day, after driving across three states, her mother dropped her off at what Liz believed was a Catholic home for unwed mothers, but was in fact a locked state facility for delinquent pregnant girls. Over the next six months, alone and isolated from everyone she knew, Liz developed a surprising bond of friendship with the other girls, which led her to question everything she once held true. Told with tenderness, humour and candour, Look at You Now is a deeply moving coming-of-age story that pays tribute to the triumph of the human spirit in times of adversity, and the transcendent power of friendship in the toughest of times The author recounts her experiences as a pregnant teenager in a government-run facility for delinquent teenage girls, describing the bonds she formed with the other girls and how the experience changed how she sees the world