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shhchar's review against another edition
4.0
I really liked this book. It shed some light on something that is always there, but not normally unsheltered. 'Dumster babies' are what I'm talking about. But the book itself moved a bit slow--so I gave it a 4 star rating.
lnklein's review
5.0
I was going to rate this 4.5 stars but as I thought about why, I honestly couldn't come up with a reason for docking any of the rating.
I think when you look through the ratings they are either 5 stars or 1 star because you have the people interested in it and can see the girls POV, and you have the people who only read into it as a personal moral issue.
Anyway, I loved it. I really did. Basically you have a 15 year old girl, Devon, who wasn't raised in a perfect life but really is a good kid herself. She gets pregnant, hides it, and then when she gives birth in her bathroom puts the baby in a trash bag and takes it out as trash.
I really enjoyed it so much because I enjoyed the psychology, I enjoyed the scenes within the juvenile center, and I actually think I enjoyed the court case the most which some people seem to think there was too much of.
The strange thing about this book is that it's about something that's so awful and hard to understand how anyone could do such a thing but it really makes you feel bad for Devon.
Fair warning though for anyone with a weak stomach when they describe the birthing scenes it's pretty graphic.
I just wish it was longer/there was a sequel because I was so involved in just the hearing I want to know how the actual trial would pan out!
I think when you look through the ratings they are either 5 stars or 1 star because you have the people interested in it and can see the girls POV, and you have the people who only read into it as a personal moral issue.
Anyway, I loved it. I really did. Basically you have a 15 year old girl, Devon, who wasn't raised in a perfect life but really is a good kid herself. She gets pregnant, hides it, and then when she gives birth in her bathroom puts the baby in a trash bag and takes it out as trash.
I really enjoyed it so much because I enjoyed the psychology, I enjoyed the scenes within the juvenile center, and I actually think I enjoyed the court case the most which some people seem to think there was too much of.
The strange thing about this book is that it's about something that's so awful and hard to understand how anyone could do such a thing but it really makes you feel bad for Devon.
Fair warning though for anyone with a weak stomach when they describe the birthing scenes it's pretty graphic.
I just wish it was longer/there was a sequel because I was so involved in just the hearing I want to know how the actual trial would pan out!
hiltzmoore's review against another edition
4.0
Wow, this book really made me think. I thought the book did a great job getting into the head of a teenager that goes through what none of us can imagine, and helps us to imagine her mind set a little better. I had a lot of friends in high school that were the over-achieving type portrayed by Devin's character, so it was fairly realistic in that sense. While it is still unfathomable to understand how someone could do what Devin's character did, I understand it better than I did before.
heather01602to60660's review against another edition
4.0
Not an easy read - powerful, vivid, and with a lead character whose act seems unforgivable, yet who you understand and still wish you could forgive. I wasn't sure there'd be a satisfactory ending, yet was comfortable with the way Efaw closed it.
destinugrainy's review
4.0
Jennifer Davenport, seorang gadis 16 tahun, menyadari bahwa dia hamil dengan adanya tonjolan kecil di perutnya. Jennifer kemudian kabur dari rumahnya, melahirkan seorang anak, membesarkan anak tersebut seorang diri. Mengorbankan masa mudanya, tidak lanjut sekolah (walaupun sempat lulus SMA persamaan). Harus bekerja di dua tempat untuk bisa bertahan hidup. Lama kemudian, Jennifer bahkan tidak memiliki hubungan percintaan yang bisa bertahan lama, hingga harus berganti-ganti pacar.
Anaknya, Devon Sky Davenport, tumbuh sebagai anak yang mandiri, cerdas, dan berbakat. Dia mampu mengikuti kelas lanjutan di sekolahnya padahal dia sendiri masih kelas sepuluh (kelas 1 SMA). Kiper sepakbola yang cemerlang, pekerja paruh waktu sebagai baby sitter yang terpercaya. Tidak ada yang menyangka Devon akan mengalami hari-hari buruk setelah Malam Itu.
Pada Malam Itu, Devon melahirkan seorang bayi yang “dinamakan” ITU. Devon membuang bayinya ke tong sampah, dan tinggal di rumah dengan rasa sakit dan hampir kehilangan kesadaran. Devon tidak menyadari bahwa plasenta bayi yang masih tertinggal dalam dirinya membuatnya hampir mati dan akhirnya tertangkap oleh polisi, dengan dakwaan pembunuhan berencana.
Devon akhirnya dimasukkan ke dalam penjara remaja Reman Hall, di Pod Delapan. Bersama 14 remaja wanita lainnya di sana, Devon menjalani delapan hari sebagai seorang tahanan. Padahal Devon sendiri tidak tahu mengapa dia ditahan. Di sana Devon bertemu dengan Dominique “Dom” Barcellona, pengacaranya, dan dr. Nicole Bacon, seorang psikiater yang membantu Devon menyadari apa yang sudah diperbuatnya.
Devon adalah salah satu contoh kasus “bayi tong sampah” yang terjadi di Amerika Serikat. Kasus ini seringkali melibatkan wanita-wanita usia sekolah yang menyangkali diri mereka. Penyangkalan seperti apa yang mereka lakukan? Dr. Bacon, tokoh dalam buku ini, menjelaskan bahwa Devon adalah remaja yang lahir dari keluarga broken home. Dalam pengembangan jati diri seorang anak perempuan, seringkali tertanam pemikiran bahwa si anak tidak mau seperti ibunya. Anak perempuan harus lebih baik dari ibunya. Itupun yang tertanam dalam diri Devon. Dia berusaha lebih baik dari ibunya yang putus sekolah gara-gara hamil. Devon menganggap apa yang dialami ibunya adalah sangat buruk sehingga dia tidak mau berlaku seperti itu.
Akan tetapi, ketika Devon jatuh dalam “kesalahan” yang sama, pikiran Devon mengambil alih dirinya. Dia menyangkal perubahan-perubahan yang terjadi pada dirinya. Devon menyangkal telah melakukan hubungan seksual dengan seorang laki-laki, menyangkal telah hamil akibat hubungan tersbut, dan terlebih lagi menyangkal bahwa seorang bayi telah lahir pada Malam Itu. Kelahiran bayi yang adalah puncak dari penyangkalan diri Devon, membuat Devon memilih untuk “menghilangkan” bayi itu demi tetap hidup dalam kemandirian dan kesuksesannya. Devon bahkan tidak menyebutnya bayi, tapi ITU. Seperti sebuah benda yang tidak bernyawa. Devon melupakan semua kejadian yang dia alami, walaupun pemikiran-pemikiran itu seringkali datang tanpa diduga. Penyangkalan diri Devon membuat Dom kesulitan dalam mengumpulkan fakta untuk membela Devon.
Setelah membaca buku ini, saya berpikir bahwa seringkali kita pun melakukan penyangkalan terhadap diri sendiri ketika sesuatu terjadi di luar rencana dan membuat zona nyaman kita terganggu. Perilaku penyangkalan diri itu bisa saja seperti Devon, berpura-pura bahwa hal tersebut tidak pernah terjadi, dan memaksa akal sehat kita untuk “tetap” berpikir normal. Satu-satunya cara menghilangkan penyangkalan itu adalah memaafkan diri sendiri. Itulah inti dari buku ini, penyangkalan diri dan memaafkan diri sendiri.
Saya menyukai quote yang digunakan oleh penulis di awal buku ini, yang diambil dari salah satu ayat di dalam Alkitab.
Bahwa Devon, sekeras apapun usahanya melupakan bayinya, akhirnya dia mengaku bersalah atas perbuatannya.
Terlepas dari empat bintang yang saya berikan pada buku ini, sebagai cetakan pertama tentu saja masih ada kekurangan dari buku ini yang saya jumpai. Masih ada beberapa typo di dalam buku ini, juga penulisan status tahanan yang mungkin terlewat saat diterjemahkan. Misalnya di halaman 252 ada kalimat,
Padahal di halaman-halaman sebelumnya telah dijelaskan ada status regular, teladan, dan terhormat. Mungkin dua status terakhir itu yang dimaksud dalam kalimat di atas.
Kemudian gambar gadis pada sampul buku untuk edisi terjemahan Indonesia ini, kita bisa lihat gadis itu berambut coklat ikal sedang menumpukan kepalanya di dinding seperti putus asa. Saya menganggap gadis itu adalah Devon. Tetapi di dalam bukunya Devon digambarkan sebagai gadis berambut hitam lurus. Mungkin gambar sampul aslinya lebih pas, dimana digambarkan seorang gadis berambut hitam dengan postur tubuh sempurna bersandar di dinding, sementara bayangannya dapat dilihat perut gadis itu sedikit buncit.
Overall…, saya merekomendasikan buku ini untuk dikoleksi.
Anaknya, Devon Sky Davenport, tumbuh sebagai anak yang mandiri, cerdas, dan berbakat. Dia mampu mengikuti kelas lanjutan di sekolahnya padahal dia sendiri masih kelas sepuluh (kelas 1 SMA). Kiper sepakbola yang cemerlang, pekerja paruh waktu sebagai baby sitter yang terpercaya. Tidak ada yang menyangka Devon akan mengalami hari-hari buruk setelah Malam Itu.
Pada Malam Itu, Devon melahirkan seorang bayi yang “dinamakan” ITU. Devon membuang bayinya ke tong sampah, dan tinggal di rumah dengan rasa sakit dan hampir kehilangan kesadaran. Devon tidak menyadari bahwa plasenta bayi yang masih tertinggal dalam dirinya membuatnya hampir mati dan akhirnya tertangkap oleh polisi, dengan dakwaan pembunuhan berencana.
Devon akhirnya dimasukkan ke dalam penjara remaja Reman Hall, di Pod Delapan. Bersama 14 remaja wanita lainnya di sana, Devon menjalani delapan hari sebagai seorang tahanan. Padahal Devon sendiri tidak tahu mengapa dia ditahan. Di sana Devon bertemu dengan Dominique “Dom” Barcellona, pengacaranya, dan dr. Nicole Bacon, seorang psikiater yang membantu Devon menyadari apa yang sudah diperbuatnya.
Devon adalah salah satu contoh kasus “bayi tong sampah” yang terjadi di Amerika Serikat. Kasus ini seringkali melibatkan wanita-wanita usia sekolah yang menyangkali diri mereka. Penyangkalan seperti apa yang mereka lakukan? Dr. Bacon, tokoh dalam buku ini, menjelaskan bahwa Devon adalah remaja yang lahir dari keluarga broken home. Dalam pengembangan jati diri seorang anak perempuan, seringkali tertanam pemikiran bahwa si anak tidak mau seperti ibunya. Anak perempuan harus lebih baik dari ibunya. Itupun yang tertanam dalam diri Devon. Dia berusaha lebih baik dari ibunya yang putus sekolah gara-gara hamil. Devon menganggap apa yang dialami ibunya adalah sangat buruk sehingga dia tidak mau berlaku seperti itu.
Akan tetapi, ketika Devon jatuh dalam “kesalahan” yang sama, pikiran Devon mengambil alih dirinya. Dia menyangkal perubahan-perubahan yang terjadi pada dirinya. Devon menyangkal telah melakukan hubungan seksual dengan seorang laki-laki, menyangkal telah hamil akibat hubungan tersbut, dan terlebih lagi menyangkal bahwa seorang bayi telah lahir pada Malam Itu. Kelahiran bayi yang adalah puncak dari penyangkalan diri Devon, membuat Devon memilih untuk “menghilangkan” bayi itu demi tetap hidup dalam kemandirian dan kesuksesannya. Devon bahkan tidak menyebutnya bayi, tapi ITU. Seperti sebuah benda yang tidak bernyawa. Devon melupakan semua kejadian yang dia alami, walaupun pemikiran-pemikiran itu seringkali datang tanpa diduga. Penyangkalan diri Devon membuat Dom kesulitan dalam mengumpulkan fakta untuk membela Devon.
Setelah membaca buku ini, saya berpikir bahwa seringkali kita pun melakukan penyangkalan terhadap diri sendiri ketika sesuatu terjadi di luar rencana dan membuat zona nyaman kita terganggu. Perilaku penyangkalan diri itu bisa saja seperti Devon, berpura-pura bahwa hal tersebut tidak pernah terjadi, dan memaksa akal sehat kita untuk “tetap” berpikir normal. Satu-satunya cara menghilangkan penyangkalan itu adalah memaafkan diri sendiri. Itulah inti dari buku ini, penyangkalan diri dan memaafkan diri sendiri.
Saya menyukai quote yang digunakan oleh penulis di awal buku ini, yang diambil dari salah satu ayat di dalam Alkitab.
“Dapatkah seorang perempuan melupakan bayinya, sehingga ia tidak menyayangi anak dari kandungannya?” (Yesaya 49:15)
Bahwa Devon, sekeras apapun usahanya melupakan bayinya, akhirnya dia mengaku bersalah atas perbuatannya.
Terlepas dari empat bintang yang saya berikan pada buku ini, sebagai cetakan pertama tentu saja masih ada kekurangan dari buku ini yang saya jumpai. Masih ada beberapa typo di dalam buku ini, juga penulisan status tahanan yang mungkin terlewat saat diterjemahkan. Misalnya di halaman 252 ada kalimat,
Aku butuh sukarelawan untuk membersihkan jendela. Poin dobel. Dan tawarannya terbuka untuk siapapun, bukan hanya status Privilege dan Honor.
Padahal di halaman-halaman sebelumnya telah dijelaskan ada status regular, teladan, dan terhormat. Mungkin dua status terakhir itu yang dimaksud dalam kalimat di atas.
Kemudian gambar gadis pada sampul buku untuk edisi terjemahan Indonesia ini, kita bisa lihat gadis itu berambut coklat ikal sedang menumpukan kepalanya di dinding seperti putus asa. Saya menganggap gadis itu adalah Devon. Tetapi di dalam bukunya Devon digambarkan sebagai gadis berambut hitam lurus. Mungkin gambar sampul aslinya lebih pas, dimana digambarkan seorang gadis berambut hitam dengan postur tubuh sempurna bersandar di dinding, sementara bayangannya dapat dilihat perut gadis itu sedikit buncit.
Overall…, saya merekomendasikan buku ini untuk dikoleksi.
zoemig's review
3.0
Devon's a pretty admirable girl, she's a straight-A student, a star soccer player, overall responsible and despite the fact that her mother work two jobs and is never home she's a hardworking, self-motivated individual. Still, none of that matters after Devon leaves her newborn baby in a trash can. Having lived in denial of her pregnancy for nine months, Devon feels no emotion towards the infant. When the police make the connection and arrest her, Devon's life is suddenly split into two: there is Before That Night and there is After.
After by Amy Efaw is the third book about teen pregnancy I have read so far this year, and on a factual level it felt the most realistic. Not that most pregnant teens are likely to dump their babies in a garbage can- obviously that is a very extreme situation, but the feelings of fear and denial felt both true and horrifying to read about. According to the author's note, approximately one baby is abandoned in a trash can every day in the United States, and when an American child is killed by a parent, 45% of those killings occur within 24 hours of birth; a statistic which is horrifying and shocking especially in a world where most countries have safe haven baby abandonment laws where mothers can drop off infants without fear of prosecution. After is Efaw's explanation of why dumpster babies continue to happen anyway, and in that sense the book is both true to fact and absolutely heartbreaking. Efaw does an almost impossible job of making somebody who has left their infant to die a sympathetic main character.
Unfortunately a lot of the book plays out like an episode of law and order, dramatic court room scenes. Perhaps it is Efaw's adherence to the facts which is some ways hinders the book on a literary level; it is a novel after all, not an non-fiction account, and in that sense After disappoints. I also found that the book dragged at times, there were extremely detailed flashbacks that ultimately played a role in how the story turned out but didn't seem important at the time which made them slightly annoying to read. Ultimately, the ending of this book is what let me down most. I won't offer any spoilers of the book but suffice it to say that it is clear Devon needed a lot of help on a psychological and emotional level that I think Efaw ignored. Overall, After is a well written book on a horrifying topic which manages a better job of educating than entertaining. ***
After by Amy Efaw is the third book about teen pregnancy I have read so far this year, and on a factual level it felt the most realistic. Not that most pregnant teens are likely to dump their babies in a garbage can- obviously that is a very extreme situation, but the feelings of fear and denial felt both true and horrifying to read about. According to the author's note, approximately one baby is abandoned in a trash can every day in the United States, and when an American child is killed by a parent, 45% of those killings occur within 24 hours of birth; a statistic which is horrifying and shocking especially in a world where most countries have safe haven baby abandonment laws where mothers can drop off infants without fear of prosecution. After is Efaw's explanation of why dumpster babies continue to happen anyway, and in that sense the book is both true to fact and absolutely heartbreaking. Efaw does an almost impossible job of making somebody who has left their infant to die a sympathetic main character.
Unfortunately a lot of the book plays out like an episode of law and order, dramatic court room scenes. Perhaps it is Efaw's adherence to the facts which is some ways hinders the book on a literary level; it is a novel after all, not an non-fiction account, and in that sense After disappoints. I also found that the book dragged at times, there were extremely detailed flashbacks that ultimately played a role in how the story turned out but didn't seem important at the time which made them slightly annoying to read. Ultimately, the ending of this book is what let me down most. I won't offer any spoilers of the book but suffice it to say that it is clear Devon needed a lot of help on a psychological and emotional level that I think Efaw ignored. Overall, After is a well written book on a horrifying topic which manages a better job of educating than entertaining. ***
marierossi's review against another edition
2.0
Not a stellar book, I have to say. It was a quick read - I finished within a day - and although it was a great "in between" book, it lacked anything....real. While Dumpster Babies are a very serious problem, this book lacked the severity of the charge. And I have to add that Devon's mind was ridiculously simple and no fun to read about.
mitchelfacereads's review against another edition
3.0
Seriously conflicted about my feelings for this book.
updated 5/11/2012
I had to give myself some space before writing a more complete review. I still feel "conflicted" about this book, just less now. I, unlike some reviewers, did find Devon believable. I think it is possible for a teenager to be in such a state of denial that she does not know she is pregnant. I also found it refreshing to see a public defense attorny that was invested in a case.
One reason I was conflicted was of how I felt about the main character. She did something terrible, yet I emphatized with her. That is a credit to Efaw's writing and Rebecca Soler's narration (I read the book via audiobook). But did I want to feel for a stupid girl that had unprotected sex, got pregnant, and threw her baby away in a dumpster?
I would recommend this book to young adults that are interested in reading about teen pregnancy. Efaw does offer a unique perspective on the situation and brings up a lot of questions that could make for a great discussion.
****Spoiler******
What I am most conflicted about in this book is the ending. I am glad she accepted and realized what she did wrong. What I am not sure about is how I feel about her choice to plead guilty. Is that really in her best interest? What good does it do? Is that the best option?
updated 5/11/2012
I had to give myself some space before writing a more complete review. I still feel "conflicted" about this book, just less now. I, unlike some reviewers, did find Devon believable. I think it is possible for a teenager to be in such a state of denial that she does not know she is pregnant. I also found it refreshing to see a public defense attorny that was invested in a case.
One reason I was conflicted was of how I felt about the main character. She did something terrible, yet I emphatized with her. That is a credit to Efaw's writing and Rebecca Soler's narration (I read the book via audiobook). But did I want to feel for a stupid girl that had unprotected sex, got pregnant, and threw her baby away in a dumpster?
I would recommend this book to young adults that are interested in reading about teen pregnancy. Efaw does offer a unique perspective on the situation and brings up a lot of questions that could make for a great discussion.
****Spoiler******
What I am most conflicted about in this book is the ending. I am glad she accepted and realized what she did wrong. What I am not sure about is how I feel about her choice to plead guilty. Is that really in her best interest? What good does it do? Is that the best option?