LaLa Thomas’s debut YA novel 16 & Pregnant, inspired by the MTV reality show of the same name, highlights one of the issues she saw as a middle school and high school educator in Nevada’s Clark County School District for 10 years: teenage pregnancy. In her book, high school best friends Erykah and Kelly have their friendship knocked off its axis when Erykah discovers she’s pregnant and must make an important decision that will alter her future. We spoke with Thomas about the influences that the MTV show had on her perceptions of teen pregnancy, confronting stereotypes about young Black motherhood, and navigating the health care system as a Black woman.
At the time of its debut in 2009, 16 & Pregnant, the show the book is inspired by, was quite controversial. What was your experience with the show and did it inform how you wanted to portray young motherhood in the book?
Growing up watching the show, I always felt like there was this negative connotation and I felt like society also shamed it because it was “glamorizing” teen pregnancy. But from my perspective, it was [presenting] more of the reality of teen pregnancy, to show people that it’s not the end. There are so many ways that you can still be successful and still graduate high school as a young mother; it doesn’t mean that life is over. So I’ve never really looked at it as glamorizing.
The other thing that I noticed—as a Black girl, I felt like there weren’t enough Black girls in the show. There was a point where I wasn’t watching it at all because I couldn’t identify [with the cast] until later, when they became more diverse. One reason I really wanted to write this book is because it does tell a Black girl’s story. And I was able to incorporate important topics that I feel are swept under the rug, and that we don’t get to see and hear. I told my editors Christian Trimmer and Kara Sargent flat-out I'm not doing any Black girl stereotypes. I don’t want these characters to be poor and failing in school and on welfare, because that’s not always what the reality for Black girls looks like. I wanted to create the reality of the American dream, and how that aligns in Black kids’ lives, despite the downfalls. And I wanted people to see that they still have dreams and goals, and their goal was not to be a single mom at 16.
Erykah and Kelly are young women navigating the Nevada health care system on their own for the first time, and as Black women they face unique challenges. You yourself are a Black woman from Nevada; how did your own experience influence the story?
Prior to being pregnant with the daughter I have now, I suffered miscarriages and stillbirth. And I kind of felt like when I went through those experiences, with the health care professionals there was no compassion. I remember I went to a medical facility where it was packed wall to wall with women. There was only one doctor, but most of the time he was on call and then my visits would be cut short or canceled. I ended up advocating for myself and finding another doctor. I just feel like my baby and I didn’t get the attention that we deserved. And it was traumatizing for me. I should have been referred to a high-risk specialist and that never happened. I didn’t get referred to a high-risk specialist until my third pregnancy, and he showed me a different perspective of how I should have been treated from the start. To be honest, I never hear my white friends relate to any similar experiences.
I know some people might say, wait a minute, you didn't have a teen pregnancy? No, I didn't. So, when I was writing my book, I thought about all those experiences, and I tried to incorporate them into Erykah’s [storyline], to show that there are people out there who do truly care and are more than willing to provide the services that we need. And with Kelly’s experience with the nurse, she sees another Black woman and instantly, there’s a connection because there are so many familiarities, and she feels the support to the point where she doesn’t want to let her go. But it’s really sad. If you don’t have this information, if you don’t already know, then likely you’re not going to. My hope with this book is to at least educate people, regardless of if they’re teenagers or not—Black women specifically, because this is the reality.
Erykah and Kelly often share a line of thought, that pregnancy doesn’t happen to “girls like me,” which points to a larger stereotype about young mothers being “different” than other girls. Why was it important to you to address that stereotype?
I really wanted to create awareness and I also wanted to advocate. Being an educator myself, I’ve had many students who have experienced teen pregnancy, and a lot of them are really successful now. I don’t think that is shared with the community. It’s pretty much the opposite. And something that we don’t really see in the show, but that I made a point to put in the book, is the right to choose. “Do I really want to be a mother right now or not?” I wanted to show that it’s okay to choose whatever is best for you, which I think in the Black community can even be frowned upon. I want to show that that’s not always the case.
And neither girl in the book said, “Hey, I’m just gonna go get pregnant because I have nothing else better to do or because everybody else is doing it.” They were trying to practice safe sex. They weren’t being irresponsible, and they are very invested in their education. And that was something that I made sure to highlight in the book. For example, with Erykah, she sees herself doing so many things in the future. She cares dearly about her mother and brother, and she tries to practice respect and other things. Those are the things that should be glamorized, in my opinion, to overlap the negative.
What message do you hope readers will take from Erykah and Kelly’s journeys?
I hope that they walk away knowing that ultimately, it is your choice—to not let anybody try to sway you away from that [understanding]. With everything going on in the world today, I know that it’s harder to make either choice. But all in all, it truly is within your heart to know what’s best for you. And I want readers to know that despite their upbringings and what people might think or how they’re going to be judged or perceived, you always have to listen to your heart. That’s really what I’ve tried to show in my writing. I hope when they read Kelly and Erykah’s stories that they grasp that, and that is embedded within them.
16 & Pregnant by LaLa Thomas. MTV Books, $19.99 Jan. 3 ISBN 978-1-66591-727-8
