Liz Pryor, Good Morning America's life advice guru and author of What Did I Do Wrong?, says, "Sometimes stories are just a bunch of words until you actually bring the words alive in your mind." Because Pryor's parents demanded her pregnancy at 17 be kept a secret from the world, her words lived only in her mind. Now she is sharing the journey that helped shape the woman she is today, the journey she can finally express with confidence and strength.
In 1979, during a boating trip, Pryor's stepmother suspects the high school senior is pregnant. When her suspicions are confirmed, Pryor's parents decide to send her away to have the baby. Pryor, under the impression she's going to a Catholic home for unwed mothers, instead arrives at a locked facility for pregnant girls who are poor or delinquent. The scared young woman from a privileged family, advised by her parents to keep her identity secret, forms incredible and inspiring relationships with her underprivileged companions.
Look at You Now is more than just Liz Pryor's story. It's a powerful account of the girls she shared her life with during those months. Pryor compares them to soldiers fighting a war of survival, "People who'd grown to know and depend on each other, who'd built a shelter for existence together." This is also a heartbreaking narrative of the shameful way unwed mothers were often treated in the U.S. Acceptance has become more common since, and Pryor's compassion is an encouraging reminder of the power of empathy. --Jen Forbus of Jen's Book Thoughts