My Mom Had An Abortion Book

RELEASE DATE - 30 DECEMBER 2021

Reading level - 12 - 17 years.

My Mom Had an Abortion is a unique coming-of-age tale told by a self-described dyslexic-asexual-lesbian-feminist teenager and illustrated by body-positive comic artist Tatiana Gill.

We follow our protagonist Beezus B. Murphy as she chronicles her evolving understanding of menstruation, reproduction, and abortion and finds her place in a confusing world. Initially influenced by harmful narratives in pop media such as the 'the pregnant teenager' cliche, we watch Beezus's ideas change as her body changes and as she learns more about the intricacies of her family history and her mom's own reproductive experiences.

She grows from a confused, out-of-place kid into a self-assured, empathetic, and strong-willed activist teen. As Beezus says, 'People shouldn't be shamed for getting or not getting abortions. Young people absorb the information that we gather from our surroundings. Sometimes it's good information and other times it can be harmful. But now I realise abortion is perfectly normal and should be kept safe and legal.'

Sprinkled with pop culture references, hilariously apt descriptions of unwanted body changes and menstruation like the chapter 'Blood, Bath, and Beyond,' and instantly understandable revelations of growing-up, this beautifully illustrated short graphic novel crucially fills a cultural gap around complexities of abortion, pop culture, body changes, and finding out where we fit in.

"It's a rare gift to be welcomed into the inner corridors of a person's life, especially a person as frank, funny, and utterly allergic to posturing as Beezus B. Murphy. You have to admire Beezus's clarity of self and her warm curiosity about the hard things as she writes her way through them. Beezus approaches abortion and periods and sexuality with the vulnerable authenticity of a young person actively hashing these issues out in real time--which, of course, she is. The fact that she feels free to be so free, because she never really learned that she wasn't supposed to talk about these things, is one of the most hopeful sights our currently very un-free universe has to offer."
Lindy West, author of Shrill

"Beezus B. Murphy's graphic novel is thoughtful, honest, blunt, and smart. We don't talk openly enough about this subject, and Ms. Murphy does so in such a conversational way that you kind of forget it's supposed to be taboo. I won't forget this one."
Dana Simpson, author and illustrator of Phoebe and Her Unicorn

"Beezus B. Murphy's My Mom Had an Abortion has more real-but-not-precious, raw-but-not-wrenching stories packed into its relatively short pages than you'd imagine it could. It's full of poignant, funny, and empathetic connective thread between generations and families, mothers and daughters, reproductive experience and autonomy, growing up, sexual identity and more, all in Beezus' deeply original, open, and accessible voice that feels both warmly familiar and wholly original. Tatiana Gill's down to earth illustrations add the perfect touch to this unique addition to the next generation of powerful pro-abortion lit."
Heather Corinna, founder of Scarleteen, author of S.E.X. The All-You-Need-to-Know Sexuality Guide to Get You Through Your Teens

"Sixteen-year-old Beezus B. Murphy writes with a whip-smart self-awareness that gives me hope for America's future. With a deft balance of insight and humour, My Mom Had an Abortion is a warm and welcome demonstration of how we can--and should!--talk about abortion as a normal and vital human right."
Tessa Hulls, author of Feeding Ghosts