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137th out of 1,031 books
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66 voters
The Third Floor
A fifteen-year-old girl, raised in a rural farming community is sent to an inner city to live and hide in a home for unwed mothers. The Third Floor is written in the voice of the fifteen-year-old from letters saved from her best friend since the summer of 1962. She tells of daily life inside the home, chores, military rules, and lack of counsel. The girls, about 50 with a...more
Kindle Edition, 194 pages
Published
November 9th 2011
(first published November 10th 2010)
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Well, I'm iffy on how to rate this. This was a fast read, and at least the author did not draw it out any longer. It is important not to attach today's sensibilities to this story of an unwed pregnant teen during the early sixties. I found the story important in understanding how much attitudes and treatments have changed. The book was not great, however. The writing is ameturish, simplistic, and uneven. I think some of it is inconsistant. I expected the author's time in the group home to be hor...more
This wasn't a real exciting or very sad or even shocking story to read. It was just a real, true account about what happened to teen girls in the 60's when they were sent away to have their illegitimate babies. It was all very hush hush back then.Well some of it is a little shocking if you were not aware of this happening. It was kinda sad too that girls back then did not really have much choice - either shot-gun wedding or be sent away to have the baby so no one knew and come back with a story...more
I grabbed this when it was offered free on the Kindle some time ago and just now got around to reading it. I've not had the best of luck with Kindle freebies but this one was amazing, and gets a solid 5 stars from me. Told from the point of view of the innocent girl she is when her 20 year old boyfriend pressures her for sex, it is a heartbreaking tale. Her parents, typical of the aloof, don't talk about it kind of mentality in the early 60's, are understandably upset about their youngest daught...more
As difficult as it is now, being unmarried and pregnant in 1961 was much more difficult. This memoir is the first I have read dealing with the experience of a birth mother surrendering her child for adoption. This particular birth mother was unmarried, pregnant and fifteen in 1961 and her telling her story is a moment to experience the fear, ignorance and confusion of having such a “condition” in that bygone era. Had I found this small book in a “physical” form (with pages and cover), I hope I...more
I thought this book was quite good and really a worthwhile perspective on young pregnancy in the early '60s. You hear about teen moms being shipped off to some facility where they can give birth in private and away from judging eyes, before returning home and to their normal. Of course, rarely would such a clean break ever occur, and this story gives insight on just what that experience might be like. The author went through this process herself at the age of 15, and the story shows just as much...more
This book was certainly an eye opening memior of what pregnancy in the 1960s was like for young unmarried girls. In many cases, the girls knew so little about their bodies and sex that they didn't even know they were pregnant or how they got that way. When their periods first started, the poor girls often believed they were dying simply because everyone was too afraid to talk about it! If a girl did wind up pregnant, she was promptly sent away to a unwed pregnant girls home like the one in this...more
Eigenlijk zou ik het een tweeënhalf willen geven, maar dat gaat blijkbaar niet. Helaas. Op zich is het een interessant boek. Het zijn de memoires van een vrouw die als vijftienjarig meisje naar een tehuis voor ongehuwde, zwangere vrouwen wordt gestuurd. Ze doet het hele relaas van haar verblijf daar (inclusief bevalling... brr...) en ze schrijft het op een eenvoudige manier. Alsof het door een vijftienjarige zelf zou geschreven zijn. Het verhaal zelf neemt drie kwart van het boek in. Het laatste...more
Having been somewhat in Judi's shoes myself too 13 years after her time in an unwed mother's home, I found this story rings very true with her feelings and happenings and not much had changed in how one was viewed to be pregnant even with abortion being legal for a couple years by the time I myself, was in an unwed mother's home in 74. I do like how she follows up on what happened after the birth in her life and her family and friends so we aren't left hanging and wondering. I believe she had us...more
An interesting memoir of a 15 year old girl and her unwanted pregancy in the 60's. The book is compelling as a historical reference of a time period not long ago when pregnant teens were sent away to a girls home to have thier babies and often forced to give the babies away. What was really interesting to see was the innocence of the teens - how no one prepares them for what was going on - the girls seem to be victims of their secret.
This is a short and quick read. I would recommend it for anyo...more
This is a short and quick read. I would recommend it for anyo...more
This book is a first for the author and I really enjoyed reading the book. It is a true story about a 15 year old girl in the early 60's who gets pregnant and her family sends her to a home to have the baby to save her and the family from shame. It was really interesting to see how things have changed.
One of my favorite thing about the book is that the author finishes with telling you what every person in the book is doing now and what has happened with them in the years between finishing the b...more
One of my favorite thing about the book is that the author finishes with telling you what every person in the book is doing now and what has happened with them in the years between finishing the b...more
Review: It's 1962. A young girl from a small town in California is sent to live in a home for unwed mothers. Told in part through letters to a friend back home, she describes daily life at the home and how each girl eventually goes to the third floor to give birth, give up their babies and return to their previous life like nothing ever happened.
I didn't realize this was non-fiction when I decided to read this. After discovering it was, it made the story that much more powerful. I was shocked a...more
I didn't realize this was non-fiction when I decided to read this. After discovering it was, it made the story that much more powerful. I was shocked a...more
A naïve fifteen-year-old girl, who wasn't entirely sure if she had even had sex, is smacked in the face by fate. After learning that she is pregnant, she is sent to a home for unwed mothers. Judi tells her story in first person narrative as she revisits this painful part of her past.
The original synopsis and certain parts of the book allude to mistreatment in the home. She does mention having to do chores, three chapel services each week where they are routinely lectured about sin, lack of coun...more
The original synopsis and certain parts of the book allude to mistreatment in the home. She does mention having to do chores, three chapel services each week where they are routinely lectured about sin, lack of coun...more
This book had me hooked and I read it all at once. My experience in 1971 was similar but better. It was not as militaristic or judgmental a place as "The Home" and births did not occur there but in a hospital. While I placed my son with an agency for a few weeks, I brought him home and raised him. He's still my Easter Bunny and my pride. I recommend this book for anyone who wants an accurate, first-hand account of what it was like to be "in trouble" back then--especially compared to present time...more
As an adoptive mother, it was a much needed heartbreak to experience Judi's side of this. We think of our son's birth family often and have many debates of finding them and establishing a discussion. Hearing your side of this was powerful.
As a biological mother, it was a shock to think of someone going through pregnancy, labor, and birth with so little support and such public condemnation.
Thank you, Ms. Loren, for a very beautifully written memoir and a very thought provoking weekend.
As a biological mother, it was a shock to think of someone going through pregnancy, labor, and birth with so little support and such public condemnation.
Thank you, Ms. Loren, for a very beautifully written memoir and a very thought provoking weekend.
This book was very good and brought back memories of a couple of girls i went to HS with ... who had to drop out of school to go have their babies "somewhere"; Then reappeared the following school year, as if nothing had happened. This story was very intriguing and quite interesting, although the writer went back and forth and seemed to jump around some. But overall i thought the story was great and it was a true story.
A very good read andi highly recommend this book :)
A very good read andi highly recommend this book :)
This was a very quick read. I downloaded this for free for my Kindle. Overall I liked it, and found it interesting to read about the author's unexpected pregnancy at age 15 and subsequent stay at a home for unwed mothers in the early 60's. Sometimes the story felt a bit disjointed, maybe due to the length of time between the actual events occurring and the author putting pen to paper to tell her story. It was compelling enough though that I had to see it through to the end.
It is not every time that you finish a book , close the cover and feel better for having read the story . Although a heart wrenching tale , I feel priviledged to have read this memoir .
I really enjoyed the writing style -short snippets of events and short chapters that seem to really capture the depth of the author's situation . I loved the fact that she included the present day happenings in the lives of everyone involved . I would highly recommend this book !
I really enjoyed the writing style -short snippets of events and short chapters that seem to really capture the depth of the author's situation . I loved the fact that she included the present day happenings in the lives of everyone involved . I would highly recommend this book !
The story of a pregnant 14-year-old in the 1960's, who is sent off to a "home" for unwed mothers to have her baby. Told from Judi's perspective at the time, it recounts her innocence and naivete, as well as all the emotions of being sent away to have her baby with no support system or even basic medical information about what was going to happen.
Judi also tells what happened afterword--the aftermath for her personally, for her baby, and for her family.
Judi also tells what happened afterword--the aftermath for her personally, for her baby, and for her family.
Grace shares her true story of being a pregnant teenager in the 1960's in this autobiography.
Written simply but with honesty and heart we get an inside look into the lives of pregnant teens in the 1960's thanks to Judi's decision to expose the "secret shame" of that time period.
In the 60's it was very popular to send off girls who found themselves pregnant to homes to wait out their pregnancies. It was also very popular to do so without providing explanation of pregnancy, the home itself, etc...more
Written simply but with honesty and heart we get an inside look into the lives of pregnant teens in the 1960's thanks to Judi's decision to expose the "secret shame" of that time period.
In the 60's it was very popular to send off girls who found themselves pregnant to homes to wait out their pregnancies. It was also very popular to do so without providing explanation of pregnancy, the home itself, etc...more
This memoir was amazing. It opens up the world of unwed moms in the 1960s. Being a memoir, I learned a lot about how the young teenagers were treated for getting pregnant. This book had all types of strong emotions in it from strong friendships, embarrassment, pain and love. Once I started the book, I couldn't put it down. I had to make sure that Judi would get through this experience, and come out unscathed. Well, part of that is right anyways.
Sad but interesting account of a 15 year old girl who gets pregnant. Being about the same age as the writer I can ralate to her plight. After all, this is what we were all warned about. Such a difficult situation and the different reactions are exactly what would have happpemed in my little homeetown. You find our who your true friends are when you're at your lowest.
Great book, step back in time 40 years ago of young teenager pregnant, where talk of sex and what happens if you get pregnant are taboo. Hidden until birth not knowing what will happen. This is an eyeopening book to see how far we have come. This is not a poor me story, it covers such a wide range of social and self discovery. Very well written.
I liked this book not because it was particularly well written or had incredible depth, but as a mother of girls it was a reminder of how important real discussions about sex and life are. We do our children an incredible disservice by glazing over important questions they heve and the ramifications are great. Sometimes we need that reminder from a memoir of life without knowledge.
Such a good read! It broke my heart how stereo-typed pregnant teens were....then on the other hand, if this is how life still was....would there be so many unwanted pregnancies? Makes ya really think. The author was great in pulling you into her life almost to the point that I couldn't put the book, errr, iPad down!
I thought about a place in Pgh called Zoar home as I read this. We had all of the girls as patients at WPH when I worked there. Never really thought about what happened to them before or after they delivered and YES even in the early 80's we used leather restraints on the delivery tables
This book was a quick read and enlightening as to the plight of unwed mothers in the 1960s. I cannot say this was the most engrossing book I've ever read but it did manage to keep my attention until the end. The authors story has a happier ending than I'm sure many other in her situation
I found this memoir fascinating. This part of American history seems to have been somewhat swept under the rug. I do not recall hearing or learning much about relinquishment or the homes. The trauma and post-traumatic stress that these woman went through (or are still going through) is disheartening.
Apr 07, 2012
Coral Kirk
added it
This book was great. I loved the twist and turns of her teenage pregnancy. I loved the friends she made and her sadness and drama that went along with her happiness. I'm not a spoiler so I am not going to say more but I definitely recommend everyone to read this.
This was an interesting read for sure. I was shocked to some degree at how the OB/GYN dynamics/standards have changed over the years and it made me feel even more blessed to have my babies in this decade for sure! I just can't imagine it! I enjoyed getting a glimpse into her life and even though it's not a terribly exciting book, it was good and I am glad I was able to read it (for free too!).
This is a true story of a teenage girl sent to a birthing home during the 1950s. Slow at times and a bit redundant I would recommend renting this from the library or downloading for free. This was a free download for me and was an okay read.
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Jun 08, 2012 11:27pm