Pregnant Girl: A Story of Teen Motherhood, College, and Creating a Better Future for Young Families

In her first book, Lewis (founder of the nonprofit Generation Hope) investigates root issues that deter young parents from attending college, through the lens of her own experience. Teen parents in general, and Black teen parents in particular, are discouraged in the U.S. from attending college, Lewis argues, by the GI Bill’s replacement with private lending, disconnection from families or communities due to shame, and a lack of role models. Lewis shares that she became pregnant as a high school senior and went on to attend the College of William & Mary. The needs of young parents—including child care, housing, and transportation—are never far from her mind; Lewis writes that these factors can make a significant difference in students’ wellbeing and continued success. She introduces the concept of student-parents’ “time poverty”— not an issue of time management, but rather a true deficit of hours in the day to accomplish commuting, working, parenting, and studying.