After

At the Children's Literature Association Conference I saw a book trailer for the book After by Amy Efaw. It was really a simple trailer. It showed positive words replaced by negative words. However, it completely caught my attention. I needed to read the book, so I put it on hold at the library.

What I never dreamed from the trailer is that it would be about dumpster babies. I gathered it was about unplanned pregnancy, but the idea of sympathizing with a mother who would attempt to kill a baby was unfathomable to me. However, Amy Efaw does it. She makes a reader realize that the women who desert this helpless infants often have more going on than a news-watcher would originally realize.

While reading the book I couldn't help but compare it to Walter Dean Myer's Monster. In both books there is a young protagonist in a detention facility and the reader must decide if s/he agrees with the decision of the judge. In both texts the perpetrator is likable and seems to deserve another chance, yet both are accused of horrific crimes. The biggest difference between the two is that in Myer's text the reader does not know how guilty or innocent Steve is. In Efaw's text, the reader knows Devon is guilty. Instead, the question is does Devon know.

I would not recommend After to anyone. I think it is probably too intense for some readers. However, I think it's a great book. I think Efaw does an amazing job creating a compelling story that challenges readers to consider their initial judgments regarding a situation.