My Mom Had an Abortion

“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…

“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.”

“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…

“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 humor, 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.”

“A vital, honest representation of what is a proven fact but consistently overlooked—the majority of people who have abortions are parents. By showing an honest conversation between mom and daughter, My Mom Had an Abortion shows the lingering effects of stigma, the power of storytelling, and the myriad of reproductive and pregnancy outcomes and experiences that are demonized to the detriment of those who experience them. A loving reminder that abortion is often a parenting decision that makes it possible for people to grow their families when they’re willing, ready, and able, this is required…

“Beezus B. Murphy’s writing brims with curiosity, generosity, and precocious wisdom. She candidly and expertly presents the complexities of learning how to distinguish between stereotypes and the complexity of what really is, and how one eloquent teen views the social repercussions of our culture’s representation of the female reproductive system. Tatiana Gill’s friendly, straightforward artwork is perfectly matched with the text. The reader can easily imagine Beezus and Tatiana having intimate, animated conversations and really getting a kick out of each other. Like Beezus, I wouldn’t exist…