Look At You Now: One Girl'S Journey From Shame To Trength

Description: In 1979, Liz Pryor, a good girl from a privileged Chicago family, discovered that she was pregnant. At only 17 years old, her parents were determined to keep this shameful event secret from everyone, even her siblings. One snowy January day, after driving across three states, her mother dropped her off at what Liz believed was a Catholic home for unwed mothers, but was in fact a locked state facility for delinquent pregnant girls. Over the next six months, alone and isolated from everyone she knew, Liz developed a surprising bond of friendship with the other girls, which led her to question everything she once held true. Told with tenderness, humour and candour, Look at You Now is a deeply moving coming-of-age story that pays tribute to the triumph of the human spirit in times of adversity, and the transcendent power of friendship in the toughest of times.

Review: A funny, tender and brave coming-of-age tale. * People * A poignant, often funny reminder that we learn who we are when we're at our most challenged. * Good Housekeeping * A subtle, graceful story about how sometimes the worst things in our lives work best to shape our characters into something shining and true, something that will serve us for the rest of our lives... I will never forget this book. I really, really loved it. -- Elizabeth Berg, author of THE DREAM LOVER [Pryor's] honesty about a youthful error and desire to let that honesty define the rest of her life are both uplifting and inspiring. An unsentimental yet moving coming-of-age memoir. * Kirkus * Poignant ... Engrossing ... Readers will swiftly be drawn into the author's compassionate retelling of her teen pregnancy. This coming-of-age memoir is authentic and unforgettable. * Publisher's Weekly * I devoured this in one sitting. Look At You Now is a compelling memoir about giving birth to a baby Liz is told she cannot keep. It is also a tender and finely executed meditation on daughterhood and forgiveness. -- Julia Forster, author of WHAT A WAY TO GO Pryor's refusal to bury the truth of her experiences is the greatest strength of her book. Her honesty about a youthful error and desire to let that honesty define the rest of her life are both uplifting and inspiring. An unsentimental yet moving coming-of-age memoir. * Kirkus Reviews * Pryor has vivid memories of her time in the facility, and her straightforward, unvarnished narrative, written as if by her seventeen-year-old self, rings true. Her story is well worth sharing. * Booklist * [This] memoir is heart-breaking. Narrowly focused on the five months Pryor spent in the government facility, it's a window into the mind of a child who feels utterly abandoned by her parents and, even more tragically, as though she deserves to have been. * Chicago Tribune * Liz Pryor's story is shocking, moving, riveting, and, ultimately, inspiring. She writes like a natural, can balance humor and sorrow perfectly, and in Look at You Now, has written a pitch-perfect memoir. -- Darin Strauss, author of HALF A LIFE

Author Biography: Liz Pryor was raised in a small suburb outside Chicago, the fifth of seven children. Her first book, What Did I Do Wrong? (Simon & Schuster, 2006) was a finalist for a Books for a Better Life Award. In 2011, Liz was chosen from amongst 15,000 applicants to become ABC's Good Morning America life advice guru. Liz lives in Los Angeles with her three teenage children.