Annie’s Baby edited by Beatrice Sparks

The book I was currently reading was “Deadly Little Secret” by Laurie Faria Stolarz. I didn't like it too much so I found a new book.

The book I am reading is “Annie’s Baby” edited by Beatrice Sparks. This is a very disappointing story. Annie is a fifteen year old teenager that has a responsibility no one her age should have to endure. She was raped by her boyfriend Daniel, and later found out she was two months pregnant. Annie is self-conscious about herself. She always thinks people are talking about her and she is constantly hiding herself from the world around her. She is not a social girl, and barely speaks to anyone. She does not like to express her feelings to anyone. Instead, she developed a relationship between herself and her diary.

By reading this book I learned not to trust anyone because words are cheap. You really should not believe what people say all the time. I said that because Annie truly believed that Daniel loved her. Annie met Daniel on the soccer field. They got together because they loved each other (well that’s what Annie thought). But you must learn not to let anyone take advantage of you. While they were going out they would call each other a lot. But what I’m not sure of is why they never hanged out as much in public. They usually just talk on the phone and never really hang out. I began questioning if Daniel really loved Annie because of the way he was treating her. I felt pain for Annie because of the way Daniel abandoned her. He would sometimes pass her and say nothing or just give her a quiet ‘hi’.

I’m not sure what Daniel wants from Annie exactly. I think Daniel is just using Annie for his own purposes. Many times at lunch, he would ignore Annie, and would always say to her “I’m hanging out with my friends; I’m hanging out with my friends”. He never has time for her at all. I think Daniel is a big ‘show-off’ always trying to prove something to his friends. He is always laughing and acting like… yeah I got a girlfriend, but he shows her no care or love at all. Annie needs to know how to speak up and just be a leader and not a follower. I say this because she is following Daniel and keep giving him chances, and the more she continues to do that the more he is going to hurt her. The bottom line is Daniel is using her. After Daniel and Annie went through some difficult moments in their relationship, they decided to go on a date. But here is the tricky part… he decided to go to ‘his house’. He was like “let’s go to my house and watch a movie or something”, so Annie was up to that and so they did. Everything was going good. Annie felt loved and wanted all over again. She was so much in love with Daniel that she did not realize any danger in what she was doing. But things turned around… in seconds.

The good moments did not last for long. It only took seconds or this is how it looked. Daniel showed his ‘true’ colors. He wanted to have sex with Annie. Of course she refused to do what he wanted and then he raped her. This is a painful and devastating situation for anyone. The sad thing is Daniel hurt Annie and she never spoke up. She did not tell her mom or any of her close friends what she experienced or went through. I felt that he used her like she was a dog or trash. I don’t understand why Daniel raped Annie. There were plenty girls at the school, so why did he treat her that way. I wonder if it is because she was not popular or she was quiet hmmm…. He knew that she loved him so he took advantage of her. I think Annie needs to know how to speak up and don’t let people walk over her like that again.

Annie needs to tell her mom, friends or the teachers at her school. She needs to let the pain out. I think by not telling anyone will make the situation worse, it can get her in a stage she doesn't want to be in. Sometimes you need to speak up and not hide your feelings. It does not make sense to pretend everything is ‘okay’ and you’re hurting inside. Annie is silent about her pain, but she has to ‘speak out’. Although I understand how Annie feels, I still strongly believe that she should not stay quiet about this matter. By speaking she can help other girls her age from guys like Daniel. I think Daniel should be reported for what he did to Annie.

I hope as I further read this book, Annie tells her mom what is going on in her life, because I know she cannot leave this in for much longer!