When She Woke: A Book Review

I don't normally write reviews of all the books I read, but this is one that I just finished this past week. When She Woke by Hillary Jordan is about a girl living in a futuristic world in which abortion is completely illegal and is considered murder. Furthermore, when someone commits a crime, whether it be murder, theft, etc., they are "chromed," or given an injection that turns their skin a color that represents their crimes. For example, murderers are turned red. In the book, Hannah has an unauthorized relationship with someone she is not supposed to be with and ends up pregnant. Instead of discussing it with the father, Hannah makes the decision to find a doctor who will perform the abortion in secret. Unfortunately, she is caught and given a murder sentence. The book is her experience as a "Chrome" in a society that categorizes her abortion as murder.

While the story was entertaining and an interesting one to ponder, I felt it was very one-sided. For example, Hannah describes the abortion doctor as compassionate and caring while every other doctor mentioned was sterile and cold-hearted. The book got very "preachy" as it went on, and I often got the feeling that the author's intention with her book was simply to preach and not just entertain.

As someone who is very much against abortion (though I can understand and have mixed feelings about possible exceptions due to things like rape, incest, etc.), it was difficult for me to read about a young girl who felt her only choice was to kill the unborn child inside her. That being said, the author did recognize the mixed feelings and troubling thoughts a mother must feel after aborting her child. I don't necessarily believe that abortion was Hannah's best choice in this situation, but I do appreciate the conflicting emotions described in the book.

Has anyone else read this book? Any thoughts?