Growing Up Fast

Listen / Download

At high school graduations in Pittsfield, Massachusetts it’s not uncommon to see an 18-year-old walk across the stage, get her diploma, and then smile and wave to her 3-year-old child in the audience.

Some say teen pregnancy is an epidemic in America. This country has the highest rate of teen pregnancy in the industrialized world. More often than not we hear about teen moms in stories about welfare, or poverty records, or in heated debates about abstinence programs and marriage initiatives.

But writer Joanna Lipper decided to take a more personal approach. Her new book tells the story of six teen moms living in Pittsfield and chronicles their lives from working night shifts at Burger King, to breast feeding at school, and going to the prom.

Guests:

Joanna Lipper, author of “Growing Up Fast”

Liz Figueroa, who was a teen mom;