Bumped

Where do you begin on such a controversial subject? Megan McCafferty stated in a letter to the reader that she was creating a world where teen sex is encouraged. She was making a point about the teens caught in the middle of our society today. She is taking an all or nothing approach.

Melody and Harmony are identical twins separated at birth. One is raised, Harmony, in a highly religious society. I would even say cultish society. They do not leave the compound, wear clothing that leaves everything to the imagination and are told who to marry. They train their whole lives to become a wife and mother.

Melody is raised planning to surrogate deliver a baby for massive amounts of money. Both girls are given little choices to their future. They show more both have a purpose, chosen by their adoptive parents, Melody and Harmony are two extremes, they are direct opposites at the beginning of the novel.

The subject matter was so sensitive and horrifying to me that I struggled to read this book. At the same time I really wanted to see where McCaffery was taking the story. I can't and never want to imagine where a culture glorifies teen sex. Little girls as young as eleven are pregnant and are given scholarships if they can produce as many as possible before graduation. UGH!

This is a dystopian novel to the fullest. A virus has made it impossible for people to procreate after age 18. The world is facing extinction. Little girls carry around backs referring to their first menstrual cycle. They can't wait until it is their turn to sport a fashionable bump. No love, all business.

I will say that McCafferty has succeeded in creating a world making me think You cannot read this book without thinking. Her subject matter is very controversial. Some will applaud this work and the forward thinking, others like me will be sick at heart.

It is well written, even though the cultural wording is offensive. It makes me glad that I live in a time where there is middle ground. I received a copy to review from Netgalley.

I would not recommend this book to young teens. Older teens would need parental permission in my opinion. show less

Alright, WOW! I was not expecting that at all! This book is awesome! Because Bumped was so good, I now have to read the entire Jessica Darling series, like right now!

Set in a not-so distant future (2035 to be exact), a virus has left everyone over the age of 18 unable to have children. To keep the population going, teen pregnancy is not only accepted, it’s encouraged! Pre-teens wear shirts that say “Born to Breed” and try on fake baby bumps at the store. Condoms are illegal and the more babies a girl can have, or the more times she “bumps” with a guy, the better off financially she will be.

Bumped is told in the duel-POV of Melody and her identical twin sister, Harmony. Melody, unlike all of her friends, has never bumped show more before. She is signed up with an agency that finds the perfect match for her to bump with and also finds the couple willing to pay the most. She is getting stressed because she is already 16 and her prime baby making years is already over. Harmony on the other hand grew up in a sheltered, religious community. Young boys and girls are pared off together to start a family that can best serve the church and God. There is a lot more to Melody and Harmony that meets the eye. Both characters will surprise you. I enjoyed both Melody and Harmony and liked seeing them grow as people and figure out who they really are.

While reading Bumped, it was so strange to think that this is happening only about 20 years into the future. I can imagine a society like this hundreds of years from now, but not twenty. It was just crazy too me. When they talk about the old people, they are essentially referring to my generation! Crazy!

Overall, I loved, loved, loved this book! McCafferty left us with a pretty heavy cliffhanger and I can not wait to read the sequel! show less

The SyFy Channel Does “Teen Mom”

The year is 2036 and a viral epidemic is threatening the world’s population. Those infected with the HSPV – Human Progressive Sterility Virus – enjoy just a few precious years of fertility; starting around the age of 18, one’s ability to procreate dwindles and then fails altogether. What was once taboo – babies having babies – is now necessary to human survival.

Consequently, teen pregnancy isn’t just commonplace, but encouraged – patriotic, even: in America, chain stores like Babiez R U market faux baby bumps to young girls, complete with matching stretchy tees that sport catchy, pro-repro slogans like “Do the Deed, Born to Breed”; the local high school openly hosts a “Pro/Am” show more club (professional “preggers” – i.e., hired surrogates – and amateurs, or those girls who partner with whom they choose and then auction off their offspring to the highest bidder – coming together to make “pregging” sexy!); and especially “desirable” teens are represented by cutthroat agents called ReproReps, who strive to earn them top dollar for their “deliveries” (never “babies”). And, oh yeah, condoms are illegal (presumably along with other forms of birth control).

Whereas sex for reproduction (“bumping”) is practically mandatory, recreational sex is frowned upon for the high school set. Whether through carefully negotiated contracts or masSex parties, many young women strive to deliver at least one or two (or ten, in Zora Harding’s case) babies before their “fertilicious” years pass them by.

Against this backdrop, protagonists Melody and Harmony are two young women whose divergent experiences with female objectification demonstrate the many ways misogyny can manifest itself. Adopted into separate homes shortly after birth, the twin sisters were raised in two very different cultures. Mel’s parents Ash and Ty are former economists who predicted the rise of the surrogate market and groomed their daughter to supply this demand from childhood. Meanwhile, Harmony became a ward of “The Church,” a fundamentalist Christian community that isolates itself from the outside world (“Otherside”) in a suburban gated community filled with abandoned McMansions (“Goodside”).

It’s not until their sixteenth year that the two meet – Harmony, having just entered into an arranged marriage with fellow “unteachable soul” Ram; and Melody, on the cusp of “bumping” with famous “cock jockey” Jondoe, thus fulfilling her contract with the Jaydens – and, through a case of mistaken identity/fraud, both girls’ lives are changed forever. (I won’t reveal any plot details beyond this, since there are a number of twists – some of them expected, others less so – and I don’t want to spoil it for would-be readers.)

Bumped is surprisingly enjoyable. Written in a breezy, fast-paced style, it makes for great escapism – and yet, the text also touches upon some pretty weighty issues involving sex, rape, reproduction, adoption, and human trafficking. (In fact, if you’re a parent whose t(w)een is reading Bumped, I’d recommend that you read along and discuss these subjects with your kid afterwards. These topics are only hinted at, leaving the reader to contemplate these issues herself.)

For example, Melody’s parents didn’t just train her to be a surrogate – they also took out loans against her reproductive potential when she was just a child, thus making an indentured servant of sorts out of their daughter. How can she be said to grant meaningfully consent under such circumstances? If creating, carrying, birthing, and then selling one’s child is so easy, why are the surrogates dosed with drugs to ease their anxiety during “bumping” and sever their biological bond to the developing fetus? Melody encounters a young fan at the birthing center who, at the tender age of eleven(ish), is already emulating her idol by carrying her first pregnancy. Which begs the question: who impregnated an eleven-year-old? Isn’t this statutory rape? And how can a child consent to a contractual pregnancy and adoption, anyway?

Author Megan McCafferty has a distinct voice, mastering the teen speak of the future in a witty and realistic way. Love it or loathe it (I started out a hater, but was quickly won over), the slang is believable if nothing else. Though the book’s target audience is young adults, this 34-year-old devoured it just the same.

As far as diversity goes, Bumped does so-so. While three out of four of the book’s main characters (Melody, Harmony, and Jondoe) are white, Zen is described as Chicano. Additionally, some of Mel’s friend’s names - Shoko, Raimundo, Ventura Vida – are hint at non-white heritage, and there’s at least one gay character (plot twist, and one you’ll see coming a mile away). One of the things that makes Melody an especially valuable surrogate is her white European ancestry – something confirmed by genetic testing – which is revered by wealthy white couples in a time when more racially diverse pairings are the trend. Twenty-four years in the future – and even in the midst of possible species extinction - and white folks are still struggling to hold onto their supremacy.

All in all, 3.5 stars (rounded up to 4 on Amazon).

http://www.easyvegan.info/2013/02/01/bumped-by-megan-mccafferty/ show less

What if only teenagers could get pregnant? That is the premise for this fascinating YA novel which brings together long-lost twin sisters Melody and Harmony as they struggle with the reproductive pressure. Harmony is from Goodside, the churchy, "godfreaky" area of this society. She's been brought up to believe that it is her duty to get married at 13 and raise a family of Christian warriors. Melody lives in Princeton, or "Otherside" and is under contract to produce a child for a wealthy couple.
The author uses the girls' unfamiliarity with each others' lives to introduce these concepts to the reader in a very effective way. The culture which glorifies teen pregnancy and makes words like "fertilicious" and "reproaesthetical" synonyms for show more cool and encourages youngsters to engage in drugged orgies and outlaws condoms is truly frightening. I'm not sure I agree with the message the author is trying to send, but I can see how the girls reach their respective realizations about their lives. Excellent world building, character building and dialogue. Recommended. show less

Oh dear... I was so disappointed by this book. I had such high hopes after all the reviewer buzz in the US! On paper, it sounds like an interesting take on the current dystopian trend: the story of two very different twin sisters, set in a society in which a virus has rendered everyone over the age of 18 infertile, and teenagers are paid big bucks by prospective parents to deliver beautiful babies. Melody has been raised to become a 'Surrogette' - a professional baby machine - while Harmony has lived all her life in a conservative church community. When Harmony comes to find her sister to try and 'save' her from her sins, a case of mistaken identity turns their lives, their views - their whole worlds - upside down forever.

So far, so show more intriguing, right? The novel throws the reader head first into Melody's world from page one, with a deluge of baby chatter, futuristic jargon and an insight into the way this pregnancy-obsessed society works for genetically attractive young girls. For a while it was fascinating - but it didn't take long for it to start to feel just too alien to relate to. The incessant sex- and baby-related word play, in everything from the everyday slang to the pop music, began to feel like less of an amusing novelty and more like the kind of thing you'd expect to find being bandied about by teenage boys behind the bike sheds. It was just too much! I understand that this is the whole premise of the novel, but seriously, no one ever talked about anything but pregnancy (or 'bumping', as McCafferty calls it)!

As if that wasn't bad enough, the whole novel then flips on its head halfway through, and Harmony and her 'godfreaky' crisis of faith become the main focus. It's like McCafferty had pulled out a book called 'The Bible: Pro or Con?' and was rehashing every argument through Harmony's angst. As if to make up for this, the plot simultaneously becomes more and more disjointed and improbable, with horrendous coincidences and magic wand-waving going on left, right and centre to bring everything together. Then boom! I turned the page, and there were the acknowledgements! It felt like twenty pages were missing from the end.

At the end of the book, I walked away thinking, "What the hell was that?" A religious novel? An anti-religious novel? A fun read? A polemic on teen pregnancy? A thinly veiled jab at reproductive ethics? I'm not sure McCafferty herself knew, to be honest. Somewhere in there she lost the plot, lost her characters and - sorry - lost this reader. show less

McCafferty has created one of the most freshest and addictive dystopian’s I’ve ever read.I had a dreams about!

I’m not off my Hunger Games high just yet, but lately all of the dystopian’s I’ve read have a certain tone but compared to McCafferty’s it’s totally different. A society where teen are the only ones who can get preggers because of a virus is pretty scary. Bumped wasn’t what I expected, it was a bit light and fun! Don’t get me weong it still had the same impact and was just as thought provoking as any other dystopian.

There are definitely no Gales or Peeta’s who can compete with the love of two long lost sisters. although it took a some time for them to like each other. I’m not saying there wasn’t and eye show more candy, there was, Zen and Jondoe. Zen is the nice guy who never hovers Melody. Jondoe well he is like a pop star with another side to him(one you will have to find out)

Bumped is very unique because it's not a government-controlled dystopian.It really has much more meaning than just being stuck in a society where all the decisions are made for you. Melody and Harmony are leaders, they go against what they were told is right. The hold the key to their future, the choice. I really enjoyed reading Harmony’s and Mel’s POV. They are identical twins who are raised differently. I took me a little bit for Melody to grow on me. With all her eye rolling but then I found out the Lib(her vivacious pregger agent) is a Biotch and I forgive Melody for being so rude to her sister.I really connected with Harmony, I mean there are alot of things in this world that are confusing and sometimes you just need to ask questions, instead of someone telling you what IS right and what IS wrong.Harmony's that sweet( kind of naive) churchy girl, with her godly words and humor. You can’t help but love her and have compassion for some of the mistakes she made, as well as her sister.

I thought McCafferty’s writing was spectacular! It was really fun to read but also risky at the same time. I think my main issues was Jondoe, he was kind of...odd, the things he said and how Harmony perceives him...as Jesus. Which is pretty weird if you ask me. But that's the only thing I had an issue with, everything else was Fab.You don’t want to miss this one! show less

In the future, when virility is lost at age 18, teenage pregnancy has gone from distasteful to trendy. Girls wearing “born to bump” t-shirts over faux bellies can’t wait to be able to “pregg” as amateurs or professionals, getting “breedy” and giving up their children to to be raised by the barren older generation. Melody was the first to declare herself as pregg-for-hire, and her agent has been trying to set her up with the stud Jondoe to seal the deal. Meanwhile, her unknown twin Harmony, from a tightly conservative, religious community, has shown up. When the wrong twin meets Jondoe, what will they learn about love, procreation, and the limits of loyalty? Told in alternating chapters by the twins, McCafferty’s tale show more pulses with with passion, desire, and jealousy. The short, fast chapters send the reader on a hydroplaning journey into a world where being preggy makes you an instant MiNet celebrity and a condom is what’s scandalous. Highly recommended. (29) show less