The Amazing "True" Story of a Teenage Single Mom by Katherine Arnoldi

Arnoldi, Katherine.
The Amazing "True" Story of a Teenage Single Mom.
New York:
HyperionBooks, 1998.


Katherine Arnoldi, a victim of sexual abuse, had a child at age 17. Without support from her family, she struggles to make ends meet, working in a factory and various restaurants. Seeking the chance at a new beginning, she moves out West with her baby and her boyfriend. After arriving in Arizona, her boyfriend turns on her and she becomes entrenched in a physically abusive relationship. Throughout all this, Kathy dreams of going to college and becoming a chemist, a dancer, a teacher, an artist, or all of the above. Fearing for herself and her child, she runs away from her new home, knowing almost no one in an area with which she is unfamiliar. She and her daughter wind up in Denver, living with an old roommate, and she finally gains the support she needs through friends she meets. Slowly, with determination, she is able to overcome the obstacles before her and turn her life around, earn an education, and support herself and her child on her own.

A short autobiographical work, Arnoldi’s story is swift but poignant. Though the difficulties in her life are made clear, the emphasis is placed on being able to overcome them. She makes it understood, however, that a woman doesn’t have to do this on her own. Arnoldi realizes that it takes a certain amount of courage to take the first step in leaving an unhealthy relationship or a troubled life, but she shows that there are so many to get help after that first step is made. Giving examples of who those others might be, Arnoldi lists a few resources in the back of the book that might help a young woman in her same situation.

The illustrations Arnoldi uses vividly show both the frightening and joyful moments throughout her story. Though they have their likeness to a cartoon strip style, she develops each page with small details related to the story but unnecessary to its plot. The result is layers of meaning that go beyond the surface, taking the reader into a closer relationship with the character and her plight. The brevity of the story makes it accessible to many, but most importantly to the young, single mothers that need to read it for its message of determination and personal strength.