For my fifth outside reading book, I chose to read Chill Wind by Janet McDonald. The book’s genre is African American and the copyright date is 2002. I chose

Before I make a recommendation about whether or not middle school students would enjoy reading this book, here is a brief summary. Chill Wind is a book about young Aisha Ingram, a tough and funny project girl managing her life with two children, Starlett and Ty, and no job. Aisha is like many of the females in her neighborhood- a single mother on welfare, and no high school diploma. “Before motherhood, Aisha’s life was all about being out. Chilling out, hanging out, making out, or just bugging out,” (3). Now welfare is about to run out, and Aisha must find a way to support herself, as well as her family. However, Aisha does get a job with “workfare” in the subways. The clock is ticking and she doesn't have many options, but one thing Aisha knows for sure: workfare is definitely not her thing. There's no way she's going to scrub subway cars or sweep city sidewalks. Aisha tries to come up with other ways to get money, but things don't look good. Coincidentally, she is befriended by a former model, who finds her a successful job in advertising. Chill Wind is both a funny, and inspiring book meant for young adults ages fourteen to seventeen. I would not recommend this to middle school students because of the harsh comedy and idea of teen pregnancy.

Chill Wind is a more appropriate book for high school students, because the main character is a teen (single) mother, who had her first child in her mid-to-late teens. Aisha had to drop out of high school to support her children. She is living in the slums of Brooklyn, surviving on welfare checks, and living with her mother. The story has taught me to respect myself as a teenager, and stay well educated throughout my life. Janet McDonald tells the story of a young girl forced to leave her childhood, because of a mistake she made in high school. Aisha’s story has surely inspired readers many readers to make good choices in their high school, and even throughout their lives. McDonald uses her book to give readers an idea of what being a teen parent would be like. “As the baby grew inside her, Aisha stayed inside more. Parties and boys, roller coasters and bump cars all added into the past, along with her childhood. She gained weight and grew lonely,” (29). Aisha’s life was permanently changed forever, and she was a mother at nineteen. Aisha thought she had found the love of her life, Kevin the father of her children, but could not support Aisha or the kids. Usually teen mothers become single parents because they, along with the fathers, are too young and afraid to commit to anything. Aisha was judged. “A high school dropout with little children and still living at home, thought Debbie,” (76). According to Amy Williams on At Risk, Teen mothers usually never finish high school, let alone enter a college, so the lower level of education doesn’t allow them to get a proper job or be prepared for the parenting that is ahead of them. Their career options are more than limited. The biggest risk factor for teenage pregnancy is poverty. Chill Wind has taught me to have self respect. I am still a kid, and deserve to live my life in a fun, but educated way. As strong as Aisha was, teen pregnancy is not the answer.