Unplanned by Abby Johnson

Book Synopsis:

Abby Johnson quit her job in October 2009. That simple act became a national news story because Abby was the director of a Planned Parenthood clinic in Texas who, after participating in her first actual abortion procedure, walked across the road to join the Coalition for Life. "Unplanned" is a heartstopping personal drama of life-and-death encounters, a courtroom battle, and spiritual transformation that speaks hope and compassion into the political controversy that surrounds this issue. Telling Abby’s story from both sides of the abortion clinic property line, this book is a must-read for anyone who cares about the life versus rights debate and helping women who face crisis pregnancies.

My Review:

5/5 stars. I've seen the movie based on this book and loved it, and I only just now got around to read the book. It was just as amazing. Abby's story is so powerful and important. Her account was well-written and engaging. I loved seeing all the little details the movie didn't include.

I saw some 1-star reviews saying Unplanned is poorly written, but I disagree. It was very conversational and easy to read yet still had some really beautiful and evocative lines. It wasn't an edge-of-your-seat book or the most deeply literary thing you've ever read, but it wasn't supposed to me. It was a woman telling her real story.

Similarly, I liked the seemingly mundane parts of the story. I love the cinematic, heart-wrenching, slightly dramatized movie version, but I also loved reading her story with all the details and more of her internal thoughts that the movie couldn't show. But it's still just as powerful.

Another reason I got through the book quickly is because I was constantly rooting for Abby. I knew it was coming and I remember some of the events that led up to it from the movie, but it still gave me a motivator to keep going until I got to the transformation and aftermath.

One thing I appreciated and think many other readers, whether pro-choice or pro-life, will is how loving Abby was toward her fellow Planned Parenthood workers. She painted the organization as the villain but never the individuals. She respected them and knew they were also victims. She prayed for their redemption and didn't hate them, because she was there once, too.

I loved one of the last chapters that showed all the parallels in the lives of Abby and Shawn from Coalition for Life. There were so many connections between Coalition and the clinic Abby worked at that she wasn't aware of until later. That was a cool picture of God working out His plan behind the scenes from the start.

Content:

Language: none

Sexual Content: mentions of rape

Violence/Gore: semi-detailed descriptions of abortions being performed, blood from abortion pill side effects

Drugs/Alcohol: abortion pills