Review of Proof Positive by Lucy V Hay

The great and refreshing thing about this first person account is the originality of Lizzie's voice. Part of a large chaotic family in the south west, Lizzie's life is by no means perfect but this girl has ambitions for herself. Proof Positive details the options she has when she falls pregnant. The ringing of the ubiquitous mobile phone heralds another possible path she could take: abortion? Adoption? Have the baby? Early miscarriage is one possibility, quite rightly inspiring conflicting feelings in Lizzie. Lucy Hay speaks with the the voice of authority here, being at one time a single mother herself. Lucy's own experience with her baby son fuelled her desire for success and she is now a successful blogger, author, producer and speaker in the UK and abroad.

Lizzie is, above all, someone who is intelligent, full of potential, a million miles away from the clichéd 'pram-face' so reviled by the Tories many years ago - responsible for all of society's ills. She is no Jeremy Kyle style stereotype, thank goodness. We have the Daily Mail for that version of the young single mother. No, Liziie is human: strong, bolshy, frail and anxious about what others will think of her and what's the right thing to do. Each decision is prefaced by a name of a friend, sibling, lover and parent, and finally and most crucially Lizzie herself. This book makes you want to cheer for her, because in the end, no one can tell a young woman what to do with her body. This is a story told with wince-inducing honesty and forthrightness, eschewing sanctimonious moralising and outdated piety. It's a baby for heaven's sake - not a nuclear bomb. No one's life is over. This is not only a cracking story, it will doubtless also function as a self-help manual for any young woman in the same situation as Lizzie. It deserves every success.