A Review of 'Thumped' by Megan McCafferty

"It's been thirty-five weeks since twin sisters Harmony and Melody went their separate ways.  Since then, their story has become irresistible lives, each due to deliver sets of twins... on the same day!  In a future where only teens can "bump," or give birth, babies mean money, status, and freedom.

Married to Ram and living in religious Goodside, Harmony spends her time trying to fight back into the community she once loved and believed in.  But she can't seem to forget about Jondoe, the guy she feel in love with under the strangest of circumstances.

To her adoring fans, Melody has achieved everything she always wanted: a big, fat contract and a coupling with Jondoe, the hottest bump prospect around.  But this image is costing her the one guy she really wants.

Cursed by their own popularity, the girls are obsessively tracked by their millions of fans, who have been eagerly counting down the days to their 'Double Double Due Date.'  Without a doubt, they are two of the most powerful teen girls on the planet, and there's only one thing they could do that would make them more famous than they already are:

Tell the truth."

After reading and being absolutely fascinated by 'Bumped,' I couldn't wait to read 'Thumped.'  Now I'm excited to say that I will be writing a thesis paper on both of these books for my Philosophy of Sex and Sexuality class!***

This book picks up about eight months after 'Bumped' ends.  This means that Harmony is eight-and-a-half months pregnant and Melody is faking her "preg" and promoting their brand (it's sad that girls like Melody aren't people, really.  They're baby-making machines).  Jondoe is pining after Harmony, wanting to be the father-- no-- the DAD that he has never been to any of the children that he's contributed his DNA to.  It's so sweet how he studies up on all things pregnancy and birth-related.

I've rediscovered what an interesting society this book is set in.  There are so many ethical issues with having children beget children (teenagers have the babies because the adults are unable to because of the virus that has spread about the world).  It's really hard for me to tell if the society that we're seeing in Thumped is the idea of the teenagers who are having the children or if it's the idea of the adults who want kids but can't have their own.  Are the teenagers just going along with it or are they completely bought into it?  Some are and some aren't.  I want to know how this society came to be what it is.  Obviously the virus had something huge to do with it, but who decided that this was the way reproduction should occur?  Couldn't sperm and/or eggs be preserved until they're wanted?  There's a lot we don't know about the health of the human anatomy in this series.  We know that no adult can conceive on their own, but are they capable of carrying a child to term if the proper ingredients are saved for when they're reading and willing to have a child?

I have a lot of questions about this book and I can't wait to do a little research around this short series.

I give 'Thumped':

Thanks for Reading!

--Jude

***Maybe... my topic may be shifting a bit, although still sticking with books.