Written from a Christian perspective, this book embraces the young teen with love and compassion. It begins with the story of a young girl's abortion trauma and her inability to cope. It clarifies why abortion is a secret sorrow, harder for teens, and what happens when the emotions surrounding the abortion are buried. The symptoms of post-abortion syndrome are discussed. By bringing the young woman through the grief process, she can move on to forgiveness, hope and joy. A chapter on how abortion affects young fathers is included. Medical, emotional, and spiritual reasons for avoiding a rapid repeat pregnancy are spelled out and secondary virginity is introduced. Helpful resources are listed. A valuable resource not only for teens, but also pregnancy centers, libraries, teachers and parents. 96 pages, paperback.

REVIEWS

"From the first page to last, Nykiel does an excellent job of conveying to young readers, both female and male, that they are not alone. She points out that the problems they face after abortion are common, not "weird." Most importantly, she reassures her readers that even though it may seem that no one can understand what they are going through, there really are people who already understand and are anxious to help them. Given its relatively short length and the author's careful attention to keeping explanations simple, No One Told Me I Could Cry is amazingly complete. In a teen-friendly writing style that is neither condescending nor stuffy, Nykiel makes frequent use of metaphors and visual examples to describe all of the most common post-abortion reactions and to explain why bottling up feelings of grief and guilt can cause more problems. 

Nykiel does an especially good job of (1) helping teens feel they have permission to grieve, (2) exposing the pitfalls that block the grief process, and (3) outlining the many issues that must be addressed in the process of post-abortion healing. She also includes a resource list in the back of the book to help teens seek out ministries that can help them find healing. 

This book would make an excellent donation to high school libraries. And anyone who regularly works with teens should keep a couple of copies of No One Told Me I Could Cry on hand at all times. It may be just the right tool for injecting both understanding and hope into the life of a hard-to-reach teen."
POST-ABORTION PREVIEW 

"This book by Connie Nykiel will meet you where you are at and take you to a much better place — an intimate connection with a loving God who will comfort you and give you hope."
Focus on the Family