Families who loved Love & Haight by Susan Carlton often look for books with a similar feel. These 20 recommendations were selected for their similarity in style, theme, and reading level.
Parents should reach for this book when their teenager is beginning to ask deep questions about bodily autonomy, historical women's rights, or the weight of life altering decisions. Set in 1971, Love and Haight follows Chloe as she travels to San Francisco for a legal abortion before the landmark Roe v. Wade decision. It is a quiet, thoughtful exploration of a young woman claiming her future while navigating the complex fog of shame, secrecy, and emerging selfhood. This story is best suited for older teens due to its mature subject matter and realistic depiction of the era's social pressures. Rather than being a political manifesto, the book functions as a character study on bravery and the transition into adulthood. Parents might choose this book to provide historical context for contemporary reproductive rights discussions or to support a teen who feels overwhelmed by the expectations placed upon their body and identity.