Against All Odds

Before the world knew her son, Pattie Mallette was fighting to survive. Pregnant at seventeen and carrying wounds from years of abuse, she faced pressure to end a pregnancy she felt she could not abandon. With no clear plan for motherhood, she held onto one determination: to give her baby a chance, despite an uncertain future she could imag… Continues…

In her interview and memoir, Pattie Mallette describes a youth shaped by sexual abuse, shame, and self-blame. Depression and substance use compounded her suffering, and she survived a suicide attempt as a teenager. When she became pregnant at 17, others urged her to end the pregnancy. She recounts deciding she could not do so, even without knowing how she would support a child. What followed was the difficult work of young, single motherhood.