[My Darling, My Hamburger is a] skillfully written story of four high school seniors … that has tremendous appeal on the entertainment level, but that totally cops out on the issues raised: sex, contraception, abortion. The action in the story happens to Liz and Sean; Maggie and Dennis, there to register and transmit what's happening emotionally, are sensitive, insecure alter egos for those glamorous, hip loners. The teenagers here are the most realistic of any in high-school novels to date: they have appropriate feelings and relationships; smoke, drink, swear; have refreshingly normal sexual thoughts and conflicts. The dialogue and description are so natural and entertaining (and often very funny) that the author disarms his audience (anyone who writes so convincingly must be a friend) while planting mines of moralism: pot and sex are destructive. Sean pressures Liz into having sex which she finally does, not out of passion, but anger at her parents; and her fears of pregnancy are soon realized. Sean, too immature, backs out of marriage but pays for her abortion. Liz immediately turns recluse out of shame, and she, Sean, and the issues are never really faced again. Only Maggie is left to carry a totally irrelevant ending—thoughts and clichés on graduation and growing up. Yesterday's ideas seductively disguised for today's teens. (pp. 137-38)
Marilyn R. Singer, in her review of "My Darling, My Hamburger," in School Library Journal, an appendix to Library Journal (reprinted from the November, 1969 issue of School Library Journal, published by R. R. Bowker Co./A Xerox Corporation; copyright © 1969), Vol. 16, No. 3, November, 1969, pp. 137-38.
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