MTV PRESS RELEASES "BITTERSWEET BLESSING" BY ASHLEY SALAZAR FROM THE GROUNDBREAKING DOCU-SERIES "16 AND PREGNANT"

Book arrives in stores Tuesday, January 24, 2012

New York, NY - January 18, 2012 - MTV Press today announced that "Bittersweet Blessing" (MTV Press, Hardcover, $15.00) by Ashley Salazar from MTV's groundbreaking docu-series "16 and Pregnant," will hit stores on Tuesday, January 24, 2012. "Bittersweet Blessing" documents Ashley's personal journey as she navigates the unfamiliar territory and uncertainty of being a parent, reveals the aftermath of her difficult decision to choose adoption for her daughter, and goes inside her struggle to put her life back together as she comes to terms with her new reality.

Fans of MTV's "16 and Pregnant" first met Ashley in the heartfelt season 2 finale where she made the difficult decision to choose adoption for her daughter. Ashley made this decision so she could give her daughter a life she knew she couldn't provide, and so that she could better her life by pursuing her dream of attending college in New York City to study journalism. With the baby's father out of the picture, Ashley had to go through the adoption process on her own. As her pregnancy progressed, she began to question her decision to choose adoption, and had difficulties coming to terms with the idea that someone she didn't know would be raising her child. Her Aunt and Uncle offered to adopt her child and she decided to move forward with that decision, but Ashley still had concerns about taking the role of "cousin" rather than "mom" at family gatherings and continued to grapple with her decision.

Along with never-before-seen personal photos of Ashley's extraordinary journey, "Bittersweet Blessing" gives young girls unique, first-hand insight into what it's really like to be young and pregnant, facing the most difficult decision of her life.

BITTERSWEET BLESSING
By: Ashley Salazar
Price: $15.00
Publication Date: January 24, 2012
Publisher: MTV Press
ISBN: 978-1-57687-584-1

According to the National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy, more than 700,000 teenage girls in the U.S. become pregnant each year and one out of every ten children in the U.S. is born to a teenage mother. The vast majority of these pregnancies are unintended. Despite impressive declines in the teen pregnancy and birth rates, the United States still has the highest rate of teen pregnancy and teen birth in the entire developed world.

About The National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy:

The National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy is a private, non-profit organization that seeks to improve the lives and future prospects of children and families. Our specific strategy is to prevent teen pregnancy and unplanned pregnancy among single, young adults.

About MTV:

MTV is the world's premier youth entertainment brand. With a global reach of more than a half-billion households, MTV is the cultural home of the millennial generation, music fans and artists, and a pioneer in creating innovative programming for young people. MTV reflects and creates pop culture with its Emmy(R), Grammy(R) and Peabody(R) award-winning content built around compelling storytelling, music discovery and activism across TV, online and mobile. MTV's sibling networks MTV2 and mtvU each deliver unparalleled customized content for young males, music fans and college students, and its online hub MTV.com is a leading destination for music, news and pop culture. MTV is a unit of Viacom Inc. (NASDAQ: VIA, VIAB), one of the world's leading creators of programming and content across all media platforms.