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Of Better Blood
Teenage polio survivor Rowan Collier is caught in the crossfire of a secret war against "the unfit." It's 1922, and eugenics―the movement dedicated to racial purity and good breeding―has taken hold in America. State laws allow institutions to sterilize minorities, the "feeble-minded," and the poor, while local eugenics councils set up exhibits at county fairs with "fitter family" contests and propaganda. After years of being confined to hospitals, Rowan is recruited at sixteen to play a born cripple in a county fair eugenics exhibit. But gutsy, outspoken Dorchy befriends Rowan and helps her realize her own inner strength and bravery. The two escape the fair and end up at a summer camp on a desolate island run by the New England Eugenics Council. There they discover something is happening to the children. Rowan must find a way to stop the horrors on the island…if she can escape them herself.
304 pages, Hardcover
First published February 1, 2016
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 62 reviews
February 14, 2016
There are not enough stars available on any rating site for me to properly convey how much I loved “Of Better Blood.” It is hands-down one of the best young adult historical novels I have ever read.
The very subject of eugenics is seldom so thoroughly explored in fiction, and it is quite an eye-opener to discover that the dystopias we fear have always existed in some way. Winners write the history books, so not many students are taught that the United States was treating many of its citizens in the exact same way as Hitler. The only difference? We did it earlier. Much earlier. Hopefully readers will take heed that those who do not remember the past are doomed to repeat it. Our world is not too far-removed from circling back around to the same type of situation with different people.
There are some major points about the characters that I loved. The first is the fact that the main characters are two girls without any superpowers or extraordinary abilities who manage to kick some serious ass. In fact, Rowan is a polio survivor with limited use of her legs. She isn’t someone who wants, or needs, pity. The book also keeps it all real. They couldn’t change the entire world on their own. Their job was to make some steps forward and lead others to do the same. It’s something we could all do a little bit more of.
I recommend “Of Better Blood” to absolutely anyone in 7th grade and up. There is no questionable content in terms of sex, and the profanity is mild.
This review is based upon a complimentary copy provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
The very subject of eugenics is seldom so thoroughly explored in fiction, and it is quite an eye-opener to discover that the dystopias we fear have always existed in some way. Winners write the history books, so not many students are taught that the United States was treating many of its citizens in the exact same way as Hitler. The only difference? We did it earlier. Much earlier. Hopefully readers will take heed that those who do not remember the past are doomed to repeat it. Our world is not too far-removed from circling back around to the same type of situation with different people.
There are some major points about the characters that I loved. The first is the fact that the main characters are two girls without any superpowers or extraordinary abilities who manage to kick some serious ass. In fact, Rowan is a polio survivor with limited use of her legs. She isn’t someone who wants, or needs, pity. The book also keeps it all real. They couldn’t change the entire world on their own. Their job was to make some steps forward and lead others to do the same. It’s something we could all do a little bit more of.
I recommend “Of Better Blood” to absolutely anyone in 7th grade and up. There is no questionable content in terms of sex, and the profanity is mild.
This review is based upon a complimentary copy provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
January 11, 2016
In interest of full disclosure, I should mention that I know this author. I've taken several writing classes from her over the years and we've been in the same writing group off and on for over a decade. In that writing group I had heard bits and pieces of this novel, but it wasn't until I sat down to read it in its entirety that I was able to appreciate just how good it is.
This is a chilling story of abuse of power and ignorance passing as science. The eugenics movement was prejudice elevated to public policy and the damage done to its victims was horrific. The novel, however, hums with hope.
Rowan and Dorchy are strong, young women who become true friends and go to great lengths to save and protect each other. I rooted for them and for the other victims of the "betterment" society. I am impressed and humbled by the novel Susan Moger has produced. I know I could never do as well. Great book!
This is a chilling story of abuse of power and ignorance passing as science. The eugenics movement was prejudice elevated to public policy and the damage done to its victims was horrific. The novel, however, hums with hope.
Rowan and Dorchy are strong, young women who become true friends and go to great lengths to save and protect each other. I rooted for them and for the other victims of the "betterment" society. I am impressed and humbled by the novel Susan Moger has produced. I know I could never do as well. Great book!
June 28, 2016
3.5 stars
This book would be great for a teen discussion group because the eugenics movement of the 1920s is something that most American history books "forget" to mention and it is a part of our story that needs to be talked about.
Moger's first novel was a very ambitious historical fiction story of Rowan, a well-off girl stricken with polio, who finds herself abandoned by her father and sister and shipped off to a "home". Eventually she ends up working for the Betterment Council and finds herself on an island off the coast of Maine where children are dying of the flu at an alarming rate.
I really loved Rowan and Dorchy's relationship, so nice to have two female friends and NO LOVE INTEREST. There is a boy but he is not there to provide dating drama but just to give another perspective when the two girls join the camp.
It was a little frustrating at the end since it couldn't really have a super-mega-happy ending. But it was a good story and one that will spark a lot of conversation (I hope). And very eerie to read right now while so many countries are in turmoil over the us vs them.
This book would be great for a teen discussion group because the eugenics movement of the 1920s is something that most American history books "forget" to mention and it is a part of our story that needs to be talked about.
Moger's first novel was a very ambitious historical fiction story of Rowan, a well-off girl stricken with polio, who finds herself abandoned by her father and sister and shipped off to a "home". Eventually she ends up working for the Betterment Council and finds herself on an island off the coast of Maine where children are dying of the flu at an alarming rate.
I really loved Rowan and Dorchy's relationship, so nice to have two female friends and NO LOVE INTEREST. There is a boy but he is not there to provide dating drama but just to give another perspective when the two girls join the camp.
It was a little frustrating at the end since it couldn't really have a super-mega-happy ending. But it was a good story and one that will spark a lot of conversation (I hope). And very eerie to read right now while so many countries are in turmoil over the us vs them.
June 2, 2016
I liked the book but it could been better like could of been amazing and such. But I won this book in a contest so gave it a read. I know a lot of things were legit back in the day polio and what happened since my grand pa told me stories of it. And the freak shows so this was interesting to see how things happened with them. Over all I would suggest this book.
February 19, 2016
Nice book. Not my style of book but the writing was extraordinarily well done.
February 16, 2016
Last April I reviewed Susan Moger's book, Teaching the Diary of Anne Frank. When she contacted me and asked if I would read and review her debut novel, OF BETTER BLOOD (Albert Whitman and Co. 2016), I agreed. After reading it I can tell you one thing for sure: Susan used all of her research about Hitler and the events leading up to World War II in order to write this young adult historical novel.
Teenage polio survivor Rowan Collier is caught in the crossfire of a secret war against “the unfit.” It’s 1922, and eugenics—the movement dedicated to racial purity and good breeding—has taken hold in America. State laws allow institutions to sterilize minorities, the “feeble-minded,” and the poor, while local eugenics councils set up exhibits at county fairs with “fitter family” contests and propaganda. - Albert Whitman and Co.
Four times a day I drop the baby.
It's not a real baby, but for a stunned heartbeat the audience believes it is. That's enough to get some of them on their feet, screaming, Stupid, clumsy, gimp. The words slide into my skin and stay there.
When I ask Mr. Ogilvie, the director, if just once I can catch the baby before it hits the stage, he frowns and puts his hands on my shoulders. I squirm away, but he holds on. "I love your sensitivity, Ruthie," he says, showing corn-yellow teeth. "But sadly a cripple like you can't be a hero." (p. 1)
Thus the reader is thrust into the life of Rowan Collier, an unwilling actress in a "fitter family" drama reenacted four times a day at the Springfield, Massachusetts county fair. In the beginning of the novel Moger uses alternating chapters to show Rowan's life before this humiliating summer. In these flashbacks the reader meets her father, an engineering consultant for the Navy, and an advocate for the Betterment fight. He and Rowan's older sister, Julia, are dedicated to the proposition that society is best advanced having the fittest people marry and produce large families. The unfit, those who are physically, emotionally, or intellectually substandard, should be eliminated from society.
In one of these flashbacks Rowan recalls how one of her doctors wanted her to be sterilized. Rowan refuses but is shaken afterwards:
Father believed, as Dr. Pynchon did, that a weakness inherited from Mother caused me to get polio. But would he want me to be sterilized? (p. 51)
Rowan's world--already dramatically changed due to polio--continues to fall apart when she is forced to do "educational work" for the New England Betterment Council at the Expo. There she develops a friendship with a fellow worker, orphaned Dorchy, whose parents worked county fairs. In these simple explanation to Rowan, Dorchy shares one of the underlying themes of the book:
Rubes are ignoramuses; carnies know everything. Rubes come to the fair with their eyes starry and their pockets full; carnies take them for what they're worth.....
Your Unfit Family Show does the same thing. You trick rubes into paying money under false pretenses. (p. 33)
As Rowan hears the stories of her fellow "actors" and how they were tricked into being sterilized, Rowan starts questioning what she had believed to be true about her father. Dorchy is a major catalyst in Rowan's increasing self-awareness.
When I left Bellevue and went to the Home, all thoughts of Dr. Friedlander and nursing school were driven out of my head by the effort of surviving. But here at the Expo, the memories are starting to come back. Dorchy is bringing me back to life. (p.64)
Following a dramatic escape from the Expo, Dorchy forces Rowan to question her assumption that her mother's bloodline was weaker since she died giving birth to Rowan:
Dorchy jumps up. "Listen to yourself," she shouts, angrier than I have ever seen her. "How can you sit there and say that about your own mother? After weeks with the awful Ogilvies and the Council cows you still don't question that 'better blood' garbage? she punches her fist against her palm. "You still think people are fit or unfit because of their family bloodlines? You know as well as I do that Gar and Jimmy and Minne are as fit as you and your precious father. (p. 117)
Despite Dorchy's misgivings, she considers working at the Camp for Unfortunates in Maine with Rowan.
"I'll bet you anything the camp is a con," she says stubbornly. "Miss Latigue is the carney; you and me the unfortunates are the rubes. You'll see." (p. 136)
Sadly, Dorchy's predictions prove to be true. I don't want to spoil the rest of the book, but the girls' lives become painfully difficult when they realize the camp is a facade for weeding out the "unfit."
Although the ending is triumphant as Rowan begins her journey towards nursing school, it is not without great personal loss. But she has matured from a dependent "cripple" to a young woman who has purpose, resolve, and determination.
This is not an easy book to read. But as Susan Moger relates in her Notes, "Eugenics was a popular pseudo-science in the United States from the early 1900's to the late 1930s. The double aim of eugenics was (1) to keep Americans with a "strong" heredity (family backgound) having children and (2) to prevent those with a "weak heredity" from having children....The popular method of preventing reproduction among the unfit was to sterilize men and women." Necessary Lies, which I previously reviewed has a similar theme.
As you may know, American eugenics principles were adopted in other countries, most notably Germany before and during WWII. Adolf Hitler praised American eugenics in his book, Mein Kampf and thus laid groundwork for a master race.
Although the Unfit Family show and the New England Betterment Council are fiction, "Fitter Families" exhibits and contests were a popular feature at state fairs starting in 1920. This book would be an excellent supplement in high school classrooms studying WWII.
********
If you are interested in winning my ARC, please leave me a comment by 6 PM on February 18. If you are new to my blog, please leave me your contact information. If you join my blog or share this on social media, please let me know what you do and I'll add your name twice. Susan also offered to giveaway an autographed copy of the hardback edition, so this time around I'll have TWO winners to announce next week! PLUS-- Susan is willing to send a book overseas, making this my first giveaway open outside the U.S.! http://carolbaldwinblog.blogspot.com/...
Teenage polio survivor Rowan Collier is caught in the crossfire of a secret war against “the unfit.” It’s 1922, and eugenics—the movement dedicated to racial purity and good breeding—has taken hold in America. State laws allow institutions to sterilize minorities, the “feeble-minded,” and the poor, while local eugenics councils set up exhibits at county fairs with “fitter family” contests and propaganda. - Albert Whitman and Co.
Four times a day I drop the baby.
It's not a real baby, but for a stunned heartbeat the audience believes it is. That's enough to get some of them on their feet, screaming, Stupid, clumsy, gimp. The words slide into my skin and stay there.
When I ask Mr. Ogilvie, the director, if just once I can catch the baby before it hits the stage, he frowns and puts his hands on my shoulders. I squirm away, but he holds on. "I love your sensitivity, Ruthie," he says, showing corn-yellow teeth. "But sadly a cripple like you can't be a hero." (p. 1)
Thus the reader is thrust into the life of Rowan Collier, an unwilling actress in a "fitter family" drama reenacted four times a day at the Springfield, Massachusetts county fair. In the beginning of the novel Moger uses alternating chapters to show Rowan's life before this humiliating summer. In these flashbacks the reader meets her father, an engineering consultant for the Navy, and an advocate for the Betterment fight. He and Rowan's older sister, Julia, are dedicated to the proposition that society is best advanced having the fittest people marry and produce large families. The unfit, those who are physically, emotionally, or intellectually substandard, should be eliminated from society.
In one of these flashbacks Rowan recalls how one of her doctors wanted her to be sterilized. Rowan refuses but is shaken afterwards:
Father believed, as Dr. Pynchon did, that a weakness inherited from Mother caused me to get polio. But would he want me to be sterilized? (p. 51)
Rowan's world--already dramatically changed due to polio--continues to fall apart when she is forced to do "educational work" for the New England Betterment Council at the Expo. There she develops a friendship with a fellow worker, orphaned Dorchy, whose parents worked county fairs. In these simple explanation to Rowan, Dorchy shares one of the underlying themes of the book:
Rubes are ignoramuses; carnies know everything. Rubes come to the fair with their eyes starry and their pockets full; carnies take them for what they're worth.....
Your Unfit Family Show does the same thing. You trick rubes into paying money under false pretenses. (p. 33)
As Rowan hears the stories of her fellow "actors" and how they were tricked into being sterilized, Rowan starts questioning what she had believed to be true about her father. Dorchy is a major catalyst in Rowan's increasing self-awareness.
When I left Bellevue and went to the Home, all thoughts of Dr. Friedlander and nursing school were driven out of my head by the effort of surviving. But here at the Expo, the memories are starting to come back. Dorchy is bringing me back to life. (p.64)
Following a dramatic escape from the Expo, Dorchy forces Rowan to question her assumption that her mother's bloodline was weaker since she died giving birth to Rowan:
Dorchy jumps up. "Listen to yourself," she shouts, angrier than I have ever seen her. "How can you sit there and say that about your own mother? After weeks with the awful Ogilvies and the Council cows you still don't question that 'better blood' garbage? she punches her fist against her palm. "You still think people are fit or unfit because of their family bloodlines? You know as well as I do that Gar and Jimmy and Minne are as fit as you and your precious father. (p. 117)
Despite Dorchy's misgivings, she considers working at the Camp for Unfortunates in Maine with Rowan.
"I'll bet you anything the camp is a con," she says stubbornly. "Miss Latigue is the carney; you and me the unfortunates are the rubes. You'll see." (p. 136)
Sadly, Dorchy's predictions prove to be true. I don't want to spoil the rest of the book, but the girls' lives become painfully difficult when they realize the camp is a facade for weeding out the "unfit."
Although the ending is triumphant as Rowan begins her journey towards nursing school, it is not without great personal loss. But she has matured from a dependent "cripple" to a young woman who has purpose, resolve, and determination.
This is not an easy book to read. But as Susan Moger relates in her Notes, "Eugenics was a popular pseudo-science in the United States from the early 1900's to the late 1930s. The double aim of eugenics was (1) to keep Americans with a "strong" heredity (family backgound) having children and (2) to prevent those with a "weak heredity" from having children....The popular method of preventing reproduction among the unfit was to sterilize men and women." Necessary Lies, which I previously reviewed has a similar theme.
As you may know, American eugenics principles were adopted in other countries, most notably Germany before and during WWII. Adolf Hitler praised American eugenics in his book, Mein Kampf and thus laid groundwork for a master race.
Although the Unfit Family show and the New England Betterment Council are fiction, "Fitter Families" exhibits and contests were a popular feature at state fairs starting in 1920. This book would be an excellent supplement in high school classrooms studying WWII.
********
If you are interested in winning my ARC, please leave me a comment by 6 PM on February 18. If you are new to my blog, please leave me your contact information. If you join my blog or share this on social media, please let me know what you do and I'll add your name twice. Susan also offered to giveaway an autographed copy of the hardback edition, so this time around I'll have TWO winners to announce next week! PLUS-- Susan is willing to send a book overseas, making this my first giveaway open outside the U.S.! http://carolbaldwinblog.blogspot.com/...
February 5, 2020
While this book initially drew me in with its focus on eugenics in 1920s America, it fell short of my expectations.
The story itself seems to lack drive throughout the first half. It isn't until the protagonist Rowan is able to leave her initial circumstances nearly half way through the book that the plot really began to pick up. Many circumstances and challenges faced by the characters are easily resolved within 2 or 3 pages, only to have a new one take its place and be solved just as easily.
The second half also introduces many characters I found to be uninteresting stock characters interchangeable with one another.
The writing does not grab the attention and I found myself confused as to who the target audience is. With the predictable and often too fast pacing, I initially thought this book was intended for younger readers, but many of the themes explored point to middle grade readers.
I did appreciate the attention given to the two main characters, Rowan and Dorchy, and their relationship throughout the book. I enjoyed the lack of a romance subplot and liked reading about young girls solving problems and being heroic.
An interesting premise for a book, but overall poorly executed.
The story itself seems to lack drive throughout the first half. It isn't until the protagonist Rowan is able to leave her initial circumstances nearly half way through the book that the plot really began to pick up. Many circumstances and challenges faced by the characters are easily resolved within 2 or 3 pages, only to have a new one take its place and be solved just as easily.
The second half also introduces many characters I found to be uninteresting stock characters interchangeable with one another.
The writing does not grab the attention and I found myself confused as to who the target audience is. With the predictable and often too fast pacing, I initially thought this book was intended for younger readers, but many of the themes explored point to middle grade readers.
I did appreciate the attention given to the two main characters, Rowan and Dorchy, and their relationship throughout the book. I enjoyed the lack of a romance subplot and liked reading about young girls solving problems and being heroic.
An interesting premise for a book, but overall poorly executed.
July 3, 2020
"I understand that the fire is a turning point, a hinge. It opened a door inside me that I had given up looking for... After tonight I'm no longer someone who lets people do things to her."
See reviews first on my blog
The book is broken up into three different parts each taking place during one summer where Rowan goes on a multitude of different adventures, some she wanted to while others that she didn’t. Throughout these adventures, we get to see a wide variety of characters as well as the disabilities that some of them had. As well as some truly awful people that will make you sick to your stomach at times with what they do.
"I hate the ragged clothes and the idiotic things Mr. Ogilvie tells me to do. And I hate the people in the audience who think they're not only better off than we are, but better in every way."
We first get to see Rowan as a 16-year-old young woman, who is being forced to be a part of an unfit family show, where people with disabilities are made fun of for things that are out of there control and are shown as people that shouldn’t be able to have kids. None of the people in this show are bad people. They just aren’t what society sees as normal and because of that they are seen as unfit and people that shouldn’t be allowed certain things in life for no reason other than small-minded people using their authority in very wrong ways.
We then jump back in time when Rowan first got Polio and how it changed her life forever. She was 11 years old and was basically left by her father in the care of some doctors while he went off to war. Her big sister Julia was supposed to make sure that she was well taken care of. We jump back again at different times to Rowan’s childhood and see what her father and sister were like and how the they believed that with good genes you would never get sick and if you ever got certain sickness that you would be seen as unfit and should in a way no longer be seen as a part of certain families.
"I look like what I'm supposed to be, a helpless quitter who fell and can't reach her crutch."
We get to see these jumps back in time every so often, each giving us a better understanding of why Rowan feels the way she does about certain things and why for a while she was content with just doing what she was told.
"The interviews are meaningless. They confirm the interviewer's opinions about the interviewee. They are as fake as Gilda, Half Woman, Half Snake; as prejudiced and demeaning as the unfit family show."
As time goes on though and with the help of Dorchy Rowan grows and changes and sees that she can be so much more then what she is at the moment. That certain people have no right to say that she is unfit and to place a stigma on her and others with disabilities just because they can’t do certain things. With this new power that she feels she not only is able to change her life but so many other children’s lives as well.
Dorchy is such a great character as well. Not only does she befriend Rowan but she also teaches her so many things about life that she wouldn't have learned without her. Without Dorchy I don't think I would have enjoyed this book as much as I did.
"You saved us. I should have saved you."
Overall I really loved this book. At times it was tough to read during certain parts because of what was happening to the children that were seen as unfit. But I believe it was fairly accurate, with how certain people viewed others that weren’t the exact same as them. We know for a fact that people with disabilities were treated horribly, and as inhuman so that they could be experimented on, and I feel like that really captured that while as well as showing how those children’s life were like a little bit, and how some were able to get out and stop others from being treated that way as well. I also didn't know that people are still getting polio today. Granted not near the amount as in the early 1900s but still enough that it should be talked about more. I also really liked how Rowan while seen by the majority of adults as unfit, was also given a chance by a certain doctor to be like people that didn’t get Polio and that just because she had had this thing happen to her didn’t mean that she still wasn’t smart, and capable of doing other things. We need more stories like this that show that side of things as well. Rowan might not have been able to walk without a crutch, but she still could offer the world so much, and I am very glad that that side of her was shown and the Polio wasn’t just the only focus.
"The doctor said to that witch Vera, "No one leaves the island alive."
I really feel like everyone should read this book, not just because of how it shows both sides of disability, but because of how historically accurate it is and how it shows a little bit about how Hitler’s master race started to become a thing, and how certain groups in America were trying to make it happen here as well.
I would love to see more historical fiction books written by Moger that deal with other less talked about things in history. She was able to weave both fiction and historical accuracy in a way that made it seem so seamlessly and like you were there with the character as well.
"From the very beginning, you believed that I would walk again. You made me believe it. And now that I'm walking and climbing and riding waves, I know I can help other patients believe in themselves."
Thank you to the publisher for sending me a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.
See reviews first on my blog
The book is broken up into three different parts each taking place during one summer where Rowan goes on a multitude of different adventures, some she wanted to while others that she didn’t. Throughout these adventures, we get to see a wide variety of characters as well as the disabilities that some of them had. As well as some truly awful people that will make you sick to your stomach at times with what they do.
"I hate the ragged clothes and the idiotic things Mr. Ogilvie tells me to do. And I hate the people in the audience who think they're not only better off than we are, but better in every way."
We first get to see Rowan as a 16-year-old young woman, who is being forced to be a part of an unfit family show, where people with disabilities are made fun of for things that are out of there control and are shown as people that shouldn’t be able to have kids. None of the people in this show are bad people. They just aren’t what society sees as normal and because of that they are seen as unfit and people that shouldn’t be allowed certain things in life for no reason other than small-minded people using their authority in very wrong ways.
We then jump back in time when Rowan first got Polio and how it changed her life forever. She was 11 years old and was basically left by her father in the care of some doctors while he went off to war. Her big sister Julia was supposed to make sure that she was well taken care of. We jump back again at different times to Rowan’s childhood and see what her father and sister were like and how the they believed that with good genes you would never get sick and if you ever got certain sickness that you would be seen as unfit and should in a way no longer be seen as a part of certain families.
"I look like what I'm supposed to be, a helpless quitter who fell and can't reach her crutch."
We get to see these jumps back in time every so often, each giving us a better understanding of why Rowan feels the way she does about certain things and why for a while she was content with just doing what she was told.
"The interviews are meaningless. They confirm the interviewer's opinions about the interviewee. They are as fake as Gilda, Half Woman, Half Snake; as prejudiced and demeaning as the unfit family show."
As time goes on though and with the help of Dorchy Rowan grows and changes and sees that she can be so much more then what she is at the moment. That certain people have no right to say that she is unfit and to place a stigma on her and others with disabilities just because they can’t do certain things. With this new power that she feels she not only is able to change her life but so many other children’s lives as well.
Dorchy is such a great character as well. Not only does she befriend Rowan but she also teaches her so many things about life that she wouldn't have learned without her. Without Dorchy I don't think I would have enjoyed this book as much as I did.
"You saved us. I should have saved you."
Overall I really loved this book. At times it was tough to read during certain parts because of what was happening to the children that were seen as unfit. But I believe it was fairly accurate, with how certain people viewed others that weren’t the exact same as them. We know for a fact that people with disabilities were treated horribly, and as inhuman so that they could be experimented on, and I feel like that really captured that while as well as showing how those children’s life were like a little bit, and how some were able to get out and stop others from being treated that way as well. I also didn't know that people are still getting polio today. Granted not near the amount as in the early 1900s but still enough that it should be talked about more. I also really liked how Rowan while seen by the majority of adults as unfit, was also given a chance by a certain doctor to be like people that didn’t get Polio and that just because she had had this thing happen to her didn’t mean that she still wasn’t smart, and capable of doing other things. We need more stories like this that show that side of things as well. Rowan might not have been able to walk without a crutch, but she still could offer the world so much, and I am very glad that that side of her was shown and the Polio wasn’t just the only focus.
"The doctor said to that witch Vera, "No one leaves the island alive."
I really feel like everyone should read this book, not just because of how it shows both sides of disability, but because of how historically accurate it is and how it shows a little bit about how Hitler’s master race started to become a thing, and how certain groups in America were trying to make it happen here as well.
I would love to see more historical fiction books written by Moger that deal with other less talked about things in history. She was able to weave both fiction and historical accuracy in a way that made it seem so seamlessly and like you were there with the character as well.
"From the very beginning, you believed that I would walk again. You made me believe it. And now that I'm walking and climbing and riding waves, I know I can help other patients believe in themselves."
Thank you to the publisher for sending me a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.
January 21, 2016
“I’ll see you on the midway.” It took me some time to get into this novel but once I understood what was happening, I really enjoyed it. The relationship with Dorchy and Rowan was what made it so special and over-the-top for me. As I read it, little things about their bond made me smile and as the book came to an end, I realized I was going to miss them. They were quirky, they got each other but what really did it for me was how they connected to each other. There were times when they were opposites, yet they belonged together and other times it felt as if they were fused together. It makes me smile now thinking about Rowan and Dorchy and their adventure together. Inside the novel, Dorchy played a great actress as she helps Rowan escape and I was laughing as the two of them head on down the road, Dorchy even fooling Rowan. This novel raised my emotions on many levels. The relationships, the subject matter itself and the drama, my feeling all over the place as I read along on Rowan’s journey. Reading about the committee comments, listening to them as they performed their evaluations and discovering about their past activity I was appalled that this group had the power to use their bias opinions on others. Unfair isn’t a strong enough word to describe their actions, they were irrational and demented. Ahhhh!
So are you an unfit? Are you part of an unfit family? In your family history, do you have crime, insanity, alcoholism, poverty, disease, and deformity? I could go on but I believe you understand where I am going with this. According to the New England Betterment Council your future of bearing children is slim if you are unfit. Sterilization is likely in your future with or without your consent if you scored low on their questionnaire. The year is 1914 and the Betterment Council believes in Unfit and Fit individuals. Rowan’s father and sister are known for their role in promoting the Fit individual. Rowan at the age of eleven contacted polio and her father got her the best treatment possible before he went off to war. Rowan prognosis is good, with her left leg needing more treatment but her sister Julia has other plans for her. Rowan’s new plans are to be a part of The Unfit Family. Playing the role of a cripple daughter, she becomes part of the traveling show. The novel transitions between 1917 when Rowan is hospitalized with polio and 1922 when she is performing with the show. I liked that Rowan believed in the words of her father and that becomes part of her positive attitude that keeps her spirits high. Reading about her life before the show we understand her family and the character of Rowan. They follow the same script day in and day out for the traveling show and Rowan get tired of playing the cripple. Her friendship with Dorchy throws this novel into second gear and she gives Rowan the boost that she needs. I did find it hard to stay with this novel but once I did, I really enjoyed.
Thank you NetGalley and Albert Whitman & Company for the copy of the novel in exchange for an honest review.
So are you an unfit? Are you part of an unfit family? In your family history, do you have crime, insanity, alcoholism, poverty, disease, and deformity? I could go on but I believe you understand where I am going with this. According to the New England Betterment Council your future of bearing children is slim if you are unfit. Sterilization is likely in your future with or without your consent if you scored low on their questionnaire. The year is 1914 and the Betterment Council believes in Unfit and Fit individuals. Rowan’s father and sister are known for their role in promoting the Fit individual. Rowan at the age of eleven contacted polio and her father got her the best treatment possible before he went off to war. Rowan prognosis is good, with her left leg needing more treatment but her sister Julia has other plans for her. Rowan’s new plans are to be a part of The Unfit Family. Playing the role of a cripple daughter, she becomes part of the traveling show. The novel transitions between 1917 when Rowan is hospitalized with polio and 1922 when she is performing with the show. I liked that Rowan believed in the words of her father and that becomes part of her positive attitude that keeps her spirits high. Reading about her life before the show we understand her family and the character of Rowan. They follow the same script day in and day out for the traveling show and Rowan get tired of playing the cripple. Her friendship with Dorchy throws this novel into second gear and she gives Rowan the boost that she needs. I did find it hard to stay with this novel but once I did, I really enjoyed.
Thank you NetGalley and Albert Whitman & Company for the copy of the novel in exchange for an honest review.
January 4, 2016
I received an advance copy of this novel through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
I'm a little torn on this novel. On the one hand, it had a fantastic premise, great characters, and I had a great time reading it. On there other, there were a few odd things that made me wonder what kind of book it really was. In the end, enjoyment overruled my opinion, and so I have to say I really did like it all in all.
Focusing on such a Eugenics driven america was both a) disturbing and b) utterly fascinating. Having our young protagonist, Rowan, drive the story and tell all from her point of view, gave us a limited scope of this world. It made me wonder at times the scale of the Fitter Families movement: has it taken over the world, almost like a dystopian/alternate history, or do we just have that opinion because it IS Rowan's world?
On that same line of thought, you have a few things that make you wonder if you're in the same 1920's that you've heard so much about, or an alternate era. At many times I wondered if there was more to that era than I thought, and it aded some really cool details to the book. The author's note at the end about what aspects of real history inspired her to write this novel really spoke to me, and really made me enjoy the book even more.
However, I somewhat felt as if I was reading two different books here, split neatly down the middle. The same characters, the same premise, but with different pacing and plot. I couldn't tell if the author left the beginning long in order to get us to the main story, or if it was just deliberate pacing that way. However, the second half felt like a clean cut and a very separate story. The cast of characters is different, and there are no longer any flashbacks (or, at least, there are very few of them). They feel very distinct.
The character development is fantastic: the people you meet have depth and dimension. That's probably what made this book so enjoying to real: Rowan could come off a little annoying at times, but it was obviously deliberate, and she was still relatable. It was Dorchy's character that blew me away, I loved her.
I really enjoyed this read, no matter how nitpicky I am. it was fun, clever, and really unique, with fantastic characters and memorable... everything.
I'm a little torn on this novel. On the one hand, it had a fantastic premise, great characters, and I had a great time reading it. On there other, there were a few odd things that made me wonder what kind of book it really was. In the end, enjoyment overruled my opinion, and so I have to say I really did like it all in all.
Focusing on such a Eugenics driven america was both a) disturbing and b) utterly fascinating. Having our young protagonist, Rowan, drive the story and tell all from her point of view, gave us a limited scope of this world. It made me wonder at times the scale of the Fitter Families movement: has it taken over the world, almost like a dystopian/alternate history, or do we just have that opinion because it IS Rowan's world?
On that same line of thought, you have a few things that make you wonder if you're in the same 1920's that you've heard so much about, or an alternate era. At many times I wondered if there was more to that era than I thought, and it aded some really cool details to the book. The author's note at the end about what aspects of real history inspired her to write this novel really spoke to me, and really made me enjoy the book even more.
However, I somewhat felt as if I was reading two different books here, split neatly down the middle. The same characters, the same premise, but with different pacing and plot. I couldn't tell if the author left the beginning long in order to get us to the main story, or if it was just deliberate pacing that way. However, the second half felt like a clean cut and a very separate story. The cast of characters is different, and there are no longer any flashbacks (or, at least, there are very few of them). They feel very distinct.
The character development is fantastic: the people you meet have depth and dimension. That's probably what made this book so enjoying to real: Rowan could come off a little annoying at times, but it was obviously deliberate, and she was still relatable. It was Dorchy's character that blew me away, I loved her.
I really enjoyed this read, no matter how nitpicky I am. it was fun, clever, and really unique, with fantastic characters and memorable... everything.
June 1, 2017
I had high hopes for this historical fiction story of the eugenics movement in 1920s America. After all, much of the YA dystopian stories out there are often based on the ideas of those that supported eugenics. What a cool premise to explore the origins of those ideas. Sadly, Of Better Blood did not live up to my expectations. It’s the story of Rowan, a privileged white girl living on the East Coast with her father and older sister, both of whom are big supporters of racial purity and removing those considered unfit from society. Who is unfit? Basically, anyone who is unlike those establishing the parameters of those who are labeled “racially pure”. People who are physically or developmentally disabled, live in poverty, suffer from addiction, etc. Supporters of the movement believe the unfit should be sterilized to protect the race from impurities. The more drastic supporters believe in euthanasia. When Rowan is stricken with Polio, her father basically disowns her - horrified that his bloodline has produced unfit offspring. This sets Rowan on a path of forced work in carnival freak shows and institutions. She befriends others who are considered unfit. Together, they try to save those even less fortunate than themselves. Unfairly, my main problem with this book is that I wanted facts, more details about what actually happened during the eugenics movement. I was disappointed that the author did not base many of her plot devices on actual events or places (the Unfit Family show or the island institution where the unfit were euthanized). It left me wondering what in the book was true. Upon reflection, though, isn’t that the point of reading historical fiction (or anything, really)? To pique curiosity? To encourage further investigation? I will be doing just that. As far as Of Better Blood goes, I’m not sure teens will be interested enough to pick it up or, if they do, make it past the first few chapters.
January 2, 2016
It’s unusual to find a book that combines elegant writing, compelling action, and historical accuracy, but Susan Moger manages all three in Of Better Blood. Rowan is the emotional core of this novel, a 16-year-old girl who is shunned by her family after she contracts polio. She ends up unwillingly playing a “cripple” in a “fitter families” show where she meets the brave, captivating carny, Dorchy. Through her friendship with Dorchy, Rowan is able to find the strength to fight against notions of who is fit and unfit.
This question of fitness is the central theme of the novel. Eugenics, the idea that some people are more fit than others and should be encouraged to have more children, was gaining popularity in the ‘20s, when this book takes place (Moger adds an interesting Notes section at the end of the book describing the historical context for the novel).
The questions the novel asks are still relevant today. What makes one person better or more fit than another? Who makes these decisions? Is it a good idea for one group of people to be encouraged to have children while another is dissuaded? What happens when this dissuasion turns into forced sterilization of the “unfit” or worse?
This novel is marketed as Teen and will certainly appeal to this age group with its fast pacing and vivid characters, but I found it equally engaging as an adult reader. The novel moves from a New England State Exhibition, to a beach on Cape Cod, to a wooded island off of Maine, with flashbacks to New York City. Moger’s strength with the sensory details of these places helps ground the non-stop action of the book. Although the book moves at a fast pace, I never felt that this movement was at the expense of character development, and I cared deeply for both Rowan and Dorchy.
Five stars and I look forward to future books by this author.
This question of fitness is the central theme of the novel. Eugenics, the idea that some people are more fit than others and should be encouraged to have more children, was gaining popularity in the ‘20s, when this book takes place (Moger adds an interesting Notes section at the end of the book describing the historical context for the novel).
The questions the novel asks are still relevant today. What makes one person better or more fit than another? Who makes these decisions? Is it a good idea for one group of people to be encouraged to have children while another is dissuaded? What happens when this dissuasion turns into forced sterilization of the “unfit” or worse?
This novel is marketed as Teen and will certainly appeal to this age group with its fast pacing and vivid characters, but I found it equally engaging as an adult reader. The novel moves from a New England State Exhibition, to a beach on Cape Cod, to a wooded island off of Maine, with flashbacks to New York City. Moger’s strength with the sensory details of these places helps ground the non-stop action of the book. Although the book moves at a fast pace, I never felt that this movement was at the expense of character development, and I cared deeply for both Rowan and Dorchy.
Five stars and I look forward to future books by this author.
June 23, 2016
I happened upon this book at the summer day camp where I've been helping in the afternoons several days a week. One of the field trips the campers took was to the library and one of them picked this book out. I picked it up, read the inside cover and promptly decided it sounded interesting. So I started reading it.
Unfortunately, the book didn't really live up to what was on said cover. I felt like 2/3rds of this book was nothing really happening. I mean, there are these girls and they run away from the circus and take a trip to the beach and then some characters are introduced and I'm like "Well, they're going to meet these people and become friends and build relationships with them" but then all of a sudden they aren't and our heroes are being whisked off to a sort of Island of Dr. Moreau where all of a sudden, three days later they are heroes. Or something. There's drama in between of course, but it's just kind of there.
Oh and don't get me started on Dorchy (or Dorky as I affectionately started calling her in my head.) Rowan's desperateness for human companionship definitely shone through when she made Dorchy her best friend because she is the most annoying character in the book. Her personality just grated me the wrong way. Every time she did anything I wanted to slap her upside the head.
The concept of the book was cool and I think it could've been really good, but the whole thing just felt a little rushed. It did have its good moments. Once they got to the island, things got more interesting but I felt like even that wasn't used to its full potential. Perhaps this book is your cup of tea, but I don't really recommend it.
Unfortunately, the book didn't really live up to what was on said cover. I felt like 2/3rds of this book was nothing really happening. I mean, there are these girls and they run away from the circus and take a trip to the beach and then some characters are introduced and I'm like "Well, they're going to meet these people and become friends and build relationships with them" but then all of a sudden they aren't and our heroes are being whisked off to a sort of Island of Dr. Moreau where all of a sudden, three days later they are heroes. Or something. There's drama in between of course, but it's just kind of there.
Oh and don't get me started on Dorchy (or Dorky as I affectionately started calling her in my head.) Rowan's desperateness for human companionship definitely shone through when she made Dorchy her best friend because she is the most annoying character in the book. Her personality just grated me the wrong way. Every time she did anything I wanted to slap her upside the head.
The concept of the book was cool and I think it could've been really good, but the whole thing just felt a little rushed. It did have its good moments. Once they got to the island, things got more interesting but I felt like even that wasn't used to its full potential. Perhaps this book is your cup of tea, but I don't really recommend it.
April 4, 2019
I have no doubt in my mind that this was an important story to explore from our history. The idea of eugenics during the polio epidemic of 1922(ish) is a pretty important theme. So, I can appreciate this story on that level.
But the rest of it? I couldn't figure out who this book was for. The writing, in general, seemed to be for ages 13+. But the characterization and simplicity of the plot seemed to be for much younger readers. There was so much of the characters just thinking about something and all going as perfectly as they'd hoped. And just...the writing felt very immature overall.
I was disappointed in this book. At least it didn't take up a lot of my reading time. It was a fairly simple read. Just very underwhelming.
But the rest of it? I couldn't figure out who this book was for. The writing, in general, seemed to be for ages 13+. But the characterization and simplicity of the plot seemed to be for much younger readers. There was so much of the characters just thinking about something and all going as perfectly as they'd hoped. And just...the writing felt very immature overall.
I was disappointed in this book. At least it didn't take up a lot of my reading time. It was a fairly simple read. Just very underwhelming.
February 6, 2017
I didn't like the book, but a fascinating piece of history that I had never heard about.
June 1, 2017
An interesting look at the idea of sterilization and Fitter Families that occurred in America after the polio epidemic. The characters didn't hold my interest.
February 7, 2020
I'm not lying when i say the Acknowledgements at the end was the best written section of the whole book. This book had a weird tempo and a strange pacing that i did not like. If i were to rip the first 150 pages out it wouldn't make much of a difference to the plot. Character development was nonexistent and characters themselves were poorly managed; some tend to get a bit annoying because of the confusing things they say (like that Dorchy girl). Even the climax is confusing and quite pointless in the end: the "secret war" that takes the reader so long to reach was really some crazed doctors on a summer camp island injecting the campers (teen orphans) with a deadly strain of influenza, doctors who were eventually stopped by *total shocker* a storm that ruined their facilities, forcing their cowardly retreat off the island and sailing into the stormy waters around the island, off into the distance never to be heard from again. Literally the WEATHER defeated the main villains in this story. I read 2oo+ pages of this book only to have entered the "secret war", the main character's fight in it *kinda???* and its abrupt, underwhelming end in the span of 40 pages. I was wondering how this got a 3.5 star rating when honestly its barely a 2, and i see a lot of people giving it 4-5 star ratings *overlooking the actual plot and characters* and appreciating the eugenics side of it and if that's what floats your boat then go ahead. But if you're like me, and looking for a decent, historical fiction book with good characters, a great plot, and formidable villains, a book that you'll actually enjoy reading, i wouldn't read this. This book has a great concept, but much like the development of the characters and story line, it seems so rushed that it isn't enjoyable. I do not recommend this book to anyone. Period.
July 18, 2017
I had a difficult time really getting into this one. I was initially curious about it because it mentioned 1920's America, the polio epidemic, and the US eugenics movement that disturbingly, most current Americans are oblivious to. I was reminded of it while chaperoning at the Holocaust Museum in Washington, D.C. this past year.
It was a bit slow to start and I was annoyed (impatient) at the initial passivity of Rowan, the main character. Then I was annoyed that too many things just seemed to line up to work out just right for her despite having her life threatened a few times. It lost some believably due to too much dumb luck. However, the mystery aspect reminded me a bit of the Island of Dr. Moreau (a stretch) and did well to creep me out! I enjoyed my reading, felt reasonably immersed in a past time, and had a healthy dose of empathy for the protagonists. Thanks to author Susan Moger for the experience!
I agree with other reviewers that this could be used for a book group discussion or a history class looking into this era and trying to make it relatable to teens. I used it in book speed dating sessions at my high school and it was not often chosen for check-out which is really too bad. It has a lot to offer but isn't necessarily a light, fun read.
It was a bit slow to start and I was annoyed (impatient) at the initial passivity of Rowan, the main character. Then I was annoyed that too many things just seemed to line up to work out just right for her despite having her life threatened a few times. It lost some believably due to too much dumb luck. However, the mystery aspect reminded me a bit of the Island of Dr. Moreau (a stretch) and did well to creep me out! I enjoyed my reading, felt reasonably immersed in a past time, and had a healthy dose of empathy for the protagonists. Thanks to author Susan Moger for the experience!
I agree with other reviewers that this could be used for a book group discussion or a history class looking into this era and trying to make it relatable to teens. I used it in book speed dating sessions at my high school and it was not often chosen for check-out which is really too bad. It has a lot to offer but isn't necessarily a light, fun read.
July 28, 2020
How would you explain eugenics to middle schoolers?
I've had this on my list of books to read before booktalking in local middle schools for a few years. But I knew I wanted to talk about a book that goes into the dangerous ideas around eugenics before the upcoming amerikan presidential election.
It's a pretty great adventure story. Although the author clearly has an agenda, the protagonist, Rowan, goes through a major transition around the ideas. I enjoyed the subtleish F/F romance.
I feel like, in my booktalk, I didn't do justice to the rather exciting EVENTS of this book (fair life! fire! on the run! island cut off the from the rest of the world! escape!) since it took a whole chunk of time to describe even a little about what "eugenics" means (and no, I didn't use the word). But that's the part I wanted every middle schooler in the district to hear about (even if they didn't read the book).
Riveting and heartbreaking.
I've had this on my list of books to read before booktalking in local middle schools for a few years. But I knew I wanted to talk about a book that goes into the dangerous ideas around eugenics before the upcoming amerikan presidential election.
It's a pretty great adventure story. Although the author clearly has an agenda, the protagonist, Rowan, goes through a major transition around the ideas. I enjoyed the subtleish F/F romance.
I feel like, in my booktalk, I didn't do justice to the rather exciting EVENTS of this book (fair life! fire! on the run! island cut off the from the rest of the world! escape!) since it took a whole chunk of time to describe even a little about what "eugenics" means (and no, I didn't use the word). But that's the part I wanted every middle schooler in the district to hear about (even if they didn't read the book).
Riveting and heartbreaking.
July 8, 2017
3.5 stars
I liked this historical fiction about a girl who becomes a pawn in the Eugenics movement, because of polio. The author's note at the end talks about a little of what was happening in the early 20th century--forced sterilization of "unfit" people. "Unfit" being defined as anyone from a broken home, not physically perfect, etc; as you can imagine. I wanted more from this story, but I do think that there are constraints from the time setting that make a difference in how young girls behaved and were treated. Rowan is as strong as she can be for the time. She manages to save herself and others from many dangerous situations.
My high school students are not that fond of historical fiction. I may put this one in realistic fiction and see if they will read it there.
I liked this historical fiction about a girl who becomes a pawn in the Eugenics movement, because of polio. The author's note at the end talks about a little of what was happening in the early 20th century--forced sterilization of "unfit" people. "Unfit" being defined as anyone from a broken home, not physically perfect, etc; as you can imagine. I wanted more from this story, but I do think that there are constraints from the time setting that make a difference in how young girls behaved and were treated. Rowan is as strong as she can be for the time. She manages to save herself and others from many dangerous situations.
My high school students are not that fond of historical fiction. I may put this one in realistic fiction and see if they will read it there.
June 10, 2016
Teenage polio survivor Rowan Collier is caught in the crossfire of a secret war against "the unfit." It's 1922, and eugenics the movement dedicated to racial purity and good breeding has taken hold in America. State laws allow institutions to sterilize minorities, the "feeble-minded," and the poor, while local eugenics councils set up exhibits at county fairs with "fitter family" contests and propaganda. After years of being confined to hospitals, Rowan is recruited at sixteen to play a born cripple in a county fair eugenics exhibit. But gutsy, outspoken Dorchy befriends Rowan and helps her realize her own inner strength and bravery. The two escape the fair and end up at a summer camp on a desolate island run by the New England Eugenics Council. There they discover something is happening to the children. Rowan must find a way to stop the horrors on the island if she can escape them herself."
Rating: 5/5 Penguins
Quick Reasons: life-ruiner!; the world in 1922 was absolutely terrifying, I am so glad I didn't live there; this historical fiction is SUPER important, even today; lots of focus on human nature and ingrained paranoia; atmospheric, beautiful prose; the main character has a ton of personal growth; snarky, sassy characters made for some entertaining dialogue
HUGE thanks to Susan Moger, Media Masters Publicity, and Aw Teen Publishing for sending me a free copy of this title in exchange for an unbiased review! This in no way altered my read of or opinions on this book.
I forget the boys because with my first bite I'm back in New York having pancakes and sausages with Father. He whistles “You Are My Sunshine” as sunlight pours through the tall dining room window, turning the syrup in the glass pitcher to gold.
Homesickness is a physical ache so intense that I can't swallow.
This book is terrifying. And not in a, “big vicious monsters and alternate worlds” sort of way. No, this book is terrifying in a completely realistic, human-nature and ingrained paranoia way. This book bleeds human nature, seeps each page in ingrained paranoia...and attempts to show readers how such judgments, how such actions, can be hugely damaging in the long-run. This story is packed with morals—and comes out a life-altering, breath-stopping read.
I thought, going into this, that the book was going to be nonlinear. The first few chapters are set up just as if it were—they jump times, they switch settings. They took me on a journey, and sucked me in. But once the backstory is established and Rowan's journey begins, the time-hops stop. I didn't notice much while reading; I was so focused on the story being woven around me, the trials and tribulations faced by our characters, that I didn't even notice the world. I do wish the time skips had been kept throughout, even if only sporadically—they helped to show us the many different sides of the characters we grew to know so much about throughout the read. Regardless, I still love this book!
Posy rushes up behind us. “Do you think we'll have far to walk?” Her face is mottled, her breathing rapid. Fear is a flag she waves over her head.
The prose is gorgeous—poetic, atmospheric, and steeped with historical accuracy. While not every bit of this world is “real,” the ideas, the human-nature shown, all of it is realistic enough to leave me with goosebumps even now, almost a half hour after closing the covers.
And the characters! Rowan and Dorchy go through so much, and learn so much from each other—and the world around them. Rowan, especially, is marked by a wide-arcing and inspiring journey of self-discovery and self-love. While some of the other characters fall a bit flat and come off as 1-dimensional, I feel this is not so much a fault of the writing but instead a testament to how little Rowan, our main character, spent with those characters while such traumatizing and horrifying events were occurring. She was, after all, a bit preoccupied with other things. She was more concerned with making it through the events in one piece, and getting as many others out as possible—where Dorchy, her foil, was much more impulsive. Such vast differences helped to shape and mold our characters—and show readers that things are only impossible if YOU think they are.
The interviews are meaningless. They confirm the interviewer's opinions about the interviewee. They are as fake as Gilda, Half Woman, Half Snake; as prejudiced and demeaning as the Unfit Family show.
How many hours, how many years has Julia wasted interviewing people to determine if they should be sterilized when she already knew the answers?
In my opinion, this book is SO important. It's also absolutely terrifying—and wholly realistic. The lengths that people in Rowan's world went to for the eugenics movement... There are no words to explain how impacted I was by this read, and the characters who so valiantly faced whatever obstacles were thrown at them. This is a life-ruiner, guys—if you're a lover of historical fiction, stories focused on human nature/ingrained paranoia, or atmospheric prose, this is definitely the book for you! I recommend picking it up, for sure.
March 29, 2018
The pacing feels totally off, as if the first half of the book didn't really need to exist, but it really is a fascinating look at a subject in history that doesn't get much notice, especially not here in the States. It inspired me to research more into the subject of eugenics in the United States, so props for that.
June 6, 2017
Historical fiction based on the the eugenics movement during the 1920s that morphed into a type of quasi historical dystopian novel with more shock and awe than historical accuracies as admitted to by the author in her end notes.
September 10, 2024
Good story idea, poor execution. More than once I had to page back to find out how someone or something appeared in a scene or what was happening. Like the author had it all in their head and left out details when putting the story on paper.
May 8, 2017
Engrossing historical fiction set against the eugenics movement at the height of its popularity in the early 20th century.
June 21, 2017
An interesting book about the eugenics movement of the early 1900s. It reminded me a lot of a historical version of Wake Up Missing, with less plot structure. Liked it, but didn't love it.
April 11, 2018
This shocked me and was well written. I can't believe I didn't know about this.
August 18, 2020
It’s interesting and I enjoyed it
March 5, 2021
Incredible premise
A beautifully written but terribly frightening book. The premise is so outrageous yet the characters and writing make it more than believable.
A beautifully written but terribly frightening book. The premise is so outrageous yet the characters and writing make it more than believable.
December 12, 2022
3.5 stars
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