Unbroken Bonds

by Dawn Hogan, D.W. Hogan

"A resounding defense of women’s reproductive autonomy. An elegantly written and damning narrative." - Kirkus Reviews In 1956 the worst thing a teenage girl could do was to become pregnant. Joanna, Prissy, Jessie, and Mary become lifelong friends when they are incarcerated in the Frances Weston Home for Unwedmothers in Knoxville, Tennessee. Together they endure the culture of shame and soul crushing tactics dispensed by the Catholic Nuns who coerce the teenagers into relinquishing their illegitimate babies. The four young womens’ vow of friendship bonds them as they rebuild their lives in the Deep South during the turbulent 1960’s, while the roles of women and single mothers evolve in the decades that follow. When tragedy strikes, they must decide whether to keep their past secrets or discover the fates of the children they were forced to give away.

300 pages, Paperback

Published October 5, 2021

About the author

Dawn Hogan majored in English at the University of Alabama in Huntsville. She’s the mother of four grown children and grandmother to two. She is a full-time author and lives in Huntsville, Alabama with her husband. Unbroken Bonds is her Debut novel. Check out DWHogan.com for more information. You can follow her on Facebook D.W. Hogan author and on Instagram dawnhoganauthor.

Reviews

[Rachel O'Brien · Rating 2 out of 5]

I didn't really like this book. The characters lacked depth and the writing felt like I was being told what happened instead of experiencing the events alongside the characters. Not to mention, I found many typos throughout the story. It's redeeming quality was that it was a very unique and interesting topic. I think it was trying to accomplish too much at once. A little preachy

[Mollie Fama · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book started off so strong but as i read it the main point of the book shifted a lot. I feel like about halfway through the entire point was gone and it was a entirely new story just with the same characters.

[Betcei · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pregnancy is hard, but being pregnant, unmarried and young is extremely hard especially in the 1950's. Unwed mothers homes were placed you didn't want to be sent, but most families did not want to about their daughter was having a baby, so they packed them up and dropped them off until the situation was resolved. This book tells the stories of 4 of those girls that became friends and remained friends for the rest of their lives. Through the ups and downs of their lives, they were always there for one another.

[Kimberly Sullivan · Rating 5 out of 5]

It’s 1956, and wrong-side-of-the-tracks Nashville teenager Joanna is in love with an older, married man. Being with Jack is exciting, and gets her out of her chaotic home headed by her drunken, abusive father. But an unplanned pregnancy changes everything and gets Joanna shipped off to the Frances Weston Home for Unwed Mothers in Knoxville, Tennessee.

Popular cheerleader and Homecoming Queen Mary attends high school with Joanna, but travels in entirely different social circles. But when she gets pregnant by her football star boyfriend, her wealth and privilege don’t protect her from suffering the same fate as Joanna.

Joanna, Mary and other girls who’ve been shipped off by their embarrassed families live at the home run by Catholic nuns until their babies are born, and they are coerced into giving up all rights over their children, who can then be adopted to respectable families. For a hefty price. The girls’ parents, eager to hide the mark of shame their daughters have cast on their households, are only too willing to go along with this practice.

Their time together in the home allows the girls to form strong friendship bonds, and they break house rules by staying in contact following their departure. We follow this tight knit group of friends as they embark on their adult lives, as society and views on the roles of women are rapidly changing all around them. The longer time frame of this story allows the women to reflect on the abusive nature of the transaction they were forced to make in order to return to “respectability”.

A well-researched and beautifully written novel. This moving story is filled with rich characters facing difficult choices, and constrained by the shame of their families and expectations of the time. This story also sheds light on the sometimes abusive systems some of these women faced in unscrupulous homes for pregnant, unmarried women. A must-read story.

[Red The Book Nerd · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a beautifully written account of the Baby Scoop error in American history. It is set in the 1950s and depicts the stories of four young girls who become friends when they meet in a home for unwed mothers. They share this bond of being forced to (or willingly) give up their babies and the after-effects of their decisions. This is historical fiction, but according to the author, some of the stories she garnered were based on true stories in her research. You gain insight into the horrible manipulations some of these homes used to take the babies from young women and how they turned it into a money-making enterprise.

You follow these young mothers after they leave the home, the emotional strain they go through to forget the child they gave up, and how they integrate themselves back into society without this stain on their character becoming known in their social circles. The story further continues as society lightens up on the stigma of young, unwed mothers and how a few of them attempt to find out what happened to their babies. I really felt for these women and appreciated going through the journey with them. I am attached to their stories and personalities and hated that the story ended. I loved their deep friendship and sisterhood.

This book was chosen by a library book club I recently joined and we were lucky enough to be able to Zoom with the author. The stories of the research she went through were appalling and made me so glad that women have the freedoms that we do today, although we have a LONG way to go still. I definitely recommend this book.

[Patty W Warren · Rating 5 out of 5]

This debut novel tells the story of four teenage girls who meet in a home for unwed mothers in 1950’s Tennessee, what happened to them there, and how it affected their lives. But mostly Dawn Hogan, weaves a story of friendship, motherhood, and women’s rights. I couldn’t put down this look into the lives of Joann, Mary, Prissy and Jessie as they left the home and searched for their place in the world. It’s a story of hard knocks, grit, and love.
It’s hard to believe such a time existed when women had no say in so many areas of their lives, but it did. You can see many parallels to what is going on today with women’s choices. But what I took away from this wonderful book is women friendships sustain us through difficult times and we women are stronger than we think. This snapshot into these friend’s lives will make you cry, laugh, cheer, and keep reading to find out what happens next. Enjoy the story as we watch their search for what comes after, and let it be a reminder of what was and could be again. Dawn Hogan gave us a 5-Star read!

[Kelly Quirin · Rating 5 out of 5]

In her debut novel, Hogan weaves a tale of the lives of four women who find themselves pregnant in 1956. This poignant tale explores the stigma behind unwed mothers, and the overall progression of female sexuality and reproductive rights. As time passes, the four women deal with the repercussions of their time in the home for unwed mothers and the decisions they’ve subsequently made. Hogan does a great job at showing how the extremely personal decisions birth mothers make ripple out to touch many lives. This book does a great job at highlighting the many real issues of the “Baby Scoop Era” while keeping the reader intrigued and emotionally invested in the fictional lives depicted.

[Marcy Lane · Rating 5 out of 5]

I knew Unbroken Bonds by D.K. Hogan would be good -- as I was impressed by Dawn when I saw her speak about her work at a recent conference. But I didn't expect to become so angry -- not at Dawn, but at the horrible injustice suffered by her characters. And my anger burned hotter when I learned this novel is based on true stories.

This well-written compassionate tale tracks the lives and personal tragedies suffered by unwed mothers and their infants during the so-called Baby Scoop Era (1950s and 60s).

This timely historical novel serves as a cautionary tale for those today who are inclined to deny half the population control over their own bodies.

Well-researched, I was shocked to learn about pregnant women’s incarceration in degrading, expensive (!) and humiliating conditions, and then to be conned out of their babies.

Nobody should be shamed about their body and its natural functions. This book addresses an important aspect of systemic misogyny and paternalism, and its consequences.

I give this important book five shiny stars.
Marcy Lane, author of A Mercy of Widows.

[Judy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am so lucky to have won a copy of this excellent book. Unbroken Bonds tells the stories of four young women who find themselves pregnant in the '50s. Their experiences in a maternity home that exploits them and many like them bring them together. Each story drew me in. I also enjoyed the history of the era. The women grew as they navigated life and overcame difficult situations. The constantly changing point of view was the only drawback of this excellent first novel.

[Wyntersnowe · Rating 4 out of 5]

Friendship forever

This is a heartwarming tale that I can relate with on many levels. Friends sticking close together in such love and dedication is greater than any relationship a foursome of girls could ever have. Well written and an easy read. Thank you, Dawn Hogan!

[Susan Lyons · Rating 4 out of 5]

Quite an eye opening book. Well researched and great character development. Unpleasant topic, but a great read.

[Marie Watts · Rating 5 out of 5]

Gritty and moving. Hogan transports us back to a time when unplanned pregnancies and adoptions left women emotionally scarred. A time I hope we never experience again.

[Jan Heidrich-Rice · Rating 5 out of 5]

Unbroken Bonds by D.W. Hogan weaves together the engrossing stories of four young women whose lives cross paths in Knoxville, Tennessee, in the 1950s.

It’s the Baby Scoop Era (1945 through 1973), a time of increased U.S. adoptions—often through Catholic charities—but also a time when unborn babies’ lives are protected while women’s reproductive rights are not. Joanna, Prissy, Jessie, and Mary come from very different backgrounds. Yet each finds herself single and pregnant in 1956 and shipped off to live in degrading conditions at the Frances Weston Home for Unwed Mothers.

Unbroken Bonds unfolds with these young women carrying their babies to term. The cost is beyond steep, given the high price charged by the home but also the shame each mom must endure when forced to surrender her child to a closed adoption. In the aftermath, each woman must rebuild her life while making sense of world changes brought on by the Civil Rights movement, the Vietnam War, and the Roe v Wade decision. They stay in touch and their lives go on, but not without the scars and what-ifs they’ll carry forever.

And then tragedy strikes, and they each must decide how much they are willing to open up about their past secrets. Will the costs be worth it to them? And what about to the children they lost?

[Cindy Hebding · Rating 5 out of 5]

Unbroken Bonds explores the secrets kept for far too long. The depths of the characters allows the much needed levity to carry their burdens. Their lives intertwine as teenagers and develop into true friendships through adulthood.
Do yourself a kindness and explore the deep sense of strength gained from their challenges.
A touching read that left me yearning for a series as characters are unforgettable.

[Elaine Schroller · Rating 5 out of 5]

Heartbreaking and triumphant

I knew very little about the Baby Scoop era before reading D.W. Hogan's excellent Unbroken Bonds, and found myself staying up far too late several nights running so I could read just one more chapter! I can only imagine how many women's stories are as heartbreaking and triumphant as Joanna's and the others. Excellent read, highly recommended.