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The Myth of Surrender
🎧Run Time = 10 hours and 53 minutes
What if the most important decision of your life was not yours to make? This vivid and powerful novel follows two women whose paths intersect at a maternity home in the "Baby Scoop Era."
In 1960, free-spirited Doreen is a recent high-school grad and waitress in a Chicago diner. She doesn't know Margie, sixteen and bookish, who lives a sheltered suburban life, but they soon meet when unplanned pregnancies send them to the Holy Family Home for the Wayward in rural Illinois. Assigned as roommates because their due dates line up, Margie and Doreen navigate Holy Family’s culture of secrecy and shame and become fast friends as the weight of their coming decision — to keep or surrender their babies — becomes clear.
Except, they soon realize, the decision has already been made for them. Holy Family, like many of the maternity homes where 1.5 million women “relinquished” their babies in what is now known as the Baby Scoop Era, is not interested in what the birth mothers want. In its zeal to make the babies “legitimate” in closed adoptions, Holy Family manipulates and bullies birth mothers, often coercing them to sign away their parental rights while still under the effects of anesthesia.
What happens next, as their babies are born and they leave Holy Family behind, will force each woman to confront the depths and limits of motherhood and friendship, and fight to reclaim control over their own lives.
Written by the acclaimed author of The Lost Summer of Louisa May Alcott and Undiscovered Country, The Myth of Surrender explores a hidden chapter of American history that still reverberates across the lives of millions of women and their children.
A “beautiful, deeply affecting novel” that is “impossible to put down” (New York Times bestselling author Lori Nelson Spielman): An unplanned pregnancy sends young Doreen to rural Illinois’s Holy Family Home for the Wayward, where she strikes up a friendship with her roommate, Margie, as they fight to reclaim control of their futures. Read by an Earphones Award–winning narrator.
What if the most important decision of your life was not yours to make? This vivid and powerful novel follows two women whose paths intersect at a maternity home in the "Baby Scoop Era."
In 1960, free-spirited Doreen is a recent high-school grad and waitress in a Chicago diner. She doesn't know Margie, sixteen and bookish, who lives a sheltered suburban life, but they soon meet when unplanned pregnancies send them to the Holy Family Home for the Wayward in rural Illinois. Assigned as roommates because their due dates line up, Margie and Doreen navigate Holy Family’s culture of secrecy and shame and become fast friends as the weight of their coming decision — to keep or surrender their babies — becomes clear.
Except, they soon realize, the decision has already been made for them. Holy Family, like many of the maternity homes where 1.5 million women “relinquished” their babies in what is now known as the Baby Scoop Era, is not interested in what the birth mothers want. In its zeal to make the babies “legitimate” in closed adoptions, Holy Family manipulates and bullies birth mothers, often coercing them to sign away their parental rights while still under the effects of anesthesia.
What happens next, as their babies are born and they leave Holy Family behind, will force each woman to confront the depths and limits of motherhood and friendship, and fight to reclaim control over their own lives.
Written by the acclaimed author of The Lost Summer of Louisa May Alcott and Undiscovered Country, The Myth of Surrender explores a hidden chapter of American history that still reverberates across the lives of millions of women and their children.
336 pages, Hardcover
First published March 1, 2022
13 people are currently reading
590 people want to read
About the author
Kelly O'Connor McNees
7 books202 followersKelly O’Connor McNees’s award-winning novels transport readers to pivotal moments in history as seen through the eyes of the resilient, fascinating women who lived through them. Whether it’s a “moving and intimate glimpse” (Publisher’s Weekly) of Eleanor Roosevelt’s love affair with Lorena Hickock in Undiscovered Country, or the tough decisions of Clara, a mail-order bride broker, in In Need of a Good Wife, or Louisa May Alcott’s excruciating choice between love and her writing career in The Lost Summer of Louisa May Alcott, readers are immersed in riveting stories often overlooked in American history.
O’Connor McNees’s forthcoming novel, The Myth of Surrender (March 2021, Pegasus), is the story of an unlikely friendship forged between two young women navigating the secrecy and shame of unwed pregnancy at a home for wayward girls, at the height of the Mad Men age.
In addition to her five novels, Kelly’s writing has appeared in The Millions, The Washington Post, The Toast, and in Rust Belt Chicago: An Anthology. She has also written for The Boxcar Children series. Kelly is represented by Kate McKean of the Howard Morhaim Literary Agency. Born and raised in Michigan, she lives in Chicago with her family.
O’Connor McNees’s forthcoming novel, The Myth of Surrender (March 2021, Pegasus), is the story of an unlikely friendship forged between two young women navigating the secrecy and shame of unwed pregnancy at a home for wayward girls, at the height of the Mad Men age.
In addition to her five novels, Kelly’s writing has appeared in The Millions, The Washington Post, The Toast, and in Rust Belt Chicago: An Anthology. She has also written for The Boxcar Children series. Kelly is represented by Kate McKean of the Howard Morhaim Literary Agency. Born and raised in Michigan, she lives in Chicago with her family.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 56 reviews
April 11, 2022
4.25
booksta review https://www.instagram.com/p/Cb3U1fhrF...
wow wow. first off thank you to net galley for the ARC. the book is now out so please get your hands on it!! to anyone who is a fan of celeste ng or brit bennett, i definitely recommend reading this
there are many ways to tell a story about pregnancy and women's agency, but there are also many ways to fall into a same, repetitive mold. mcnees takes on the baby scoop era and gracefully avoids telling us a story we have already heard a million times.
she touches on topics of racism, sexual assault, and most importantly, the aftermath of motherhood whether that baby is in your arms or not. the writing was really good. the two main characters were fleshed out and i loved seeing their development. i really liked the ending and how the storylines were shown in parallel. and there is a relationship that forms around the halfway mark that truly has my whole heart.
my only reasons for not giving this a full 5 are some of the side characters that were slightly flat and were only there to aid the plot (which i totally get, but i would've loved for them to be a little fuller) and the n-word was used once in the beginning. i get that this is historical fiction, but i didn't think it was necessary (it was especially discomforting having a white person narrating the audiobook and saying it).
booksta review https://www.instagram.com/p/Cb3U1fhrF...
wow wow. first off thank you to net galley for the ARC. the book is now out so please get your hands on it!! to anyone who is a fan of celeste ng or brit bennett, i definitely recommend reading this
there are many ways to tell a story about pregnancy and women's agency, but there are also many ways to fall into a same, repetitive mold. mcnees takes on the baby scoop era and gracefully avoids telling us a story we have already heard a million times.
she touches on topics of racism, sexual assault, and most importantly, the aftermath of motherhood whether that baby is in your arms or not. the writing was really good. the two main characters were fleshed out and i loved seeing their development. i really liked the ending and how the storylines were shown in parallel. and there is a relationship that forms around the halfway mark that truly has my whole heart.
my only reasons for not giving this a full 5 are some of the side characters that were slightly flat and were only there to aid the plot (which i totally get, but i would've loved for them to be a little fuller) and the n-word was used once in the beginning. i get that this is historical fiction, but i didn't think it was necessary (it was especially discomforting having a white person narrating the audiobook and saying it).
February 26, 2022
*I received a free ARC audio copy from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.*
1960s Chicago.
Two teenagers, Margie and Doreen, find themselves pregnant and unmarried, through very different sets of circumstances. One is madly in love with her boyfriend; the other is assaulted by her employer.
Both end up at Holy Family, a home for unwed expectant mothers, in order for their families to avoid the shame associated with their sin. Choices are made for them, closed adoptions are arranged, even their real names are kept secret at the home so that they can erase that chapter in their history altogether. Except it doesn't quite work out that way.
This is a historical fiction covering a period that seems close but feels so far from today. It is well-written, compelling, and fascinating in its dual narrator perspective. It is also heartbreaking.
I appreciated the way the author set the story over several years instead of concentrating only on the period spent within the home. How the relationships between characters evolved (or not) and how each of the girls grows and finds peace make this book what it is. The book is certainly about moral expectation and cruelty of authority figures. But it is first and foremost about two women who survived it all.
Recommended.
1960s Chicago.
Two teenagers, Margie and Doreen, find themselves pregnant and unmarried, through very different sets of circumstances. One is madly in love with her boyfriend; the other is assaulted by her employer.
Both end up at Holy Family, a home for unwed expectant mothers, in order for their families to avoid the shame associated with their sin. Choices are made for them, closed adoptions are arranged, even their real names are kept secret at the home so that they can erase that chapter in their history altogether. Except it doesn't quite work out that way.
This is a historical fiction covering a period that seems close but feels so far from today. It is well-written, compelling, and fascinating in its dual narrator perspective. It is also heartbreaking.
I appreciated the way the author set the story over several years instead of concentrating only on the period spent within the home. How the relationships between characters evolved (or not) and how each of the girls grows and finds peace make this book what it is. The book is certainly about moral expectation and cruelty of authority figures. But it is first and foremost about two women who survived it all.
Recommended.
February 24, 2022
Girls in Trouble
An incredible story of girls lives interrupted. Choices made for them by others and life changing events which would always be with them. Young and frightened, scared and ashamed they all came to the Holy Family home for wayward girls. They were told it was for the best that they could just resume life as it was before afterwards, but it wasn't true. Life did not resume afterwards it was changed for them forever.
The Holy Family home for wayward girls was not a nice place to be. The nuns criticized, belittled and shamed the girls and some were cruel. The doctor and the hospital were rude and uncaring not treating the girls as humans with feelings. These young pregnant girls were sent from their homes to this strange place with no one to talk to about the birth, their babies and what to expect.
In this era in history over 1.5 million women relinquished their babies in what is now known as "The Baby Scoop Era". Coerced and shamed into giving them away for adoption by their parents, the nuns and the hospital staff, they often signed papers under the effects of anesthesia.
The story follows two such girls Doreen and Margie. Doreen keeps her daughter and Margie signs her son away for adoption.
They both suffer from this event. Their families are not supportive of them and criticize everything they do. They are not trusted. Doreen soon learns the challenges and frustrations along with the joys of being a single parent. Margie keeps her son a secret but she anguishes over the decision every day. She only wants to know if he is okay.
This affects their lives in every way possible and especially in relationships. They hold secrets from anyone they meet. Doreen keeps her daughter a secret and Margie never tells the secret of her son to anyone. They both suffer mentally as they struggle to regain control of their lives.
This was an interesting book, and the characters were well placed. The narration was clear and understandable. I enjoyed listening to this audio book
.
Thanks to Kelly O'Connor McNees for writing the story, to Carlotta Brentan for a great job narrating it, to HighBridge Audio for publishing it and to NetGalley for making it available to me.
An incredible story of girls lives interrupted. Choices made for them by others and life changing events which would always be with them. Young and frightened, scared and ashamed they all came to the Holy Family home for wayward girls. They were told it was for the best that they could just resume life as it was before afterwards, but it wasn't true. Life did not resume afterwards it was changed for them forever.
The Holy Family home for wayward girls was not a nice place to be. The nuns criticized, belittled and shamed the girls and some were cruel. The doctor and the hospital were rude and uncaring not treating the girls as humans with feelings. These young pregnant girls were sent from their homes to this strange place with no one to talk to about the birth, their babies and what to expect.
In this era in history over 1.5 million women relinquished their babies in what is now known as "The Baby Scoop Era". Coerced and shamed into giving them away for adoption by their parents, the nuns and the hospital staff, they often signed papers under the effects of anesthesia.
The story follows two such girls Doreen and Margie. Doreen keeps her daughter and Margie signs her son away for adoption.
They both suffer from this event. Their families are not supportive of them and criticize everything they do. They are not trusted. Doreen soon learns the challenges and frustrations along with the joys of being a single parent. Margie keeps her son a secret but she anguishes over the decision every day. She only wants to know if he is okay.
This affects their lives in every way possible and especially in relationships. They hold secrets from anyone they meet. Doreen keeps her daughter a secret and Margie never tells the secret of her son to anyone. They both suffer mentally as they struggle to regain control of their lives.
This was an interesting book, and the characters were well placed. The narration was clear and understandable. I enjoyed listening to this audio book
.
Thanks to Kelly O'Connor McNees for writing the story, to Carlotta Brentan for a great job narrating it, to HighBridge Audio for publishing it and to NetGalley for making it available to me.
April 17, 2022
Though this is fictional, it tells the story of two young women who represent many thousands who had this very experience and if we are not careful where we will wind up again. Two young women from very different worlds wind up in the same place when they become pregnant. The Holy Family home for “wayward’ girls. As if they got pregnant by themselves and yet they has zero say in what happened to them or their children. It’s an emotional and moving listen as both of these young women (really girls) move through their experiences at the horror of a home, face abuse, one had their child taken away, while the other struggled to raise a biracial child at a time when it was not even a little bit acceptable and the emotional impact it had on both of them forever. It’s an important story to read or listen to as though we’ve come so far, some young women aren’t in a terribly different place now and if we aren’t careful and not mindful of the past we are going to wind up right back there. My thanks to the author for this interesting and important
I received a copy of this audiobook from Netgalley.com in exchange for a fair and honest review. It did not impact my comments.
I received a copy of this audiobook from Netgalley.com in exchange for a fair and honest review. It did not impact my comments.
August 31, 2022
As an adoptee from the peak of the Baby Scoop Era, I expected much more from this book.
In the epilogue the author states “adoption is not the trauma here.” The author is mistaken. Adoption is most certainly the trauma.
The narratives of the two teenage biological mothers is gripping, but it is not deep enough. I urge anyone interested in the complexity of adoption to read “The Girls Who Went Away” by Ann Fessler. Read Fessler’s book first, then read this. It will all make sense.
In the epilogue the author states “adoption is not the trauma here.” The author is mistaken. Adoption is most certainly the trauma.
The narratives of the two teenage biological mothers is gripping, but it is not deep enough. I urge anyone interested in the complexity of adoption to read “The Girls Who Went Away” by Ann Fessler. Read Fessler’s book first, then read this. It will all make sense.
February 7, 2025
To be honest, as an adopted (and formerly in foster care) person myself, I am fairly picky when it comes to reading novels about adoption and foster care. There are always plenty to choose from, and of course I am like that about memoirs/non-fiction too, but if it is someone writing about their own life experience, I give them more leeway since it is their truth & the story is not as "creative or imaginative" or speculative with a neat ending tied up in a bow...
I read far more memoirs these days, but I did read this - realistically set during the Baby Scoop Era: "The Myth of Surrender" a novel - I like that the author, Kelly O'Connor McNees does use the subtext qualifier (a novel) so she is upfront, but she also includes about 5 pages at the end with her "Author's Note" where she does give credit for those books that she used as research aids and also in her Acknowledgements section after that... (including Ann Fessler's "The Girls Who Went Away" - which is the interviews galore bible of the original mothers of that time period).
It is a creative and somewhat unique story, actually more like a dual narrative book - that works well using a counterpoint device, but also one that could have happened. It took me a bit to really get into the book, but once I was fully immersed, I did enjoy the narrative style and the literary devices (plot lines and twists) the author chose to utilize. As a writer myself, and currently trying to decide how creative to get with my own mother's (and my) story... I appreciated the things that the author did in telling her tale - she uses the reality of those times and of the religious foundation of maternity homes, etc. to give the story a spine and impetus.
The characters and their true to life behaviors are well drawn.
I wouldn't have been surprised to see this become a streaming movie or a limited TV series, but given the current atmosphere in the US, frankly... it is likely a bit too woke & empathetic for the mothers in such a predicament for today's financial purse-strings (or production companies) to back (unfortunately).
It was a good read, though I always hesitate to say such stories are Enjoyable - with a Capital E (based on our real life sorrowful separation experiences during those times and with the subtle undercurrent of the current religiously underpinned govt. pushback against women's bodily autonomy, abortion rights & the ability to choose in far too many places & states in the US).
This is a timely reminder.
February 27, 2022
A moving and incredibly well-written novel about Maternity homes and the widespread forced adoptions that took place among young, unwed mothers in the 1960s. I really enjoyed that the story was told through two girls, giving insight into two very different experiences some these young girls had. Doreen gets pregnant with a Black man's baby, a very taboo thing at the time. Her mother sends her off to the Holy Family maternity house where she meets Margie, a young girl who was raped. While Margie ends up being forced to give her son up for adoption, Doreen is lucky enough to manage to keep her daughter.
The story also follows these two women's lives after their time in the home and how their experiences haunt them for years afterwards. I enjoyed Doreen's experience raising a biracial girl on her own and Margie's attempts to start a new life while never being able to forget about the baby she lost. Heartbreaking and eye-opening, this is a must read, especially for fans of Looking for Jane (coincidentally also published March 1st). Highly recommended for fans of historical fiction based on real events. Much thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for my advance listening copy!
The story also follows these two women's lives after their time in the home and how their experiences haunt them for years afterwards. I enjoyed Doreen's experience raising a biracial girl on her own and Margie's attempts to start a new life while never being able to forget about the baby she lost. Heartbreaking and eye-opening, this is a must read, especially for fans of Looking for Jane (coincidentally also published March 1st). Highly recommended for fans of historical fiction based on real events. Much thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for my advance listening copy!
February 24, 2022
*I received a free audio ARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.*
Poignant, deep, thought-provoking. The Myth of Surrender covers a dark period of our history which most are still unaware of - the Baby Scoop Era, when thousands of babies were torn from unwed mothers and adopted out.
It may not have moved me as much as it did were I not a mother. Throughout the book I kept imagining the trauma of going through this myself - pressured, hidden, shamed. Going into birth blind and then being coerced while still under the influence of twilight sleep drugs to sign my child away forever. The anguish of losing your child. The stress on the baby. It makes you think of the many deep seated issues that culminated in these events. It provides insight into where we are today with how we view life, motherhood, and adoption.
In the process, The Myth manages to tackle other issues which were equally important in its time and which we are still dealing with today in many ways. It does so beautifully, all while telling an engaging story that held my attention the entire time.
Such a good book! I would highly recommend it.
Poignant, deep, thought-provoking. The Myth of Surrender covers a dark period of our history which most are still unaware of - the Baby Scoop Era, when thousands of babies were torn from unwed mothers and adopted out.
It may not have moved me as much as it did were I not a mother. Throughout the book I kept imagining the trauma of going through this myself - pressured, hidden, shamed. Going into birth blind and then being coerced while still under the influence of twilight sleep drugs to sign my child away forever. The anguish of losing your child. The stress on the baby. It makes you think of the many deep seated issues that culminated in these events. It provides insight into where we are today with how we view life, motherhood, and adoption.
In the process, The Myth manages to tackle other issues which were equally important in its time and which we are still dealing with today in many ways. It does so beautifully, all while telling an engaging story that held my attention the entire time.
Such a good book! I would highly recommend it.
March 1, 2022
Ugh… this book tears at your heartstrings! 🥺
4.5⭐️ The Baby Scoop Era — I knew nothing about this, or maybe I did without the name. The story is told in both Chicago and Milwaukee. (In fact, one of our MCs attends Mt Mary College, where I received my Bachelor of Arts.)
The story starts out with our MCs as teens. Both become pregnant, but under very different circumstances. These differences also play out in a tragic and tortured way for 5 years after the birth of the babies. It’s a story of unconditional love, forgiveness and doing the right thing.
Thank you to #NetGalley for an advanced audio experience.
4.5⭐️ The Baby Scoop Era — I knew nothing about this, or maybe I did without the name. The story is told in both Chicago and Milwaukee. (In fact, one of our MCs attends Mt Mary College, where I received my Bachelor of Arts.)
The story starts out with our MCs as teens. Both become pregnant, but under very different circumstances. These differences also play out in a tragic and tortured way for 5 years after the birth of the babies. It’s a story of unconditional love, forgiveness and doing the right thing.
Thank you to #NetGalley for an advanced audio experience.
November 16, 2022
Such a well written novel - set in the 1960s, it follows two young girls who are pregnant and sent to Holy Family Home, a maternity home where they are treated as though they are impure and disgraceful and can only be good again once they give up their baby. I was so often angry at how they were treated, particularly in the hospital when they were seen as lesser class citizens who brought this on themselves and didn't receive respect and dignity. Although this was fiction, I know that there were many real women's stories captured in these pages.
March 11, 2022
4.5. This is very compelling and interesting book. It is the first time I have read a book about young girls being forced to move into a home for unwed mothers and being forced to give up their babies. The story is told in the voice of a young mother. I highly recommend this book.
September 3, 2022
I listened to the audiobook. Narrator was pleasant. I thought it was a great storyline, kept me interested throughout.
May 8, 2024
I REALLY loved this book!
December 26, 2023
This is a beautiful novel about women sent to a Catholic home for unwed mothers and forced to sign away their babies in the early 1960s. This book deserves a wide readership, so I am disappointed to see how few readers have rated this on Goodreads (though glad to see the reviews are so universally positive). I think the cover might not be that appealing, but I hope people will look past that.
This novel tackles lots of hard issues (racism, sexual assault) while telling an engaging, heart-wrenching story about "the baby scoop," a term coined to refer to the period when young women were coerced into giving up their babies, another Catholic atrocity committed against its young members, but one that gets far too little attention.
The women at the heart of the book are richly drawn characters who I felt deeply invested in while reading about them. Of the two central characters, one has her baby taken and the other manages to keep her baby. Both women suffer in different ways as a result. But there is never a doubt which one got lucky, as while having a child weighs a woman down and short-circuits her choices, the pain she experiences is nothing compared to the anguish suffered by the woman who had her child stolen from her. I appreciated that there were good and bad men and women struggling with their moral choices in this story, only a couple of cardboard villains.
The novel also does a wonderful job of evoking the era in which this story is taking place. I highly recommend it!
Thanks to Netgalley and High Bridge Audio for giving me a free audiobook version of this novel in exchange for my honest review.
This novel tackles lots of hard issues (racism, sexual assault) while telling an engaging, heart-wrenching story about "the baby scoop," a term coined to refer to the period when young women were coerced into giving up their babies, another Catholic atrocity committed against its young members, but one that gets far too little attention.
The women at the heart of the book are richly drawn characters who I felt deeply invested in while reading about them. Of the two central characters, one has her baby taken and the other manages to keep her baby. Both women suffer in different ways as a result. But there is never a doubt which one got lucky, as while having a child weighs a woman down and short-circuits her choices, the pain she experiences is nothing compared to the anguish suffered by the woman who had her child stolen from her. I appreciated that there were good and bad men and women struggling with their moral choices in this story, only a couple of cardboard villains.
The novel also does a wonderful job of evoking the era in which this story is taking place. I highly recommend it!
Thanks to Netgalley and High Bridge Audio for giving me a free audiobook version of this novel in exchange for my honest review.
May 31, 2022
This book centers around two young women - Doreen and Margie - and what happens to them following their pregnancies and the steps that are taken to "correct" their situation. Meeting at a home for women, run by the Catholic Church, the two suffer the fate of being treated as lesser individuals because of their condition. However, despite their similarities, their fates end up being starkly different, as one woman is coerced into giving away her child under duress while the other escapes from the facility and raises her baby as a single mother.
Told through alternating vantage points, each of the main characters' stories intertwine and circle back in a most wonderful and heart-wrenching way. I won't spoil the ending but, despite their struggles and trauma, happiness is eventually found for all - but only once they both are able to heal the scars of the past and make choices for their own futures.
Taken from the inspiration of true stories told from women who endured the Baby Scoop era (1945-1973), this book is a look into a circumstance that was not quite as rare as one would imagine. Roughly 1.5 million women experienced these maternity homes. That's a lot of pain, fear, and untold stories to unearth. What happens with women and their children should always be a choice!
Told through alternating vantage points, each of the main characters' stories intertwine and circle back in a most wonderful and heart-wrenching way. I won't spoil the ending but, despite their struggles and trauma, happiness is eventually found for all - but only once they both are able to heal the scars of the past and make choices for their own futures.
Taken from the inspiration of true stories told from women who endured the Baby Scoop era (1945-1973), this book is a look into a circumstance that was not quite as rare as one would imagine. Roughly 1.5 million women experienced these maternity homes. That's a lot of pain, fear, and untold stories to unearth. What happens with women and their children should always be a choice!
March 26, 2022
The Myth of Surrender by Kelly O'Conner McNees takes place in the 1960s and tells the story of free-sprit Doreen and quiet, book-smart Margie. The two live in Chicago but their lives have never crossed until they are both sent to Holy Family because of unplanned pregnancies and quickly become friends. These two women have lived different lives financially, personally and emotionally. Their lives continue in opposite directions as they navigate their pregnancies and what comes after.
This book was beautifully written. Told in both POVs, I was fully invested in both Doreen and Margie's story and did not favor one more than the other. The novel tells the difficult decisions, or lack there of, women had at the time and follows the consequences that life's obstacles have for each woman. This book is heart-wrenching and will pull at your heart strings. I will definitely recommend this book to everyone.
The narrator, Carlotta Brentan, does a fantastic job brining both stories to life.
This book was beautifully written. Told in both POVs, I was fully invested in both Doreen and Margie's story and did not favor one more than the other. The novel tells the difficult decisions, or lack there of, women had at the time and follows the consequences that life's obstacles have for each woman. This book is heart-wrenching and will pull at your heart strings. I will definitely recommend this book to everyone.
The narrator, Carlotta Brentan, does a fantastic job brining both stories to life.
January 25, 2023
As a historical fiction fan, I was immediately drawn to the synopsis of this book. 1960s timeline, rural midwestern setting, two teenage girls, two unplanned pregnancies, one maternity home. I absolutely loved the first half of this novel. The reader learns the backstory on the two pregnant girls, and about their experiences at the Holy Family for the Wayward. This was so fascinating to me. It was also frustrating and a little difficult to read about. I couldn’t believe how these young women were mistreated and disrespected. It broke my heart. Unfortunately, once they both gave birth and then left the home, I quickly lost interest. The aftermath was rather uneventful, and just couldn’t hold my attention. My mind began to drift as I was listening. The writing just didn’t match the first part of the book, and it wasn’t as strong. Something was off. It almost felt like two different people wrote the book. For that reason, I had to knock my rating down quite a bit. 3.5/5 stars.
August 28, 2022
I almost didn't pick up The Myth Of Surrender because it was out of my comfort zone genre-wise. However, I am so glad that I decided to read this title because it was absolutely fantastic. The author's writing was beautiful and the story itself was both thought-provoking and heartwrenching. The story follows two young women who become close friends after meeting at a religious maternity home. There was a strong theme of body autonomy versus religious values, which is just as relevant in today's world as it was when this book was set. Once I started the story, I could not put it down. This will be a title that I recommend to everyone, regardless of whether they usually read historical fiction or not.
(PUB DATE: AVAILABLE NOW)
(I received an audio recording of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions expressed above are my own.)
(PUB DATE: AVAILABLE NOW)
(I received an audio recording of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions expressed above are my own.)
March 1, 2022
This is a beautifully written story. It was eye-opening to learn more about a time in history in which young women were forced- or at least pushed into maternity homes. It also uniquely ties into the current headlines regarding how much control a woman should have over her own body. This theme spans decades and demonstrates a relevance across multiple generations. I appreciated the way this book explores life after the girls' time in the home. It is ultimately a story of strength and survival. I would highly recommend this book.
Thank you to #NetGalley and #HighBridgeAudio for the opportunity to review this ARC of #TheMythofSurrender in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own.
Thank you to #NetGalley and #HighBridgeAudio for the opportunity to review this ARC of #TheMythofSurrender in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own.
March 16, 2022
Loved this story. The author references the book "The Girls Who Went Away" which is a compendium of interviews from women who personally experienced the "baby scoop". I read that book over a decade ago, and it still haunts me. So if the subject of baby scoop (referencing the time period where unmarried pregnant women were sent away and had their children taken from them) interests you, please look for that book. I've ordered the other book the author references, "Wake Up Little Susie" about the history of birth control and pregnancy, viewed through the lens of race.
April 5, 2022
Didn’t quite live up to the summary for me. And “tied with a bow” ending was telegraphed pretty early on. Great story but not what I expected.
July 1, 2025
This opens in 1960, with two teens, Doreen and Margie, separately finding out they're pregnant from very different circumstances. Since neither is married, the two end up and meet at a Catholic home for pregnant teenagers. They've been told that the only way their babies will have a good life is by being adopted by a good family who can make the baby legitimate; after they surrender their baby, the moms can supposedly go back to their old lives and move on without issue. In order to ensure the teens comply with what the church wants them to do, many are threatened or coerced into signing over their rights. Afterward, Doreen and Margie each go home, unable to stay in touch with each other or anyone else, and they find that being able to go back to their old life is really a myth because the experience at the home changed them both.
This was such a good book! My summary of the plot does not do it justice, but I think it's best to go into the book without knowledge of what will happen (or how) in order to fully experience the journeys that the two main characters go on. I really enjoyed both Doreen's and Margie's perspectives, as their stories were quite different but complemented each other nicely. I sympathized with each of them and thought their journeys were extremely touching and realistic. This book was really well-written and the details that were included helped set the scene for everything that unfolded. The characters, not just the two main ones but also all the supporting cast as well, felt believable and like real people. I loved the way people were depicted in here.
I was completely riveted as I read this book and had a really hard time putting it down. The plot is strong and the story cast a light on a period of American history that I didn't know much about. It also cast a light on a very dark side of the Catholic church in those days, as their actions had negative effects on vulnerable girls, regardless of their intent. Although this is propelled by the plot, I also felt like this was very character-driven because the characters were so strong and the relationships in here so complex. I really loved this book and would highly recommend it to others, as it was extremely thought-provoking and moving. Absolutely worth a read!
This was such a good book! My summary of the plot does not do it justice, but I think it's best to go into the book without knowledge of what will happen (or how) in order to fully experience the journeys that the two main characters go on. I really enjoyed both Doreen's and Margie's perspectives, as their stories were quite different but complemented each other nicely. I sympathized with each of them and thought their journeys were extremely touching and realistic. This book was really well-written and the details that were included helped set the scene for everything that unfolded. The characters, not just the two main ones but also all the supporting cast as well, felt believable and like real people. I loved the way people were depicted in here.
I was completely riveted as I read this book and had a really hard time putting it down. The plot is strong and the story cast a light on a period of American history that I didn't know much about. It also cast a light on a very dark side of the Catholic church in those days, as their actions had negative effects on vulnerable girls, regardless of their intent. Although this is propelled by the plot, I also felt like this was very character-driven because the characters were so strong and the relationships in here so complex. I really loved this book and would highly recommend it to others, as it was extremely thought-provoking and moving. Absolutely worth a read!
March 17, 2022
Note: This review contains NO spoilers
Wow! What a poignant and beautifully written story. This thought-provoking story takes readers on these young girls' emotional journey during a time in history that was kept hidden as a shameful secret. I found the story of these girls a painfully honest revelation of how little support and consideration people (during that era) put on the right to their own bodies for pregnant, unwed young women/girls; an issue that still is happening now, be it unwed and/or married.
So much happens in this compelling story for these two young girls (and others) while, at the same time, they are forced to grow up... FAST. It is a gut-wrenching journey for them. The Myth of Surrender takes readers on that emotional and psychological passage of growing up and pregnancy. Regardless of the circumstances, the treatment of these girls was heartbreaking and shameful.
The Myth of Surrender is a compelling and moving historical story that I could not put down. Kelly O'Connor McNees wrote an intriguing and touching story that is a definite must-read for any age.
Reviewer: Jasmine
Disclaimer: We received a free copy for an honest review. All is my own opinion
Wow! What a poignant and beautifully written story. This thought-provoking story takes readers on these young girls' emotional journey during a time in history that was kept hidden as a shameful secret. I found the story of these girls a painfully honest revelation of how little support and consideration people (during that era) put on the right to their own bodies for pregnant, unwed young women/girls; an issue that still is happening now, be it unwed and/or married.
So much happens in this compelling story for these two young girls (and others) while, at the same time, they are forced to grow up... FAST. It is a gut-wrenching journey for them. The Myth of Surrender takes readers on that emotional and psychological passage of growing up and pregnancy. Regardless of the circumstances, the treatment of these girls was heartbreaking and shameful.
The Myth of Surrender is a compelling and moving historical story that I could not put down. Kelly O'Connor McNees wrote an intriguing and touching story that is a definite must-read for any age.
Reviewer: Jasmine
Disclaimer: We received a free copy for an honest review. All is my own opinion
March 23, 2022
Books are funny. Some you connect with, some you don't. Sometimes you cannot figure out exactly why you do or do not connect. I DNFed two books in three days earlier this week. They were a struggle. I knew on the first page that this book was different. It was kind of like a slow sigh took over me- I knew this book was for me.
Set in the 60s, The Myth of Surrender tells the story of two teenage girls, sent to home for unwed pregnant girls. Margie and Doreen are very different- their paths leading to the home and after are very different. Yet, they are deeply bonded over a shared experience.
The narrator of the audiobook, Carlotta Brentan, is not one I am familiar with, but she did a good job. Well paced, clear, decent voices for dialogue.
I received an audio copy in exchange for an honest review.
Set in the 60s, The Myth of Surrender tells the story of two teenage girls, sent to home for unwed pregnant girls. Margie and Doreen are very different- their paths leading to the home and after are very different. Yet, they are deeply bonded over a shared experience.
The narrator of the audiobook, Carlotta Brentan, is not one I am familiar with, but she did a good job. Well paced, clear, decent voices for dialogue.
I received an audio copy in exchange for an honest review.
February 6, 2022
A brave and important novel that spotlights yet another Catholic Church atrocity, and does so with sensitivity, erudition, and first-rate storytelling. McNees’s literary acumen is on full display in this beautiful, deeply affecting novel, where she explores what it meant to be unwed and pregnant in mid-century America, and the painful secrets kept by the women, their families, and the Catholic Church.
Impossible to put down, you’ll find yourself completely swept up as McNees reveals the wake of secrets and shame left behind by the “Baby Scoop Era”. The fact that maternity homes like this actually existed, that young, frightened, sometimes anesthetized women were shamed and coerced into giving up their children, is nothing short of chilling. Highly recommend!
Impossible to put down, you’ll find yourself completely swept up as McNees reveals the wake of secrets and shame left behind by the “Baby Scoop Era”. The fact that maternity homes like this actually existed, that young, frightened, sometimes anesthetized women were shamed and coerced into giving up their children, is nothing short of chilling. Highly recommend!
February 28, 2022
Doreen and Margie are two young, unmarried girls in the 60s who find themselves pregnant and meet at a maternity home. Here, girls can go through their pregnancy away from home and the nuns that run the maternity home adopt the babies out. From there, the books follows Doreen and Margie in their lives 5 years after meeting at the home. Overall I enjoyed the book though I felt that it started off slow and that the parts at the home were not as gripping as once they left. The narrator was great for the story and I felt she did an excellent job.
I'm rating this a 4 because I do believe its better than average but if given the choice I would rate 3.5 stars.
Thank you to NetGalley and RB Media for the ARC of this audiobook.
I'm rating this a 4 because I do believe its better than average but if given the choice I would rate 3.5 stars.
Thank you to NetGalley and RB Media for the ARC of this audiobook.
April 29, 2022
Be prepared to have your heart stomped on and mashed flat. While this novel softens a few of the punches delivered by the nonfiction account American Baby (a sympathetic nun, one of the girls has a family that supports her and her baby after she decides to keep it), it is still a wrenching story of what girls who "got into trouble" were forced into in the 1960s, when image was everything and a teenager's pregnancy was viewed more in terms of how this would affect her family than her life. The push-push-push to just vanish, have the baby, give it up (it makes you a better person, you know, to give away your baby to a real family, makes the sin less sinful) and then forget about it and never speak of it again...I cannot imagine.
July 26, 2022
3.5 Stars!
An incredible, emotional, heart-wrenching story about young girls whose life was changed by their pregnancies and the ups and downs they have to face through their journey.
Throughout the story, my heart sobbed so many times and felt their pain to the core and their stories moved me a lot.
I loved the two main characters especially, Doreen. such a courageous personality!
The story was perfect up until post-partam after that it dragged a little bit.
But overall I enjoyed the story a lot and highly recommend it!
An incredible, emotional, heart-wrenching story about young girls whose life was changed by their pregnancies and the ups and downs they have to face through their journey.
Throughout the story, my heart sobbed so many times and felt their pain to the core and their stories moved me a lot.
I loved the two main characters especially, Doreen. such a courageous personality!
The story was perfect up until post-partam after that it dragged a little bit.
But overall I enjoyed the story a lot and highly recommend it!
July 4, 2024
I can see why so many ratings were higher than mine. It’s compelling. And a little sappy. Having been around in 1960-65, some of the phrasing was irksome. Phrasing from modern lingo, not used then. It lacked a sense of humor for relief from the hard truths. Margie’s never having told anyone at all the reason for her condition didn’t make sense. Her other naiveties, like not knowing how the baby would leave her body….. pretty hard to swallow. As a bookish type, I figure she would have done a touch of research…. The performance was good.
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