Warrensburg

by Fleury Sommers

How far will a family go to protect one of their own against injustice? What will it sacrifice?

Moonshiners and small farmers, the Warrens are stunned when the state moves to sterilize one of their own for the “perversion” of epilepsy. Aided by a few close allies, the family fights back in the only way it knows. The price: jail, the breakup of the family, loss of home and farm, cross-country flight, and finally triumph.

349 pages, Kindle Edition

Published March 11, 2022

About the author

I had the rather unique (I think) experience of being born and living in Chattanooga, TN before my family moved to New Jersey during the Jim Crow era. Because my family stayed in close touch with relatives in Chattanooga, visiting back and forth, etc., this straddling of the old south with the north provided me with an indelible perspective. (Without being too self-promotional, I wrote a book about it called The House on Wilburtha Road.)
I was educated in New York and Chicago and joined Cox Newspapers out of graduate school. Later, I worked in public relations at the then largest agency in the world before helping my husband build a very well-regarded regional firm.
Because I have a short attention span and love art and jewelry, I took ten years off to study gemology and metalsmithing and opened a gallery in Houston to show studio jewelry. And, I was proud to show the work of some of the most important artists working today. (Yes, all of us can do lots of things.)
I retired from the gallery after about ten years and returned to writing full-time. I did publish a couple of books about gemology and jewelry making.
The revolution in publishing has introduced me to splendid writers I wouldn't have discovered otherwise and, frankly, I'm having a wonderful time.

Reviews

[Brian · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very well written work bringing to light an atrocious popular movement in our own past that may well be duplicated in some of the so-called "progressive" movements of our day. This really ought to be made into a movie!!

[Annette Summerfield · Rating 4 out of 5]

You need to read about Millie and her family.
The mountain people living on a small farm enduring...everything.

[Jacquelin Young · Rating 5 out of 5]

I would encourage everyone to read this book. It brings to light the corruption of the US government during the eugenics movement early in the 20th century. The main focus of the corruption here is teenage Millie, a sweet girl with epilepsy being brought up in a Virginia mountain village during the 1920s. Also interwoven in the story is the production of moonshine. Unfortunately our society has stereotyped mountain people as less than intelligent but the book opens the door on this miscalculation. It seems some are/ were industrious clever people without the privileges many of us enjoy. The operation of moonshine stills were not because these people just wanted to be frequently inebriated. Many needed the income from selling moonshine to just eke out a living. As always there were exceptions. Only one thing about the story bothered me. It wraps up a little too neatly but nevertheless it’s definitely worth the read.

[Stanley McShane · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read his full review on Rosepoint Publishing.

The Warrens had lived in Warrensburg since the Revolutionary War. Their daughter Millie had a difficult birth and was considered slow by the Warrensburg health officials. Because of her perceived disability, the County Health Officials decided that it would be best if she were sterilized.

The family had no intention of having her “fixed” to satisfy some over-zealous county officials. After WWII her father was only getting $.54 a bushel for his corn crop. Even in good years, this was not enough to put food on the table, however, there was one product that her papa made that was profitable and well-received in the community. Moonshine!

Of course, the Revenuers were excited to catch him and destroy his still. The local sheriff looked the other way when the moonshine went to market after receiving his gallon and the local storeowner had a number of folks who would buy all of the product he produced.

This story follows closely the plight of the poor mountain people in West Virginia. Keeping ahead of “The Revenuers” and the county welfare officials was a constant struggle for the family. The saga is a good exposé of government overstepping its’ authority.

I read and enjoyed this book with interest in both topics and highly recommend it. 4.5 stars – CE Williams

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with the opportunity to read and review this book.

[Mandy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Moonshine and subsistence farming are at the heart of this compelling novel about the Warren family in rural Virginia, against a background of eugenics and a benighted attitude to disability. Daughter Millie develops epilepsy after a fall and in the eyes of the medical authorities this makes her a danger to society, as all epileptics are morally perverse. The only thing to do is admit her to an institution and forcibly sterilise her. Sounds farfetched? Not at all. Based on extensive historical research the novel explores this attitude and the bigoted nature of the medical authorities – an approach in which her mother concurs. Life in the mountains, where producing moonshine is a simple matter of economics, always trying to be one step ahead of the law, poverty on an unimaginable scale, desperation to save the family, all this makes for a wonderful if heart-breaking read. Well-paced, well-constructed, with authentic characterisation and dialogue, I can’t recommend it highly enough. Published in 2022 I’m surprised that there are so few reviews on Amazon and Goodreads. It deserves a far wider readership. So read and enjoy!

[Janci · Rating 3 out of 5]

I had trouble wrapping my head around a mother who would betray her own child in such an extreme manner. A woman capable of falling in love and marrying a man should be capable of loving her children as well. I didn't buy her ambition overwhelming her love for her family. Actually, this storyline is a disservice to "ambitious" women everywhere. Don't we have enough stereotypes to fight?

But if you can accept that, then the story is interesting if a bit over descriptive. I love the beauty of the Appalachian mountains but I don't need to be pounded over the head with it at every turn. I found myself finally skimming over sections.

Finally, the rescue was too coincidental.

[S.E. Morgan · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fascinating novel, which explores the horrors of eugenics in early 20th century USA, along with a lot about the hardships of rural mountain life between WW1 and 11. A compelling read, well paced, with nicely drawn characters that engaged from the outset. Learnt a lot, ( including about moonshine production.) Fantastic.

[Jan Alexander · Rating 5 out of 5]

outstanding book

This is one of the best books I have ever read. Wonderful story and outstanding writing. I would highly recommend to anyone who loves to read.