Welcome back! It’s the 4th week of First Sentence Friday/Free Book Friday! 

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About the Book

Accused of “promiscuity” in 1940s North Carolina, a young woman unjustly incarcerated and subjected to involuntary medical treatment at The State Industrial Farm Colony for Women decides to fight back in this powerful, shockingly timely novel based on the long-buried history of the American Plan, the government program designed to regulate women’s bodies and sexuality throughout the first half of the 20th century.

The day Ruth Foster’s life changes begins the same way as many others—with a walk through her North Carolina hometown toward the diner where she works. But on this day, Ruth is stopped by the local sheriff, who insists that she accompany him to a health clinic. Women like Ruth—young, unmarried, living alone—must undergo testing in order to preserve decency and prevent the spread of sexual disease.

Though Ruth has never shared more than a chaste kiss with a man, by day’s end she is one of dozens of women held at the State Industrial Farm Colony for Women. Some, like 15-year-old Stella Temple, are brought in at their family’s request. For Stella, even the Colony’s hardships seem like a respite from her nightmarish home life.

Superintendent Dorothy Baker, convinced that she’s transforming degenerate souls into upstanding members of society, oversees the women’s medical treatment and “training” until they’re deemed ready for parole. Sooner or later, everyone at the Colony learns to abide by Mrs. Baker’s rule book or face the consequences—solitary confinement, grueling work assignments, and worse.

But some refuse to be cowed. Against Mrs. Baker’s dogged efforts and the punishing weight of authority, Ruth and other inmates find ways to fight back, resolved to regain their freedom at any cost . . .

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First Sentence Friday Thoughts

Superintendent Dorothy Baker’s mindset toward the women who end up at the Colony and in her care is, to her mind, not only a challenge, but a frustration. Her personal backstory plays into her attitude and what she views as their “rehabilitation.” If I am gracious about Baker, and her efforts, I’d say she’s a woman of the times, meaning, in those days, there were strict rules as to how one should or shouldn’t act. Society expected and wanted June Cleaver. (The June Cleaver role model was more than a decade later – but, she’s a good example.) Instead, there was this idea that communities were being threatened by women who’s values, morals, and way of life was less than desirable.

This is from a social worker in 1943, who wrote to the Office of War Information revealing a dissatisfaction with a situation in a city to not provide adequate oversight on women either deemed as prostitutes or promiscuous. She stated “the failure of the City to cooperate by action rather than words . . . is sabotaging the war effort just as effectively as any Japanese espionage.” The expectation of women was conformity to the common standards, as in, by a certain age, one should be married and raising a family. This path to proper womanhood wasn’t seen as infringing on personal freedoms. If you didn’t, you might find yourself under scrutiny, and under the watchful eyes of someone like Dorothy Baker.

Baker’s tarnished past involved some questionable “training” practices, which got her into trouble. This adds to her sense of urgency to maintain control. She doesn’t want a repeat of that past because she’s worked hard to restore the confidence of those she views as her peers as well as her superiors. She’s well known for her ability to successfully “reclaim” women, but she often thinks and believes no one understands how hard she works toward improving these troublesome lives.

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Chapter 4
Baker

If every incoming resident were like Stella Temple, her job would be much easier.

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Question of the Week!

There are several comparable titles for #WomenofaPromiscuousNature that have been used by my publisher to help position the book in the market. One is Girl, Interrupted by Suzanne Kaysen, and the other one is The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood. One is non-fiction about landing in a mental hospital erroneously (from the sound of it) and the other is dystopian/speculative fiction, and is about powerless women and loss of agency as well as reproductive rights in a world where males have consummate power.

I just finished Girl, Interrupted. I don’t know where I’ve been, but, I just learned about this book and when I bought it (after hearing it was a comp book) I saw I was getting the 30th Anniversary Edition. Either way, I read it, and found it highly entertaining, and yes, different from mine – very much so – but it still dealt with someone who questioned whether or not she should’ve been institutionalized. As always, I wrote a review you can check out on Goodreads.

In Girl, Interrupted,  it was scary to know there was a time when one moment with a supposed qualified medical individual resulted in going off for a “rest,” and her family did little, or nothing to prevent it. How does something like that happen? It seems all it takes is a word, a thought expressed, or a series of behaviors that get can put someone under scrutiny. It made me think, could this happen today? (Girl, Interrupted just had it’s 30th anniversary edition published recently)

If you’ve read either of the above comp books, what was your takeaway from them?

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Free Read!

I’ll choose one individual who answers the question to win a signed copy of one of the backlist books. Again, it’s reader’s choice of one of my backlist books, but, this week I have copies of ALL backlist books to choose from to include The Education of Dixie Dupree, The Road to Bittersweet, The Forgiving Kind, The Moonshiner’s Daughter, The Saints of Swallow Hill, or When the Jessamine Grows.

The winner is selected and announced here by Monday a.m. 

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PRE-ORDER – Because It Really Matters!

Pre-orders gauge the interest and signal to the publisher readers are eager for an author’s next work. If you’re holding out because you might win an ARC or a finished copy from First Sentence Friday, remember you can always give away the extra as a gift to a reader friend. 😉

Pre-order links for your convenience:

• Bookshop.org
• Kensington Publishing Corporation
• Barnes & Noble
• Books-A-Million
• Amazon
• Hudson Booksellers
• Target
• Walmart

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Social Media

Last, but not least, don’t forget to:

• Add Women of a Promiscuous Nature to your Goodreads “To Read” shelf
• Share this post with your reader friends
• Follow me on Goodreads, Twitter, Facebook, Bookbub, or my blog!

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