Welcome back! It’s the 8th week of First Sentence Friday/Free Book Friday!

*********************************************************

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 . . .

*********************************************************

First Sentence Friday Thoughts

When Ruth first arrives at the Colony Superintendent Baker uses the word “parole,” and suggests Ruth might get out sooner than she thinks. Ruth, already honed in on the idea of the type of place she’s being sent, feels justified in the thought she’s in a prison. This offends Baker, who is attempting a case of “don’t believe your lying eyes.” And actually, it’s more than what Ruth sees, it’s also what she experiences. (Like “meditation.”)

On top of this, when she goes to write her mother for the first time to explain where she is, and what’s happened, she ends up having to rewrite it. The nurse who works at the facility, Nurse Crawford, is the individual who gives her guidance on the do’s and don’ts. Essentially, every piece of correspondence is looked through before it is sent off to the post office. The same happens for any incoming mail. It sounds rather prison-like, doesn’t it? (Like in that movie. I can just seem them digging through that beautiful cake in the scene from Sounder.)

Historically speaking, this is accurate. For one, consider this passage out of The Trials of Nina McCall: “Even worse, was the “heavy rule of silence”– except for a handful of minutes each day, inmates were not allowed to speak or to even smile at one another. Disturbingly, the silence rule was all too common in the American Plan institutions.” (pg.109, Stern, 2018) It wasn’t only about speaking, sharing thoughts, or offering a smile, it was about controlling everything that was said, or written.

Information coming out of these institutions was carefully managed. Here is a bit of detail from the Milford Industrial Home in Nebraska about restrictions on mail: “The women lived under strict rules, waking up at 5 AM and had to be at work by 6. Lights were out by 9 PM, and the superintendent read all incoming and outgoing mail.”

Here’s a summary of how communication was enforced per my research:

“Likely Communication Restrictions in 1940s Farm‑Colony/Detention Hospitals”

*********************************************************

Chapter 8
Ruth

After the cryptic note to her mother, Ruth waits to see if anything might come of it, though it’s highly unlikely.

***********************************************************

Question of the Week!

My husband is in the mountains where there is limited, (very) phone service. It’s spotty at best, and he has to drive to a “wifi hotspot” at a service station to get a signal – and I think it’s one bar. It’s been pretty interesting, but what if something came up? An emergency? There are ways to figure out how to get word to him, or a message, but in this day of instant communication with our phones practically part of our DNA at this point, it can feel disconcerting.

Have you ever experienced a time where you couldn’t contact anyone? How did that make you feel?

***********************************************************

Free Read!

I’ll choose one individual who answers the question/s to win a signed copy of one of the backlist books.  It’s reader’s choice out of the following: The Education of Dixie Dupree, The Road to Bittersweet, The Forgiving Kind (with the original cover versus what’s shown here), 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. 

**************************************************************

PRE-ORDER Information

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

***************************************************************

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!

**************************************************************