Welcome back! It’s the 14th 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
As soon as I saw the sentence for this week, I knew had so much to say.
First, some might wonder why I chose to tell this story in 1941 and that timing was for two reasons. In WWI, venereal diseases impacted a significant percentage of soldiers and from this came the Chamberlain-Kahn Act, passed in 1918, which became known as the American Plan. This was a government program that allowed the military, police and public officials to quarantine or hold women suspected of having STIs until cured. I had mentioned before that even though the United States hadn’t entered WWII yet, the government was, once again, closely watching what was going on overseas.
The military didn’t want another potential security risk since infected soldiers receiving treatment were unable to fight. Just before the United States became involved in WWII, the American Plan was ramped up again as a precaution. It was the epitome of government overreach toward women. It bears repeating that Nevada is the only state that allows prostitution, now called “sex work,” and these individuals were the actual targets of the American plan. At first, it was the “good time” girls who hung out at dance halls, pool halls, or bars. At some point local communities, along with law enforcement began to target “reasonably suspicious” women. Suddenly, any woman was at risk for questioning, just like my character Ruth Foster, as she walked to work one morning. Little did she know she’d been under surveillance.
The second reason had to do with treatments. Penicillin had been discovered, but hadn’t been released for use in the public yet. You can pretty much ignore everything on this graph except the the bubble all the way to the left with the date of 1940, and the statement just after it with the following time frame of 1943. I wanted readers to know what women went through, some who never had the disease at all. As if what they were going through wasn’t enough, false positives with the Wassermann test were common.
Anyone undergoing treatment for these types of diseases relied on what was available and what was available was essentially poison. Neosalvarsan, once called Salvarsan 606, contained arsenic. Following those shots, patients were also treated with mercury shots. The women at these facilities sometimes called them the “mercuries.” They suffered many debilitating side-effects because the drugs are likened to chemotherapy. Any of you (myself included) who’ve had chemo know exactly how it makes you feel.
The first drug, Salvarsan, was very painful to inject and took a long time because it had to be done slowly. In addition, due to the powder form, unless the person administering it was very careful in mixing it, arsenic poisoning could occur. Eventually, it was replaced by Neosalvarsan which was more soluble, and contained less arsenic, but it was still a dangerous drug to administer and receive.
Some of the side effects were nausea, vomiting, diarrhea and if taken long enough (it could take months to years for treatments to work) rashes, liver damage and hearing loss were possible. Then? Enter the “mercuries,” given in conjunction with Neosalvarsan with the hope it could prevent relapses. Mercury is the drug that caused hair loss and issues with gums and teeth. Many women were never the same again.
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Chapter 14
Ruth
Ruth is about to receive another series of shots and the thought of what comes with this overwhelms her with dread.
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Question of the Week!
It’s back to school, so this means homework time! 🧐 Google (or use your choice of a search engine, or ChatGPT) and tell me what you’re able to find when you put in this phrase:
What did the general population in the 1930s and 40s think of farm colonies or detention hospitals for women? Put your findings in the comments area of this blog, or out on Facebook – whichever you prefer!
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Free Read! Advance Reader Copy!
The winner is announced here Monday a.m.
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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
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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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Public perception of farm colonies and detention hospitals for women in the 1930s and 40s was largely negative. These institutions were often viewed as punitive rather than rehabilitative, reflecting societal attitudes towards women, particularly those who were marginalized or deemed deviant.
Stigmatization of Women
Women sent to these facilities were often seen as morally questionable or socially undesirable.
The stigma surrounding mental health and social issues contributed to a lack of empathy.
Concerns About Conditions
Reports of poor living conditions and harsh treatment in these facilities fueled public outrage.
Many believed these institutions were more about control than care.
Influence of Gender Norms
Traditional gender roles influenced perceptions, with women expected to conform to societal norms.
Deviations from these norms often led to harsh judgments and support for confinement.
Calls for Reform
Some advocacy groups began to push for reform, highlighting the need for better treatment and understanding of women’s issues.
However, these voices were often drowned out by prevailing negative attitudes.
Despite all sorts of justifications, according to Google AI,
“By the 1930s, cracks were appearing in the system’s public perception.
Focus on humane care: Some institutions, like the Rockhaven Sanitarium in California, focused on more humane, restorative care, though they were not the norm.
New legislation: The UK’s Mental Treatment Act of 1930 signaled a small shift by encouraging voluntary admission to reduce the stigma of formal “certification”.
Whistleblowers: Investigative journalism and personal accounts from former patients and reformers brought public attention to the abuses and shortcomings of the asylum system.
Beginning of the end: The underfunding of the Depression and the personnel shortages of WWII contributed to the later deinstitutionalization movement. “
Despite the continuation of justifications, largely having to do with non-conformity and the largely male medical community’s pathological views of femininity and sexuality, in the 1940’s, much of the abuse and many of the barbaric practices came to light:(from Google AI):
“While many accepted the idea of confining “unstable” women, a series of public exposés revealed the shocking reality inside these facilities and began to shift public perspective in the mid-to-late 1940s.
Undercover journalism: In 1946, Life magazine published “Bedlam 1946,” an exposé documenting horrifying conditions inside state mental hospitals, which it described as little more than “concentration camps”.
High-profile book: The same year, former patient Mary Jane Ward published her autobiographical novel, The Snake Pit, which vividly detailed the abuses and dehumanization she experienced in a psychiatric facility. The book was later adapted into a popular film, further raising public awareness.
Exposing the brutal conditions: These accounts, along with reports from conscientious objectors who worked in these facilities, documented severe overcrowding, abuse by staff, and a lack of proper treatment. They revealed that the state’s care had failed to improve the quality of life for most patients.
The rise of reform: This public outrage over the exposés, especially following World War II, fueled the mental health reform movement, though it would be many more decades before deinstitutionalization took hold. “
These institutions were viewed by many with suspicion and concern. The public was outraged by the allegations of medical neglect and abuse in these institutions, with comparisons to Germany. This view was also held by prominent liberal politicians and public figures. They criticized the administration’s actions as un-American and a violation of human rights.
“During the 1930s and 1940s, the general population’s perspective on farm colonies and detention hospitals for women was complicated. Many supported these facilities as a tool for moral reform and social control, while others viewed them as exploitative and sexist. The perception of these institutions varied based on one’s class, race, and position on women’s rights. ”
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Donna,
The general population in the 1930s and 1940s was largely unaware of the extent and coercive nature of detention hospitals and farm colonies for women. While the existence of institutions for the “feeble-minded” and “delinquent” was public knowledge, the inner workings and abuses were hidden from view by both society and the institutions themselves.
This just blows my mind that the general population knew very little about what was happening in these farm colonies and detention hospitals. Just recently did I hear of this in a book I read “The Lies They Told” by Ellen Marie Wiseman.
I’m so looking forward to reading “Women Of Promiscuous Nature”.
Sincerely,
Susan
Yes! I’m familiar with Ellen Marie Wiseman’s latest. Probably the biggest differences between her story and mine is hers is centered primarily on immigration, treatment of immigrants, the classifications you mention, and being subjected to the eugenics movement, i.e. sterilizations.
In my book, it’s about detaining women (without due process) in those types of facilities based on looking/acting “reasonably suspicious.” Not unlike the Japanese-Americans who were rounded up during WWII and held in encampments.
During the 1930s and 1940s the general population view of farm colonies and detention hospitals for women was complicated ,reflecting a mix of institutional authority paternalism, and public’s indifference . While a growing number of justified reformers criticize the abusive conditions, the Public’s prevalence attitude often justified the detention of “ delinquent”or “morally- deficient “ women,. Public perceptions was influenced by traditional gender roles , the eugenics movement, and the perceived need to control a class of “unfit “women . They wanted to teach women how to sew, Wash and clean clothes keep the house clean, and take the kids to school every morning and do all the marriage duties in the bedroom. But what they didn’t understand these were things that all of us women already knew how to do. We were taught how to do these from the day that we were born as little children from our mother, so you see men didn’t need to teach us how to do that it was already installed in our blood as little children so you see that’s where all of this went wrong for them that’ll how stupid men are we don’t need to be told to do things like that! They’re the ones that need to be told to do things like that! Because it’s not installed to them as little boys, their mothers do everything for them or when they move out of the house it’s their girlfriend, or when they get married, it’s their wives that do everything for them just like when they were little boys living at home underneath their parents roof!!!
From AI… In the 1930s and 1940s, public opinion on farm colonies and detention hospitals for women was largely negative, marked by stigma, classism, and the influence of eugenics, which viewed these institutions as places for marginalized women, especially from working-class backgrounds, to be contained for “immoral” or “unproductive” behavior. While these attitudes supported the idea of controlling women deemed “undesirable,” the emerging hope for mental illness treatment and growing concern over exploitative labor gradually shifted public views, making such isolated, abusive institutions seem increasingly retrograde.