Ruth Ann is living at The Virginia Colony for the Epileptic and Feebleminded in Virginia as the novel opens. She is treated as if she was feeble minded but the main reason she was there was because she was seen as an impure woman. She had been raped and was sent to the home when she got pregnant. Her mother is also a patient there. The women are treated terribly - they are forced to work all day and frequently beaten by the woman in charge. Ruth Ann's main goal is to find her baby that was taken away from her at birth and given to a couple. She plans an escape with the help of Clarence who is also at the home due to the fact that he was born with only one hand. She ends up back at the home after her failed escape and finds out that the doctor plans to sterilize her so that she can't have more children. The scientific belief at the time was eugenics. Many doctors believed that if the feeble minded and less desirable people were sterilized, that would limit the feeble minded in the next generation because of the belief that people who were not bright, would have children with the same problem. Dr. Price is performing this operation on many of the young girls at the home and Ruth Ann is the first one to really fight him on the issue. He hires a friend who is a lawyer to defend Ruth Ann so that he can get more publicity and agreement from the state that eugenics is the proper treatment for undesirable people. Ruth Ann is a fighter and much more intelligent that she is given credit for. Her goal in life is to live in the outside world and raise her baby. Will this case going to trial help her or will it uphold the practices of Dr. Price?

Ruth Ann is a well written and very likable character. Even though she is labeled as feeble minded, she is much more intelligent than many of the people around her. Her fight to stop her sterilization had me rooting for her all the way to the Supreme Court. This fantastic book was based on a true story about the legality of forced sterilization on people who were believed to be undesirable. ( )

I really enjoyed this powerful story. I enjoy historical fiction from time to time and was intrigued by the fact that this story was based on a true story. The fact that these events occurred less than one hundred years ago is almost shocking because everything about this story seems unreasonable and unfair. My heart ached for the things that Ruth Ann and the rest of the characters went through over the course of this story. I am so glad that I decided to give this book a try.

This book tells Ruth Ann's story, along with the other residents of the Virginia State Colony for Epileptics and Feebleminded. Ruth Ann was set to the institution after becoming pregnant as an unwed teen. Her mother is also at the institution but in a more secured area. Ruth Ann's baby, Annabel, was taken from her at birth and given to someone else to raise. Ruth Ann spends her days doing hard labor, often laundry, with some of the other residents and is punished quite severely if things go wrong. Ruth Ann wants nothing more than to raise her baby but nobody seems to want to see that happen. Instead, Ruth Ann is informed that she needs to have an operation that will make it so that she will never be able to have more children.

So many things made me angry about the things that happened to Ruth Ann. She is quite intelligent but is constantly told that she is feebleminded. Her real crime is that she was born poor and had to leave school after sixth grade to work. I hated the fact that the few men in power were making decisions about who was worthy of having children and often didn't even tell the patient the real reason for the surgery that they were having. Even the court cases seemed less about standing up for the individual's rights and giving Ruth Ann a voice than I had hoped to see.

Ruth Ann was a fantastic character. She was smart and resilient. She has been through a lot in her life but doesn't stop trying to do the best she can given her circumstances. She looks out for the younger girls and doesn't rock the boat all too often. There were a lot of great characters at the institution. Clarence was wonderful from the start and I liked him more and more as the book progressed. There were several other girls that were close to Ruth Ann and I thought that their stories added a lot to the book.

I believe that this is the first time that I have listened to Bethany Anne Lind's narration and I thought that she did a fantastic job with this book. I thought that her voice was perfect for Ruth Ann and she really brought her character to life. The other voices that she used were equally well done. I thought that she added a lot of emotion to the story which added to my overall enjoyment of the book.

I would recommend this book to fans of historical fiction. This was a very powerful story and I really appreciated the fact that she included some information about the actual case this book was based on at the end of the book. The book was based on the case Buck vs. Bell which was decided in 1927. Carrie Buck somehow became the person behind the case that has allowed countless forced sterilizations in the years since her case. In my opinion, what was done to Carrie was wrong as is every other instance of forced sterilization. It is hard to believe that to this date this case has yet to be overturned. K.D. Alden did a fabulous job with this book and I hope to read more of her work in the future.

I received a copy of this book from Forever (Grand Central Publishing) and purchased a copy of the audiobook. ( )

Ruth Ann Riley was taken advantage of and had a child out of wedlock in 1927. That was unacceptable at that time, and she was to blame for the predicaments she got herself into. Because of her situation, her child was taken from her and she was put into a home for epileptics and the feebleminded. The same place her mother currently is also. She is looked at as if she has no say, no rights and has no education.

Dr. Price tells Ruth Ann that she is going to be having an operation, but it will not hurt and it is for her best interest. Other’s have also gotten this procedure done and they have healed and are now fine. What is this procedure, she wants to know. Although Dr. Price acts as though she will not understand, he tells her she is to get her tubes tied. She does not need to have any more children because of her family history and the state does not want her to cause more burden and costs on them by having more. One was already one too many in their eyes.

Ruth Ann understands all too well what that means. She may not understand all of the medical terms he used, but how can he make such a decision on her behalf. Isn’t it her choice if she wants to have more children, and if he takes that from her she will never find a man to marry as she could not give him sires.

She decides to escape for two reasons. One is to attempt to get her baby back and second, she is not about to let anyone cut into her and take away her being able to have any more children. That is not right. She gets herself into a situation and asks the last person she thought she would for help with Dr. Price. That person does help her get a lawyer to plead her case and for now Dr. Price is not allowed to do any operation on her.

Although Ruth Ann sees others he is operating on instead, and they are in pain, sore, sick and told they had to have an appendectomy done. They really do not understand the truth of what happened to them. Ruth Ann’s case make it all the way to the Supreme Court but not with any help from the sleazy lawyer that took her case, pro bono and for the wrong reason.

This story just flowed and I could not read fast enough. I cannot believe that this is based on a true story and the ultimate outcome that came out of it all, and that it still stands to this day! I loved that the author included details in the back as to what was true and what was fiction, and also information on the actual case this is based on. Thank you to Forever Publishing for the free novel and to Historical Fiction Virtual Book Tours for the invite! ( )

This is a story that came about from a true happening, and when you finish this page turner story, be sure to read the author’s notes!
The horrors perpetrated in this story are true, and as you read in the book description it is based on a real Supreme Court Case.
Your heart will break for Ruth Ann, how wrong and small minded this doctor and lawyer are, and the victim’s can do nothing to stop what happens to them.
This is a book that is going to linger and one you will be taking about, so much injustice and power, but be aware this law is still on the books and it is perfectly legal.
I loved that we are given epilogue, and we continue with Ruth Ann’s life and how this story played out!
I received this book through Net Galley and the Publisher Forever, and was not required to give a positive review. ( )