The Foundling by Ann Leary

This book is set in the 1920's America in an institution where women were essentially imprisoned until menopause. It is modeled on the historical institution of Laurelton State Village for Feeble-Minded Women of Childbearing Age, which operated in different forms between 1917 and 1998 in central Pennsylvania. Neither the fictional nor the actual facility are not benevolent group homes for women with intellectual disabilities. Instead, they were a locked facility for those deemed morally unworthy of giving birth. In this case there was a lot of money changing hands, as well as sending these young women into the hands of sexual abusers in exchange for monetary compensation and political clout. Eugenics came to prominence in the United States in the early 20th century, promoted by social reformers as a way of controlling “undesirable” elements. Perhaps not surprisingly, given the 21st century focus on just this, many of these efforts focused on the bodies of women, employing theories closely tied to the pseudoscience of white racial superiority. The setting resonates for the author, who found some evidence that her grandmother has worked in one such facility as a young woman, just like Mary in the fictional account. While the subject matter and the setting are demoralizing, the story itself is largely not, and I would recommend.