North Carolina was one state that continued through the 1970s; the practice of steralizing both men and women of minority race or of poor upbringing. Necessary Lies is about two women affected by the Eugenics program in North Carolina.
Ivy was a poor tobacco worker who along with her sister Mary Ella and her grandmother Nonnie were frequently visited by social workers who helped provide them with supplemental food and clothing.
Their social worker, Jane, was new to the job and when she found out that Ivy was next in line (after her sister) to be steralized, she decided that she had to do something about it.
This story pits Ivy and Jane against state law and draws out a story both rivetting and realistic making the reader root for the characters. The author did a lot of research on eugenics and provides an accurate backdrop for the novel.
If you would like to learn more about eugenics, you can read an NPR story or a story from another website I found - both do a good job of depicting the horror of eugenics.
Rating: 9 / 10
ISBN: 9781250010698
Publisher: St. Martin's Press
Edition: 1st Edition