Book review: Women of a Promiscuous Nature by Donna Everhart
Genre: Historical fiction
Release date: January 27, 2026
Goodreads rating: 4.27
My rating: 5
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Women of a Promiscuous Nature is a hard story to read but I’m very glad I did as I was not aware that this occurred in the US. As Everhart explains in the epilogue, a pattern of silence emerged after these events concluded due to the women involved feeling ashamed and marginalized, so I am giving this book a 5-star recommendation as I think it’s important for these events in history to be known.
This story is inspired by the US Government’s ‘American Plan’ that ran from 1927 to 1945. At this time, the government judged it a matter of national security to eliminate sexually transmitted diseases and blamed women for this issue. This resulted in the mass incarceration in ‘reform schools’ of women randomly judged to be ‘promiscuous’.
The story is told from the points of view of three main characters: Dorothy Baker (the headmaster of the reform school) and residents Stella and Ruth.
I got very attached to Ruth and Stella… they became real people in my mind, as did some of the secondary characters. I was invested in their experiences.
What quickly emerges is the reality that women were the primary rulers of these institutions and believed that their efforts and abusive measures were in the best interest of their residents. Everhart uses the characters to highlight the complexity of how this came to be and how women’s limited rights and vulnerability in that day’s society resulted in this heartbreaking context.
I think this book will generate lots of important discussions. It is perfect for book clubs (and Everhart provides excellent book club questions in the epilogue as well).
Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for granting me an advance copy in exchange for my honest review.
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