A moving and incredibly well-written novel about Maternity homes and the widespread forced adoptions that took place among young, unwed mothers in the 1960s. I really enjoyed that the story was told through two girls, giving insight into two very different experiences some these young girls had. Doreen gets pregnant with a Black man's baby, a very taboo thing at the time. Her mother sends her off to the Holy Family maternity house where she meets Margie, a young girl who was raped. While Margie ends up being forced to give her son up for adoption, Doreen is lucky enough to manage to keep her daughter.

The story also follows these two women's lives after their time in the home and how their experiences haunt them for years afterwards. I enjoyed Doreen's experience raising a biracial girl on her own and Margie's attempts to start a new life while never being able to forget about the baby she lost. Heartbreaking and eye-opening, this is a must read, especially for fans of Looking for Jane (coincidentally also published March 1st). Highly recommended for fans of historical fiction based on real events. Much thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for my advance listening copy!

1960s Chicago.
Two teenagers, Margie and Doreen, find themselves pregnant and unmarried, through very different sets of circumstances. One is madly in love with her boyfriend; the other is assaulted by her employer.
Both end up at Holy Family, a home for unwed expectant mothers, in order for their families to avoid the shame associated with their sin. Choices are made for them, closed adoptions are arranged, even their real names are kept secret at the home so that they can erase that chapter in their history altogether. Except it doesn't quite work out that way.

This is a historical fiction covering a period that seems close but feels so far from today. It is well-written, compelling, and fascinating in its dual narrator perspective. It is also heartbreaking.
I appreciated the way the author set the story over several years instead of concentrating only on the period spent within the home. How the relationships between characters evolved (or not) and how each of the girls grows and finds peace make this book what it is. The book is certainly about moral expectation and cruelty of authority figures. But it is first and foremost about two women who survived it all.

Recommended.

I received a free audiobook ARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
I'm so glad I was able to follow Doreen and Margie in The Myth of Surrender. They were both very compelling characters and the story of decision made for them was very intriguing and sometimes heartbreaking to read. As a parent it's really hard to hear and think about the issues they faced and the stigma surrounding the topic in that era (but also to this day). The narrator does an excellent job of capturing the tone as well, it was very easy to get into. Overall this made for a great read/listen!

*I received a free audio ARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.*

Poignant, deep, thought-provoking. <i>The Myth of Surrender</i> covers a dark period of our history which most are still unaware of - the Baby Scoop Era, when thousands of babies were torn from unwed mothers and adopted out.

It may not have moved me as much as it did were I not a mother. Throughout the book I kept imagining the trauma of going through this myself - pressured, hidden, shamed. Going into birth blind and then being coerced while still under the influence of twilight sleep drugs to sign my child away forever. The anguish of losing your child. The stress on the baby. It makes you think of the many deep seated issues that culminated in these events. It provides insight into where we are today with how we view life, motherhood, and adoption.

In the process, <i>The Myth</i> manages to tackle other issues which were equally important in its time and which we are still dealing with today in many ways. It does so beautifully, all while telling an engaging story that held my attention the entire time.

Such a good book! I would highly recommend it.

I picked up this book for the cover and intriguing title, and I stayed for Doreen and Margie. They are such dynamic characters that I couldn’t help but root for and fall in love with. Both of them are so different, but it was a great experience to read about how these very different characters went through similar experiences with very different outcomes.

A compelling story about loss, female strength, the power of love, and motherhood, this book caught me off guard with how emotionally invested I became in the girls, their children, and all other relationships in their lives. Listening to them start apart, go through a traumatic experience together at Holy Family, be separated for years, and then find each other again was emotional and amazing.

This book also does a great job of highlighting the treatment of young unwed pregnant girls and the trials and tribulations they have, both if they keep the child and if they give the child up for adoption. I recommend this book to anyone looking for an moving story about motherhood and youth.

Girls in Trouble

An incredible story of girls lives interrupted. Choices made for them by others and life changing events which would always be with them. Young and frightened, scared and ashamed they all came to the Holy Family home for wayward girls. They were told it was for the best that they could just resume life as it was before afterwards, but it wasn't true. Life did not resume afterwards it was changed for them forever.

The Holy Family home for wayward girls was not a nice place to be. The nuns criticized, belittled and shamed the girls and some were cruel. The doctor and the hospital were rude and uncaring not treating the girls as humans with feelings. These young pregnant girls were sent from their homes to this strange place with no one to talk to about the birth, their babies and what to expect.

In this era in history over 1.5 million women relinquished their babies in what is now known as "The Baby Scoop Era". Coerced and shamed into giving them away for adoption by their parents, the nuns and the hospital staff, they often signed papers under the effects of anesthesia.

The story follows two such girls Doreen and Margie. Doreen keeps her daughter and Margie signs her son away for adoption.

They both suffer from this event. Their families are not supportive of them and criticize everything they do. They are not trusted. Doreen soon learns the challenges and frustrations along with the joys of being a single parent. Margie keeps her son a secret but she anguishes over the decision every day. She only wants to know if he is okay.

This affects their lives in every way possible and especially in relationships. They hold secrets from anyone they meet. Doreen keeps her daughter a secret and Margie never tells the secret of her son to anyone. They both suffer mentally as they struggle to regain control of their lives.

This was an interesting book, and the characters were well placed. The narration was clear and understandable. I enjoyed listening to this audio book
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Thanks to Kelly O'Connor McNees for writing the story, to Carlotta Brentan for a great job narrating it, to HighBridge Audio for publishing it and to NetGalley for making it available to me.

This book was fantastic! I felt completely caught off guard by how much I was enjoying listening to this book. The topics were difficult and frustrating to be a bystander for - shame, fear, the weight of secrets, etc. Stepping into the past and walking alongside Doreen and Margie as they navigate a culture that devalues them and tries to steal their agency was a hard journey, but one I'm glad I made!

RTC on GoodReads, Amazon, and YT :)