I liked this book! It had a great storyline and pretty good pacing. I think the characters were interesting and I would like to read this book in a book club to see others thoughts and opinions of it. Overall I enjoyed this book!

Thank you to NetGalley, the author, and the publisher for this ARC in exchange for my honest review!!!

A haunting novel that twist and turns between 2022. and the late 1920's
Our protagonist Jessa Gidney is working non stop to become a partner in her law firm. So hard, the stress might be an obstacle to her and her husband becoming pregnant. During her hours donated by her firm she meets a young woman that may be deported. When she hears her story she dedicates her time and energy to assisting her.

In alternating chapters we learn about Carrie Buck, taken from her mother, she is raised as an orphan. When she becomes pregnant, her story creates ripples that reach all the way forward to 2022.

Friedland weaves the two together seamlessly and tells a tale that you will never forget. This is an important story for right now!
#harpermuse #countingbackwards #jacquelinefriedland

1927 Virginia - Carrie Buck has lead a life of hardship. Taken from her mother and fostered by a family who use her as an unpaid servant and farm hand she has not had it easy. But Virginia has some new laws and they will take more from Carrie then she ever thought possible.
2022 New York - Corporate lawyer Jess’s has taken on some pro bono work to help get her mind off her other problems. Appointed to help a young woman in an ICE facility she soon learns that this facility is taking a lot more then the inmate’s freedoms. Determined to make everyone responsible pay for the atrocities committed Jessa starts work on a class action suit. But the case will bring some skeletons out of her own closet and put a strain on her marriage and reputation.
This is not the first time I’ve read about the eugenics programs in the US but every time I am blown away at how widespread and long lived it was. And how well it was covered up.
Carrie’s story is based on a real case by a woman of the same name.
For the most part I enjoyed this book but I did think Jessa’s story was a bit more focused on her and her own problems. I would have maybe enjoyed having one of the inmates perspectives or more of Carrie’s story and a little less of Jessa. It was an interesting read though.
Thank you to @harpermusebooks and @netgalley for letting me have an advanced copy for review. Look for #countingbackwards March 11 2024.
#bookstagram #bookstagrammer #bookworm #bookreview #booklover #readmorebooks #readersofinstagram

I received this book for free and I write this comment voluntarily. Let me brag about myself a little. I do choose the best ARCs. I am generally reluctant to give five stars to contemporary novels (because if Dostoyevsky is your five star how could give you five stars to anything) but this time I am giving out a full five stars. This novel is very timely, I wish it is published right now, given that it explores areas of woman rights, immigration laws and family relationships. We have two stories in the novel, one is Jesse's and the other is Carrie Buck's. Taking the real life story Carrie Buck and integrating it into a novel with a legal and fictional perspective is just great. The author is a law graduate which makes novel even more interesting. If you have never heard of Carrie Buck, do not research until you finish the novel so that you would be more surprised. I thank the author, NetGalley and the publisher for this free novel.

I was given an ARC by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Jessa, a lawyer and orphan has built herself the perfect life, so she thinks. After losing her parents, she is determined to have a cozy world and a family, the perfect investor husband, nice apartment, working her way up to partner at her law firm...until one day she takes a simple pro bono case that turns her world upside down. Jessa meets with Isobel over a deportation case but quickly discovers multiple women have been forcibly sterilized in ICE detention centers. Through another person's struggles Jessa quickly learns to stand on her own feet to advocate for an underserved population. Jessa is determined to fight this fight and do what no one will to protect the Jane Does who were affected, being forced to reassess everything around her as she does. Devastating, informative, alarming, inspiring, infuriating. Friedland, inspired by the Carrie Buck case of 1927 has delivered a book that will live in your mind for years to come, that reminds us that women's bodies have been controlled by others for many many years, and it is still happening today.

Jacqueline Friedland’s Counting Backwards is a gripping, emotionally charged novel that weaves together the stories of two women—Jessa Gidney, a lawyer uncovering a shocking medical malpractice conspiracy within an ICE detention center, and Carrie Buck, a young woman caught in the legal battles of the American eugenics movement. Alternating between the past and present, Friedland crafts a powerful narrative that dives deep into issues like reproductive rights, incarceration, and society’s expectations of women. Jessa’s discovery of her personal ties to Carrie’s case adds a haunting layer to an already compelling story, reminding us that progress is rarely a straight line and often comes at great cost. With its timely themes and unforgettable characters, Counting Backwards is an important, thought-provoking read that will stay with you long after the final page.

Counting Backwards focuses on past and current justices against women with a cast of characters who are motivated to expose the truth. This is a story filled with riveting conspiracy that is engaging to follow.

i gravitated toward this one because of the cover, it's reminiscent of "ripe" by sarah rose etter, so it was an immediate tell that this book would have layers. from feeling heartbreak and sympathy to anger, it's just an unreal storytelling adventure that everyone should experience.

This is my second novel by this author and her novels are one to read. I always learn something new. The cover of a pomegranate and the title grabbed by attention and after reading the story I knew what exactly the over conveyed. The publisher nailed the cover.

This novel takes us on a journey in 1927 was we follow Carrie Buck who is denied medical rights and the injustices that are done to her and countless women.

The other timeline is in 2022, as Jessa is a lawyer taking on a medical malpractice case while struggling with her own fertility issues.

See how these timelines connect. These two women and their resilience, and their tenacity as they struggle to find out their strength was remarkable.

A heart-wrenching novel on a tough subject.

This novel and their stories will stay with me a long time.

I love the author’s writing style which makes her books hard to put down! This book explores timely themes and is set in present day and in the past- a must read for those who also love historical fiction. Releases in March- A pre-order!

This book is so timely. Inspired by a 2020 story of women in ICE detention who had medical procedures without their consent and Carrie Buck's story in the 1920s, this book focuses on bodily autonomy, women's rights, immigration rights and grief. I loved the present day story with Jessa and her journey with understanding herself and her own personal grief. While I've read books that have had eugenics as a topic, this was the first I have heard of Carrie Buck's case. This book is moving and should be required reading. Thank you to NetGalley and Harper Muse for a chance to read this one early in exchange for an honest review.

This is historical fiction that is absolutely applicable today and the perfect story to get more Americans to open their eyes. As a lover of the law, I really enjoyed following Jessa's legal career and looking back at the Supreme Court case, as well as seeing how she moved forward with this case. Jacqueline gives us a great inside look at what being an attorney is like while also bringing to the forefront the issue of eugenics, the American prison system, reproductive rights and so much more. Many in America have forgotten or closed their eyes to what has happened in the past, what is currently happening and what needs to be done in our country. This book is perfection in bringing it all to light and in a captivating way.

“She could rarely be found without her e-reader, and its extra large font, somewhere close by.”

Jessa wants nothing more than to be a mother. When she gets passed over for partner at her law firm, she decides to take on a pro bono case and ends up working to help someone that is detained for deportation by ICE. Their first meeting however, lets her know more than she ever expected. Her client had a life changing surgery, without her knowledge, ending her ability to have children, and it seems to be a common trend for others as well. Her husband Vance just wants her to take a break and relax, not get so wrapped up in this case. However, around 100 years ago, Carrie was removed from her mother’s care and put into foster care. All she wants is to leave and make a life with a family of her own. When she gets pregnant in the worst way, they declare her feeble minded and decide to make her their test case. Carrie’s case opened up a new plan for those deemed “unfit” and left the door open for horrifying situations for women for over 100 years.

ALL FIVE BEAUTIFUL BRIGHT STARS! Ok so first of all….I started this book and was enjoying, and then I hit the quote above and lost it. All the tears. I was laying in bed just sobbing. As many of you know I lost my Grandfather earlier this year and this was him. He always had this kindle on him, and the font was massive. Reading this line I immediately saw him in his reading spot and just had all the feels. So that was a great start for this one, but damn if it didn’t only go up from there. If there is ever a time where you have to read the authors note, this book is it. The fact that this was happening so recently is horrifying and honestly I am worried for what the current administration will do. This book was heartbreaking, and horrifying. I loved that Jessa was so determined to fight this case, and Carrie’s story will seriously rip your heart out. I dm’d Jackie while reading and let her know I couldn’t tell if I really disliked Vance, or if it was just the name Vance, but I kind of feel like it was a bit of both! I seriously don’t even know what to say other than you need to read this book! It was absolutely phenomenal and my first full 5 star read of 2025.

Thank you to @harpermusebooks for my gifted copy of this book!

I’m not even sure where to begin with this review…this book is absolutely one of the best I’ve read in a long time. The subject matter is so important- women’s reproductive rights, the idea that eugenics is still being carried out over a century later, and how immigrants in America are treated as 2nd class humans. Based on a real-life case from the 1920’s and bounces back and forth between then and 2022, the author does an incredible job combining facts with a fictional style to make the book flow smoothly. This is a MUST READ!!

Jessa spent the last several years trying to prove why she deserved partner at her Manhattan law firm but after continuing to be passed over she’s ready to live life on her own terms.

Her and her husband are trying for a baby and after being told she needs less stress in her life she’s ready to step back at work. This leads her to a pro bono case fighting against the deportation of Isobel Perez.

When Jessa goes to the detention facility to meet Isobel, she learns of gross medical malpractice against the women who are held there.

Then we meet Carrie Buck. Carrie grew up poor in the 1920s and wrongly ended up in a home for the “feeble minded.”

Jessa and Carrie’s stories end up connecting and the parallels between what Carrie went through in the 1920s and what women at detention centers in 2022 are disgustingly similar.

The author did a phenomenal job with research and making her facts feel attainable to the reader.

The way men continue to think they know what’s best for women’s bodies is enraging. The way that the poor are treated, taken advantage of and then threatened against taking retaliation is sick. The fact that this is still present day… sick.

Read this book!

But take mind for trigger warnings.

Thanks to @netgalley for this e-arc! Out 3/11!✨✨✨

I binge-read this in 24 hours and it was such a compelling read. Based on actual events, it is chilling reminder that exploitation of women can take many forms.

I've read powerful stories about motherhood and loss, but none like this. The grief that the characters suffered from forced sterilization just made me feel sad and distressed. While I don't have or intend to have children, at least I know that I made that choice myself. And it was only made worse with the dual timeline, knowing that it didn't happen just in the past but continued even less than a decade ago.

No less interesting was Jessa's personal situation, her trauma and insecurities about getting pregnant and needing that last link to biological family to feel complete.

Highly recommend this one!

This novel was so gut-wrenching but also a super necessary read that left me both heartbroken and enraged.

The dual timeline connected Jessa's modern-day legal battle with Isobel's harrowing fight against medical injustice to the true story of Carrie Buck, a young woman caught in America's dark history of eugenics. The way the author ties these stories together - unearthing the horrors of forced sterilization, reproductive control, and the dehumanization of vulnerable women - makes this such an emotional and thought-provoking read.

Jessa's character is especially powerful as she transitions from a corporate lawyer to a woman willing to risk everything to stand up for those who have been silenced. Meanwhile, Carrie's storyline is devastating, as her real-life Supreme Court case (Buck vs. Bell) cemented a horrifying legal precedent that still echoes today.

What makes this book so hard to read - and so necessary - is how relevant it still feels. The discussion around reproductive autonomy, the treatment of immigrants, and the systemic control of women's bodies are terrifying in the context of current events. It's infuriating to realize that the same systems of power and oppression that shaped Carrie's fate continue to dictate the lives of marginalized women today.

This book is not just a novel - it's a call to awareness and action! I've been processing this book for weeks and it's still unsettling to me. While it was an emotional and exhausting read, it's one I would recommend to anyone that's willing to confront the uncomfortable truths of our past and present.

An absolutely unforgettable read! Please check it out!

Told in two timelines, this story explores a range of powerful themes:

• Eugenics and Bodily Autonomy

• Immigrant Detention and Legal Representation

• Inherited Secrets and Family Legacy

• Fertility Challenges and Marriage Dynamics

"I knew it was hard to believe. Here we were in 2022, and women were being sterilized against their will. I still couldn’t parse out what would be motivating the doctor, the guards, the government, to let this happen. Was it because the women were foreigners? People of color? Less educated? Or was it a scam involving money from insurance payments? Maybe all of the above."

2022: Jessa, a lawyer working on a pro bono immigration case at a local detention center, discovers that her client underwent an invasive medical procedure without consent. As she digs deeper into her client’s case, Jessa uncovers a disturbing pattern of abuse and retaliation within the facility.

1924: Carrie, sent to the Virginia State Colony for Epileptics and Feebleminded after enduring a grim childhood, sexual assault, and resulting pregnancy, learns she has been wrongly labeled an 'imbecile'. The facility brings a case to court under a new law that would permit her forced sterilization.

I couldn't put this book down! The Author's Note was fascinating and made me want to learn more. I've already downloaded two books from her Additional Reading recommendations:

📖 No Justice in the Shadows: How America Criminalizes Immigrants by Alina Das

📖 Imbeciles: The Supreme Court, American Eugenics , and the Sterilization of Carrie Buck by Adam Cohen

Fantastic read about a very important topic that was handled beautifully. I liked the movement between the two timelines and how the stories were inter-related. I definitely needed to read something lighter afterward but this was so so good!

Five stars just aren’t enough for this brilliant historical fiction story! Told in dual timelines, the connection that weaves the two protagonists together is heartbreaking and timely. In present day NYC, Jessa Gidney is a married 30-something, smart and hardworking corporate attorney who has been passed over to become partner. When the opportunity to work on a pro bono case involving detained immigrant women is offered, Jessa jumps on the case. But what she discovers is a horrifying medical practice occurring within the prison walls to the detainees. In 1920’s Virginia, 6-year old Carrie Buck is put into foster care by the children’s state agency. As she matures, she is sent to The Colony, a facility for “feebleminded” women, though she is far from feebleminded. Carrie finds herself the subject of a court case to give the facility permission to provide medical procedures resulting in her inability to have children. This is a story that explores eugenics, a practice that began pre WW2 and continues to this day in the United States. But it is so much more. It is the story of the mistreatment of immigrants, the injustices surrounding women’s reproductive rights and the resilience, strength and fortitude of women across all ages and status in our society. Carrie Buck was a real woman. The trial she was involved in was a real trial. This story will remain with you long after you’ve turned the last page as the issues are still very relevant to today’s world. Be sure to read the Authors Notes.

Thank you NetGalley, Harper Muse and Jacqueline Friedland for allowing me the opportunity to read this very important story in exchange for my honest opinion. Publication: March 11

Counting Backwards is the Erin Brockovich of our time.

'Counting Backwards' is a story is based on the real life eugenics atrocity of Carrie Buck in the 1920s. It is brought into glaring, contemporary relevance, with disturbing forced sterilisation cases in an immigrant detention centre. The horror of what has passed, and what has only more recently happened, is connected by a disturbing tether.

This is a confronting tale. One that not only delves into a past, murky history regarding women's rights but sadly the continued saga around women's reproductive choices. Telling this type of story was always going to be difficult to tell. To that end, I did find it hard to connect with the contemporary character, Jessa, at times. However, it is another story that needs to be told and the author's notes are a must read to really appreciate the complexity of this topic.

Excellent and thought provoking. If I’m being honest, the cover doesn’t correlate to the story but I may be missing something!

Jessa is working toward partner at her law firm. She’s in love with her husband and is desperately trying to get pregnant. All of these things are problems in her life but she doesn’t know it, until she does. She learns about these things and so much more as the story unfolds.

Advanced reader copy provided by Harper Muse and NetGalley but all opinions are my own

Heart wrenching but beautiful novel

It's 2022. Jessa is a successful corporate lawyer. She becomes increasingly obsessed with getting pregnant as this has always been her "life plan". When she takes on a pro bone case in immigration law, she gets a new perspective on fertility...

In the 1920s, Carrie Buck gets put in a foster home, while her mother is institutionalized. She doesn't get to finish school, ultimately gets raped, pregnant and ends up institutionalized as well. But her story doesn't end there...

This novel captivated me. The two timelines, alternating between each other, ultimately being connected more than the reader would have ever thought. The book is based on true events, which makes it even more heart wrenching. I can definitely recommend this book, a sad but worthwhile read.

If gripping factually based narratives with a ripped from the headlines feel are your thing, you’ll want to put Jacqueline Friedland’s latest novel on your radar. It is a powerful and compelling fictionalized narrative based on the eugenics practices used in the United States prior to WWII.

COUNTING BACKWARDS tells two stories across dual timelines. The primary plot line features attorney Jessa Gidney. Reeling from a recent miscarriage and being passed over for partner at her firm, her desperation to have a child is placing a wedge between Jessa and her husband. When she is assigned a pro bono case representing a woman held in an immigration detention center, she stumbles upon a horrible secret.

The second storyline centers on real-life Carrie Buck, a young woman who was caught up in and abused by the Virginia foster care system. An unplanned pregnancy results in her being made a ward of the state. What happens from there is horrific.

Friedland merges these storylines to create an important novel that doesn’t shy away from hard topics. For me, the mark of good historical fiction is the desire to do more research into the central themes of the book. I am now well down the rabbit hole of eugenics and the atrocities performed on vulnerable women made possible by a significant imbalance of power.

COUNTING BACKWARDS is not a comfortable read, but it’s an important one.

Thank you to NetGalley and Harper Muse for the advance reader copy. All options are my own.

This book follows Carrie Buck, who is denied medical rights, as well as the injustices meted out to her and other women in 1927.

In the alternate scenario, which takes place in 2022, Jessa is a lawyer battling her own infertility while taking on a medical malpractice lawsuit.

View the connections between these timeframes. It was impressive how resilient and persistent these two women were in their quest to discover their own strength.

A heartbreaking book about a difficult topic.

I will remember this book and their tales for a very long time.

Jessa Gidney is a high powered lawyer working on a pro bono immigration case when she stumbled upon a pattern of medical malpractice within an ICE detention center. This investigation leads her to uncover her own family history involved with Carrie Buck, the first woman involuntarily sterilized under Virginia’s eugenic laws.

I could not put this one down. It is a horrifying tale that’s made even worse by knowing the past timeline is based on a true story in American history. America has had a shameful past with eugenics, but not many are aware. Did you know involuntary sterilization was legal into the 1970’s in the state of Virginia?! This book sheds like on that and also how medical abuse and racism based on eugenic theories are still occurring. I enjoyed the present timeline, which is an Erin Brokovich type story, but absolutely hated the main character’s husband. Highly recommend this one!

“I had been robbed in all the ways that mattered to me. I had but one thing left, and that was my own heart.”

Counting Backwards comes out 3/11.

Eugenics. A word that strikes fear into most women. It really began to take shape in the 1920s. Just in time for Hitler to become fond of the idea and use it in the most horrific of ways. I need to back up a bit. This book will bring eugenics to the forefront of your mind. How it has been used in this country for decades. This is the perfect time for this book when women's reproductive rights are being taken away once again. Counting Backwards will have you stepping back into time. Pulling back the curtain on one family deeply guarded secret, being able to trust people, and to finally forgive.

Jessa has put everything into making partner at her law firm. When she is skipped over, she feels like she is losing a piece of herself. To find that spark Jessa decides to work on a pro-bono case at an ICE Detention Center. There she meets her client Isobel, who has been in this country since she was three. She cannot get sent back to her home country where she has no one. There is so much more to Isobel's story, the doctor at the detention center has taken something from Isobel without her permission. Jessa begins to dig and there is so much more going on. This journey makes Jessa's grandmother come forward with a secret of her own. One that left my mouth hanging open and my heart aching.

I loved the dual timeline between Jessa and Carrie. How the thread between the two stories weaves between the two stories, eventually turning it into one. The characters were phenomenally written. I hated Jessa's husband, again you pull the curtain back and really look there are many things you have missed at first glance. Thank you to Jacqueline Friedland, Harper Muse, and Austen Prose for my gifted copy.

An incredibly moving dual timeline story about infertility, forced sterilization and the continued fight for women's bodily autonomy that follows lawyer, Jessa Gidney as she takes on a pro bono immigration case only to find herself up against a conspiracy of forced eugenics for profit and also grapples with her crumbling marriage, attempts to get pregnant and learning about a dark family secret.

Based on real events, this book is shockingly relevant, highly emotional and a great example of women's courage to stand up against injustice. Perfect for fans of books like Only the beautiful by Susan Meissner and Take my hand by Dolen Perkins-Valdez or the Erin Brockovich case. Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early digital and audio copy and Uplit Reads for a gifted physical copy. This will definitely be a favorite read of mine in 2025!

CW: miscarriage, infertility, forced sterilization

Yesterday, Jacqueline Friedland released her new novel, Counting Backwards. Divided between the 1910s/1920s and today, it uncovers a horrific story about eugenics, forced sterilizations, and women who have little power over their reproductive health and personal lives. It’s inspired by the true cases of Carrie Buck in 1924 and what’s continued to go on even today in immigration detention centers. These very real issues are brought to the forefront in this powerful and timely novel.

Why I Chose This Book:
When I read the description of Counting Backwards, I knew I had to read this grim but vital novel. I first heard about forced sterilizations in a movie a few years ago and was curious to learn more about this awful practice. I also was drawn to the story of Jessa’s fertility and longing for a child, as well as a spotlight on immigrants.

What I Liked:
- Eye-opening account of forced sterilizations and eugenics. This book puts focus on the horrors of our past… but also of ongoing atrocities committed against woman, especially women of color and women who are immigrants. This will fuel your righteous outrage.
- Discussions around fertility and family. I went through a year-long fertility journey myself, and much of what Jessa is going through here rang true for me.
- Women’s career ambitions versus family goals. Why are women so often pushed to choose between the two, or seen as less than when they try to have both?
- Dual timeline between 1910s and 1920s Virginia versus 2022 New York.
- Inspiration from real life. I didn’t realize until after I’d finished the book that Carrie Buck was a real woman. I appreciated getting to see her story brought to life.

Final Thoughts
Counting Backwards is an excellent novel that shines a revealing light on the evils committed against women for the past century. It’s horrific to see eugenics in practice, harming tens of thousands of women. I loved following Carrie and Jessa’s stories, and despite how dark this goes, it offers some hope for change if more people stand up for each other. Jacqueline Friedland is an author I’m eager to read more from soon.

🚼 🅱🅾🅾🅺 🆁🅴🆅🅸🅴🆆 🚼

|| 𝘾𝙤𝙪𝙣𝙩𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝘽𝙖𝙘𝙠𝙬𝙖𝙧𝙙𝙨 by Jacqueline Friedland ||
Pub Day: March 11, 2025

It's no coincidence that I read this book during Women's History Month, as it heightened my awareness of how patriarchy and white supremacy disenfranchise minorities, women of color, and immigrants. 𝘾𝙤𝙪𝙣𝙩𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝘽𝙖𝙘𝙠𝙬𝙖𝙧𝙙𝙨 provides a stark view of the consequences when women are ensnared by these oppressive systems. This novel is not merely about two women across dual timelines; it powerfully illustrates how both protagonists, Jessa and Carrie, are connected to similar horrors of medical malpractice, unethical sterilizations, and profound loss, whether in 1927 or 2022. If you can read either character's story and remain unmoved, then your sensitivity meter is malfunctioning. Friedland's narrative compels you to finish quickly, research the real Supreme Court plaintiff, and find ways to protect women. You cannot read these stories without feeling deep pain, rage, and sadness for the victims.

Friedland exposes the grim legacy of eugenics and demonstrates how these oppressive principles persist in modern society, where immigrant women are deprived of their rights and their paths to motherhood in ICE detention centers. These women are denied dignity and respect due to their lack of citizenship, their status as women of color, and their absence of insurance. They are subjected to the whims of a flawed government and the pervasive influence of white supremacy, leaving them vulnerable and marginalized. This stark reality underscores the urgent need for systemic change to protect and uphold the rights of all women, regardless of their background.

In the context of anesthesia, counting backwards is meant to ease patients' anxiety. However, in this novel, it symbolizes the denial of women's rights to bodily autonomy. Moving forward, we must strive for a society where all women, regardless of their circumstances, can count on medical professionals and the government to protect them fully.

𝘾𝙤𝙪𝙣𝙩𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝘽𝙖𝙘𝙠𝙬𝙖𝙧𝙙𝙨 is a novel that will linger in your thoughts long after you've turned the last page. I rely on these stories and experiences to inspire change in our world. These narratives, no matter how triggering or traumatic, must be shared to ensure that no other woman suffers the same fate. Together, we can move forward and make a difference.

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Thanks @getredprbooks, author @jackiefriedland, and publisher @harpermusebooks for the gifted copy.

🏷 #CountingBackwards #JacquelineFriedland #historicalfiction #LegalThriller #WomensRights #WomensHistoryMonth #bookreview #Bookish #Bookstagrammer #BookLover #wellreadblackgirl

Until reading this book, I had never heard of Carrie Buck or her case in the 1920s. I’m very well aware of the history of Eugenics and the practice of force sterilizing female populations in an attempt to weed out “bad genetics”. It’s been going on a long time and still prevails today. But I was unfamiliar with this specific case.

Counting Backwards is based on this story and juxta supposes this 1920s case with a 2022 case of investigating similar treatment of women in immigration detention centers. This was an emotional book for me and left me with more questions about these situations than I realized. The main character in the 2022 perspective is a lawyer who is early in her marriage and trying to have kids, but they’re having a hard time getting pregnant and it’s something she’s always stressing about.

Then this pro bono case comes to light and she takes it as an attempt to do more good with her work. But as she engages the client, which is a woman being held in an immigration detention center, the woman mentions that they did a semi-forced procedure on her where her uterus needed to be removed. After some more prodding, she quickly finds out that many of the women, past and present, at this facility have undergone similar circumstances.

Comparing the present timeline with looks back at 1922 and 1924 where Carrie Buck was a poor, uneducated young woman, forced to provide physical labor as a “foster child” in someone’s home, she is taken advantage of and finds herself pregnant. Not sure what to do, she hides it as long as she can and when her “guardians” realize it, they send her off to a colony for dim-witted and feeble minded individuals. This is where the atrocities take place and a new eugenics law in Virginia provides the backdrop for mass sterilizing young woman in the poorer communities who they deem as unfit to pass on their genetics.

It’s a tumultuous and emotional journey through both of these cases. I really appreciated the care and love that Friedland poured into this story to bring this one to fruition because it’s worth the time to read and understand these dynamics. Every character is complex with their own set of challenges, but they are all respectfully presented as individuals. Carrie’s perspective was heart breaking as all of these things continue to happen to her and she’s really unaware of her abilities to push back and not let them do this to her. Even if it would have been futile at that time, every woman should understand that they cannot be taken advantage of like this.

An information and evocative read, it’s one to educate the masses and foster a reminder of that flame in all of us. We are not without our voices.

Thanks to Uplit Reads, NetGalley, and Harper Muse for access to digital ebook and audio versions of Counting Backwards. This book was a fantastic surprise. I truly enjoyed it, and I had trouble setting it down. I started reading it while doing a mini-brewery crawl in Providence, RI, last weekend. I switched and finished via audiobook while cooking dinner after I got home, and the narration was very well done. I wholeheartedly recommend both versions, as this is a top read so far in 2025! ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
This cover is stunning! Considering a lush pomegranate like this represents fertility, it’s extremely apropos for this book.
I didn’t anticipate my reaction to finishing Counting Backwards - I sat and cried for a solid 5 minutes thinking about what I had just read. The facts on which this novel was based truly upset me, as they had when the author learned them as a teenager. And that something similar could still be happening in the 21st century is just horrifying! I’m being purposefully vague, because I really want you to read this book. And if you have read it, let me know if you had a similar reaction!

The stories told in this book are absolutely heartbreaking and infuriating. This book is about injustice and forgiveness; regret and vindication. And I found myself unable to put it down until the very last page.

THOUGHTS 💭
⚖️ This book switches between present day (Jessa’s story) and the past (Carrie’s story). There’s a bit of mystery to this book as we try to sort out how these stories connect.
⚖️ The author does an amazing job with these characters’ backstories. Every chapter, whether focusing on the present or the past, presents characters with real-life issues (marriage in crisis, assault, midlife crisis, fertility issues, etc). I HAD to know what happened next for them.
⚖️ This book took a subject in the news and humanized it. I learned so much about forced sterilization that I didn’t know much before this read; thanks to the author for this book and the additional resources listed at the end!
⚖️ I loved watching our FMC Jessa come into her own and figure out what she needed to live a happy, fulfilling life.
⚖️ I finished this book feeling horrified, yet empowered. When will we stop allowing men to make laws governing a woman’s body? What a perfect read for women’s history month!

I’m so grateful to Jackie Friedland, Harper Muse Books, and Austenprose PR for the ARC of this book!

I think this book will be overlooked when it's first released, and that will be a shame because it was a fabulous read. The plot is relevant to today's political climate, and the dual timeline was well done. I became obsessed with both women's storylines. I will recommend this to many readers who love historical fiction and moving stories. Readers who love strong female leads and a close exploration of history (especially forgotten history) should be reading this one.

Another amazing historical read about family, DNA and women's choices. Jessa and her husband find their marriage straining as she struggles to get pregnant meanwhile still putting in tons of hours at the law office trying to make partner. When she takes on an ICE case and starts to dig into the woman's background and what has been happening at this facility she can hardly believe this is happening currently in the twenty first century. As she looks for guidance from her grandmother on how to proceed with this case, her grandmother tells her to look up the Buck court case from the 1920's. One that will shock as well as open up a long held secret about her family. During a time when women still didn't have many rights or choices, Carrie Buck sadly gets taken as a ward of the state where she is at their mercy and decisions. After she is taken advantage of, she becomes part of a paramount eugenics case that will affect the whole country. This book was so good! I loved how the stories all came together but it's sad to read that this is possibly still happening to under privileged women almost a hundred years later. Thank you to the author, Harper Muse and Austenprose tours for the complementary novel. This review is of my own opinion and accord

Well I was not expecting to read a novel quite so relevant to the issues we are facing in the US today, but here we are. Counting Backwards by Jacqueline Friedland is a dual POV historical fiction based on the true life story of Carrie Buck (and you can either google her if you’re not familiar with her Supreme Court case or leave it as a shocking surprise like I did). The story centers on Carrie’s story and is mirrored in Jessa’s modern day story revolving around a pro-bono client who has been detained by ICE and is the victim of some horrific medical malpractice. We learn about the flaws in the system as Jessa builds a case for her client who desperately needs to be reunited with her daughter. A far too realistic piece of fiction that I think is an incredibly important and powerful read for anyone who is even remotely aware of current events. I gave this one ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Thank you @jackiefriedland @harpermusebooks @austenprose @netgalley for the advanced copy, I’m so glad I read it.

Counting Backwards by Jacqueline Friedland is the perfect book to add to your March TBR in honor of Women's History Month. This book will be published March 11, 2025. I had the privilege of receiving an ARC from @getredprbooks @jackiefriedland @harpermusebooks
This book follows Jessa, who is a lawyer, as she takes on a case helping Isobel who has been arrested and is facing the possibility of being deported. As she works together with Isobel she learns disturbing information about how Isobel was treated when receiving medical attention.
Jessa learns of a woman named Carrie Buck, who nearly 100 years ago was facing her own medical malpractice and apart of a legal battle that was stripping her rights away.
I want to take note that Carrie Buck was a real woman who really faced all of the injustice that Jacqueline writes about.
This book is Historical Fiction with elements of true, heartbreaking story.
I think this story shows how in the course of 100 years we still have not made strides of progression when it comes to women's bodily autonomy and have a long way to go.
Jessa does whatever she can to help Isobel and the other women like her, who faced horrifying medical malpractice, while also dealing with her own possibilities of infertility and fighting for her marriage.
Jessa shows how women truly never stop and we are constantly having to do double the work just so people of power believe us and take us seriously.
This is truly a perfect book for women's history month as it explores a true story while also showcasing the reality so many women still face today.
I encourage every woman to read the story. It's beautiful, heartbreaking, and educational.
I wanted to share a quote from the story that really stood out to me. "People can be many things. Altruistic clinic directors, loving fathers, and yes, also bigoted, racist, intolerant scientist, responsible for great tragedies. Your legacy will be what you make it, and that is why you are defending these women, so the footprint you leave behind in the world is the exact opposite of the one my father left."
I think this quote really sums up what the story is all about.

I don’t even know where to begin with this review. Counting Backwards is an incredibly written book inspired by true events. The dual timeline tells the story of Carrie Buck, a woman living in 1920s Virginia who finds herself at the center of a massive legal battle in the American world of eugenics, and Jessa Gidney, a lawyer in 2022 who takes on pro bono work at a local ICE detention center and discovers a pattern of horrifying medical malpractice taking place there.

Counting Backwards is a maddening story of how eugenics CONTINUES to ruin peoples’ lives and reproductive rights, even decades after it was debunked as a pseudoscience. Did you know that Nazi Germany actually modeled its heinous racial laws after American eugenics practices? Yup, you read that right. And to think that there are immigrant women in the United States who are being horrifically mistreated at detention centers to this day…I had to put the book down multiple times because I kept getting so angry. This book is not an easy read, but it’s an important and timely

Friedland did a fantastic, thorough job researching for this book, and as someone with a history degree, I always appreciate an “Additional Reading” list at the end of a novel. Counting Backwards is my first book by Friedland but it definitely won’t be my last.

Jacqueline Friedland's fifth novel, COUNTING BACKWARDS, is a powerful, timely, and riveting must-read. Inspired by actual events, the author delves into America's dark history of eugenics in this gripping dual-timeline novel, a narrative that resonates with the ongoing struggle for women's rights.

Featuring two remarkably courageous women, COUNTING BACKWARDS delves into the essential and complex topics of eugenics, reproductive injustice, immigration law, fertility, sterilization, abortion, adoption, women's rights, and motherhood. Their bravery in the face of adversity is truly inspiring.

About...

New York, 2022:
Jessa Gidney, age 31, is a lawyer and has been passed over to be a partner at her Manhattan law firm. She wants to become a mother but has not had any luck. Dissatisfied with her career, she decides to take on pro bono work, and her first case is an incarcerated woman, Isobel, who is fighting against a deportation order.

Jessa soon discovers things about Isobel's health that lead her to a terrifying pattern of medical malpractice within the women's detention facility. Her corporate law firm is not supportive, and her husband Vance wants her to take time off from everything, but her mother is a huge supporter.

She is undecided about diving in with the stress; however, when she discovers a shocking family secret (her own), she knows she must fight for these women.

Virginia, 1927.
Carrie Buck, age 17, Virginia, has not had an easy life. She has dreams and wants to continue school and get an education. However, she is living with a foster family that made her quit school and work for them (unpaid).

She wants a family one day. The foster family's nephew takes advantage of her, and she becomes pregnant. The foster family is unsupportive, and now she is alone and pregnant with no future in sight.

As a ward of the State, she is designated as "feebleminded" and left to the mercy of a corrupt and heartless legal system. Her courageous fight for her destiny leads to a landmark Supreme Court case.

How will the women and their respective cases connect? Will they find the courage to fight for what they deserve against all odds? These questions form the intriguing thread that connects the two timelines in this riveting novel.

"Progress is rarely a straight line and always hard-won."

My thoughts...

COUNTING BACKWARDS is a hauntingly beautiful tale of loss, love, compassion, and hope that resonates with the emotional journey of women's rights. These memorable characters will tug at your heartstrings and remain with you long after the book ends. I loved these women!

As a former whistleblower (first case reaching federal level SOX Sarbanes-Oxley 2022), I love Erin Brockovich-type stories. I am passionate about fighting for the underdog and accountability, especially regarding justice for women and helping those with no voice. I found this novel to be a compelling read and a stark reminder that we still have a long way to go in protecting human rights, particularly women's reproductive rights.

With alternating POVs (two remarkable women) and a compelling dual-timeline, COUNTING BACKWARDS delivers a timely, emotional, and powerful message about the historical and present-day use of women's bodies against them. Inspired by real-life events, this essential read sheds light on a topic that still rings true today.

Thought-provoking, part coming of age, family drama, literary, historical, legal, and women's fiction, the brilliantly written novel exposes shocking revelations of the betrayal of women by governmental institutions and their fight for rights. It balances it with courage and hope with a satisfying conclusion.

It is a powerful, heart-wrenching story of fierce strength, forgotten history, legacy, and empowerment. This well-written novel is an ideal choice for book clubs and further discussions. I appreciated the author's note and additional reading resources. My first book by the author, and I cannot wait to read more.

Pomegranates...

I enjoyed the symbolism of Pomegranates with the beautiful cover and more. Pomegranates have diverse cultural-religious significance as a symbol of life and fertility owing to their many seeds,

It is not difficult to see why the pomegranate has traditionally been considered a powerful visual metaphor for fertility. The pomegranate is known for the beauty of its shrub, flowers, and fruit—symbolizing sanctity, fertility, and abundance.

Audiobook...

I enjoyed reading the book and listening to the audiobook performed by the talented Amanda Stribling and Carolyn Jania. It further elevates this emotional story and makes the characters come alive with distinct and engaging voices for a must-listen audio experience!

Recs...

COUNTING BACKWARDS is for fans of the author and those interested in women's rights. Also, for fans of Meagan Church's The Last Carolina Girl and The Girls We Sent Away, Dolen Perkins Valdez's Take My Hand, and Diane Chamberlain's Necessary Lies. (all favorites).

Thanks to Harper Muse and NetGalley for a gifted, advanced review and listening copy in exchange for my honest thoughts.

Blog review posted @
JudithDCollins.com
@JudithDCollins | #JDCMustReadBooks
Pub Date: March 11, 2025
My Rating: 5 Stars +
Mar 2025 Must-Read Books
March Newsletter

This will sink into your heart and hang on long after reading it. I was blown away by the powerful story behind the unassuming pomegranate cover and was left feeling appalled and pissed off but determined to fight for better. There’s never been a greater time to read a book like this one.

~ Explores motherhood, fertility, reproductive rights, eugenics and immigration
~ Historical fiction about Buck v. Bell case (sterilization of institutionalized individuals)
~ Dual timeline narrative
~ Award worthy

Friedland created a timely story inspired by true events that uncovers America’s troubled past with eugenics practices. She wove together the lives of two women while exploring topics like motherhood, fertility, reproductive rights and immigration. It was shocking to learn how various institutions have orchestrated modern day eugenics. You don’t have to be a woman to care about reproductive freedom. Documented or not, all women deserve authorization over their bodies – it’s not political, it’s human rights.

The strong female characters made me feel proud to be a woman. Jessa’s pregnancy journey while balancing the fragile corporate ladder and boys club was a stark reminder of the sacrifices we make to have it all. She Erin Brokovich’ed her way into a class action lawsuit, using her privilege to give a voice to the voiceless and fight for better. Her yearning to have her own family urged a powerful fight for the women who never got a choice, even if taking on this massive case meant derailing everything in her path to fight for them. Her partner Vance was the king of gaslighting, so be ready to shake your head until it snaps from your neck at how he talks to her. If they didn’t separate by the end of the story I was gonna throw my Kindle out the window.

I’m so glad I stumbled across this book from a Goodreads ad. I wasn’t prepared for the journey it would take me on but I’m glad I went on it. We need to do better, plain and simple.

Thanks @harpermuse for the digital copy!

This one will stay with me. Counting Backwards ties the story of real-life Carrie Bucks, a women who was unwillingly sterilized in the 1920s, with the "fictional but based on a true story" story of women in the 2020s who are unknowingly being given hysterectomies while being held in an ICE detention center. NYC lawyer Jessa is unsatisfied with her stalling career and dealing with her own fertility issues and the impact on her marriage that they cause when she volunteers for a pro bono case representing a detained immigrant. Little does she know that the case will evolve into so much more and Jessa finally has something meaningful in her life to focus on when the rest of her life seems to be going to pot. Throw in a family secret and an colleague that she's seeing in an intriguing new way, and it's a lot..... but in a good way. I got into the story right from the start and kept turning the pages to see how it all would resolve... finished this quick but intense read in about 2.5 days. This would be a good one for a book club because lots to discuss and between immigrant rights and reproductive rights, so very timely (unfortunately).

Note: thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for a free advance readers copy in exchange for an honest review.

This is my first five star book of the year. You know when a book changes how your perspective on life? This book did exactly that and I will be recommending it to everyone I know. It is an illuminating story on immigration and women's rights in America told through immaculate storytelling. Counting Backwards is haunting and impossible to put down. I'd recommend this book to everyone I know.

I can’t express how much I love this book! It’s been called a modern day Erin Brockovich & is mentioned in the book as well. I completely agree. It’s heartbreaking & addicting all at the same time.

The work Jessa does when she discovers what’s been going on & the complete horror that Carrie suffered is crushing.

Told between two time periods with eerily similar, tragic, & devastating incidents happening to women, I was wrapped in pain. These things should never have happened. It angers me that there are such inhumane humans that still think it’s okay to do what they want to other humans.

The narration of Amanda Stribling & Carolyn Jania is wonderful for these characters. .

Wow! This book was fantastic. The history and story telling were great. It is so scary to think how quickly someone’s life can change without their consent. To have someone make a life changing decision for you is unbelievable.