Women of a Promiscuous Nature
America is on the verge of war and, wary of the venereal disease that ran through the ranks in World War I, the country revives the American Plan, a wartime government program designed to arrest and detain prostitutes who might infect the troops. But by 1941, the program’s enforcement varies. Some of the women arrested do test positive for STIs and are quarantined for treatment. But others are arrested for no reason other than they are flirtatious, unruly, independent, poor, or pretty, qualities that local authorities equate with “loose morals.” These women are sent to institutions across the country where they are given treatments, taught domestic skills, and kept under control until they have proven themselves “reformed.”
In Everhart’s novel, three women narrate a tumultuous few months at North Carolina’s State Industrial Farm Colony for Women. Ruth’s “sin” is that she lives alone, teenager Stella’s is that she was assaulted, and superintendent Dorothy Baker’s sin is that she thinks she knows better than her inmates. As these three women navigate their choices and the consequences of their decisions, the colony comes under fire, both from outside activists opposed to its activities and from those within who believe in its mission.
This is difficult history and, unsurprisingly, a difficult book to read. For much of it, you will dislike many of the characters and may have trouble wanting to return to their narration. This is a credit to Everhart for writing such authentic characters, but it also slows the book down. Everhart did her research, and the details, if bleak, are vivid. The ending feels abrupt, though. Few of the plot arcs are resolved, and I was unhappy with where Everhart left Stella. A well-researched book about a little-known chapter of America’s history.
