Where the Girls Were

Name: Where the Girls Were
Brand: Dial Press
SKU: 9780593736975
Price: 34.80 USD
Availability: InStock

$34.80

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Review Quotes:
"1968 may not feel so very long ago to some, but in terms of attitudes toward women and their rights it may as well have been a century ago. And yet, Schatz's book feels timely for these difficult times." --Booklist

"The illuminating latest from Schatz . . . looks back on the impact of the sexual revolution before Roe v. Wade. . . . Schatz convincingly evokes the confusion and conflicting emotions of an unplanned pregnancy at a time when abortion was outlawed across the U.S. This resonates." --Publishers Weekly

"A timely and important novel, and one of the most heartfelt I have read in years . . . Readers will gain eye-opening insight, empathy, and understanding as Baker struggles to find a voice amid society's shaming and to discover--and persevere--with what is best for her. . . . A must-read work, especially now." --Natalie Jenner, internationally bestselling author of The Jane Austen Society

"Not long ago, we might have read Where the Girls Were and remarked on how far we had come. Now, we will read Where the Girls Were and wonder just how much of our future will resemble the darkest periods of our past." --KQED

"A beautifully told story about an important moment in history, explored with such compassion and heart . . . With gorgeous prose and cinematic scenes, Kate Schatz has given us a remarkable novel." --Edan Lepucki, author of Time's Mouth

"With a fierce heart and an unflinching eye, Kate Schatz's Where the Girls Were portrays the sexual revolution and the fight for women's reproductive rights at the height of the countercultural movement. It's a compelling debut, timely as ever, proving that some battles never truly end." --Vanessa Hua, author of Forbidden City

"Kate Schatz's Where the Girls Were is a triumph, warm and whip-smart, a total page-turner. I can't think of another story that portrays with such heart and insight what life was like for American women in the decades before Roe. I turned the last page full of hope and righteous outrage, with a renewed sense of urgency to fight the good fight." --Molly Wizenberg, author of The Fixed Stars

" Where the Girls Were, like all the best historical fiction, is wide, urgent, and, above all, timely." --Laurie Frankel, author of Family Family

"With this intimate and visionary novel, Kate Schatz has given us a gorgeous, moving, unforgettable tale of what it means to come of age, claim your power, and defy the forces of injustice against the odds." --Caro De Robertis, author of The Palace of Eros

"An urgent and nuanced glimpse into the experience of womanhood in America . . . Kate Schatz leads us on a breathtaking journey with these thoughtful, fully realized characters, and I'll be recommending this book to everyone I know." --Sarah Damoff, bestselling author of The Bright Years

"In this compulsively readable novel, Kate Schatz creates a world with much to teach our own." --Domenica Ruta, New York Times bestselling author of With or Without You and All the Mothers

"[Kate Schatz's] prose is like poetry. It's like hands in a bowl of candy. Thrilling, propulsive, breathless, and brimming with Schatz's deep understanding of longing and frailty . . . of humanness." --Catherine Newman, New York Times bestselling author of Sandwich

"Affecting . . . The stories of all the young women whose choices have been winnowed are important to remember, and Schatz memorably brings one to light. . . . Excellent historical fiction about women's reproductive choices." --Kirkus Reviews

Biographical Note:
Kate Schatz is a feminist author from California. She's the New York Times bestselling author of Do the Work: An Anti-Racist Activity Book, with W. Kamau Bell, and the "Rad Women" book series (including Rad American Women A-Z, Rad Women Worldwide, and Rad American History A-Z). Her book of fiction, Rid of Me: A Story, was published as part of the cult-favorite 33 1/3 series.

Publisher Marketing:
They were sent away to be forgotten. This is their story.

In this electrifying historical novel about coming of age in tumultuous 1960s San Francisco, a pregnant teenager reckons with womanhood and agency after being sent to a home for unwed mothers.

"Thrilling, propulsive, breathless, and brimming with a deep understanding of longing and frailty . . . of humanness."--Catherine Newman, New York Times bestselling author of Sandwich and Wreck

It's 1968, and the future is bright for seventeen-year-old Elizabeth "Baker" Phillips: She's the valedictorian of her high school, with a place at Stanford in the fall and big dreams of becoming a journalist. But the seductive free-spirited San Francisco atmosphere seeps into her carefully planned, strait-laced life in the form of a hippie named Wiley. At first, letting loose and letting herself fall in love for the first time feels incredible. But then, everything changes.

Pregnancy hits Baker with the force of whiplash--in the blink of an eye, she goes from good girl to fallen woman, from her family's shining star to their embarrassing secret. Without any other options, Baker is sent to a home for unwed mothers, and finds herself trapped in an old Victorian house packed with pregnant girls who share her shame and fear. As she grapples with her changing body, lack of choice, and uncertain future, Baker finds unexpected community and empowerment among the "girls who went away."

Where the Girls Were is a timely unearthing of a little-known moment in American history, when the sexual revolution and feminist movement collided with the limits of reproductive rights--and society's expectations of women. As Baker finds her strength and her voice, she shows us how to step into your power, even when the world is determined to keep you silent.

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