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The Mind of a Deviant Woman

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The Mind of a Deviant Woman

By: Paula Paul
Narrated by: Deborah Greenfield
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About this listen

Carrie Buck, a young woman living in early-20th-century Virginia, is raped and becomes pregnant by a family member - and her trauma is only beginning. She is deemed a "deviant" for having a child out of wedlock and, for that reason, is a candidate for sterilization.

Louisa Van Patten, a New York socialite, is an advocate of the eugenics movement, which promotes this punishment.

When Carrie and Louisa meet, along with journalist Ben Newman, during a national debate about the merits of forced sterilization, all their lives - and ours - are changed forever.

Paula Paul's historical novel The Mind of a Deviant Woman offers a thrilling story based in extensive research into a little-known, but devastating, part of American history.

©2018 Paula Paul (P)2020 Paula Paul Fiction Historical Fiction
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This is a superb, touching and disturbing novel about forced sterilisation, the American eugenics movement and so much more. It is infused nonetheless with a subtle humour which shines out of the wonderfully crafted dialogue. All of this is brought out perfectly by Deborah Greenfield's deft narration, alive to every nuance of the language and moving effortlessly from one character - and dialect- to another. She picks up all the different moods which the book (based on a true story) evokes as we move through Carrie's experiences and her encounters with Ben and Louisa and the transformation of their own lives. The listening experience is both dark and hilarious at the same time. Thoroughly recommended.

A beautiful book, beautifully read.

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