The Foundling

THE FOUNDLING by Ann Leary If you’re not familiar with the Eugenics Movement of the 1920s this book will open your eyes to the horrors of that time. Eighteen year old Mary Engle has been offered a secretarial position at the Nettleton State for Feebleminded Women of Childbearing Age. She is quickly taken under the wing of the head administrator Dr. Agnes Vogel. Dr. Vogel is an influential supporter of the Eugenics movement and has many high ranking donors and friends within community. Eugenicists believed women and people of color were more susceptible to undesirable traits such as immorality, deviance, defiance and mental instability. They felt that imposing marriage restrictions, genetic screenings, segregation and sterilization was the best way to establish “clean bloodlines” and achieve a superior race. (Sounds familiar eh?) Unfortunately, many of these women who were unjustly and forcibly imprisoned in these institutions were overworked, abused and made to live in inhumane conditions. Once Mary discovers her childhood friend Lillian is an inmate at Nettelton, her eyes are opened to the true nature of Dr. Vogel and repercussions of the Eugenics movement itself. While I understand that Mary was very naive, innocent and believed people at their word, I can’t help but feel her character should have had her light bulb moment sooner. Then again, some people do need more time to process and deconstruct their beliefs. Overall, this was a fast paced, interesting and tension filled story that I couldn’t put down once I got to the last few chapters. Rating: 4/5 ⭐️