Women of a Promiscuous Nature by Donna Everhart

Women of a Promiscuous Nature by Donna Everhart
on January 27, 2026
Genres: Fiction / Feminist, Fiction / Historical / 20th Century / General, Fiction / Southern
Pages: 368
Format: ARC
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The day Ruth Foster’s life changes begins the same way as many others—with a walk through her North Carolina hometown toward the diner where she works. But on this day, Ruth is stopped by the local sheriff, who insists that she accompany him to a health clinic. Women like Ruth—young, unmarried, living alone—must undergo testing in order to preserve decency and prevent the spread of sexual disease. Though Ruth has never shared more than a chaste kiss with a man, by day’s end she is one of dozens of women held at the State Industrial Farm Colony for Women. Some, like 15-year-old Stella Temple, are brought in at their family’s request. For Stella, even the Colony’s hardships seem like a respite from her nightmarish home life. Superintendent Dorothy Baker, convinced that she’s transforming degenerate souls into upstanding members of society, oversees the women’s medical treatment and “training” until they’re deemed ready for parole. Sooner or later, everyone at the Colony learns to abide by Mrs. Baker’s rule book or face the consequences—solitary confinement, grueling work assignments, and worse. But some refuse to be cowed. Against Mrs. Baker’s dogged efforts and the punishing weight of authority, Ruth and other inmates find ways to fight back, resolved to regain their freedom at any cost . . .

This reads as dystopian fiction, and was so disturbing! This story is not dystopian fiction but based on true events that really happened in our history between the 1920’s and 1940’s when women were imprisoned under the charge of being “promiscuous.” If you’re paying attention, this book should make you angry and concerned for the way things are going. Many of the women taken away all across the nation during this time period were actually tortured, some even sterilized as Eugenics was also being practiced. Our nation’s dirty little secret was long buried and Donna Everhart’s immaculate research brings it all to light in her amazing novel.

I rated this novel four stars. I found the cruel treatment difficult to read about and my heart was broken and I felt sickened at times for Stella and Ruth and other inmates who suffered at the hands of doctors and administrators. It only lost a star due to the ending. I was expecting more of a dramatic ending but it was rather uneventful. Not necessarily a bad ending but I was just caught off guard by the “easy” ending.

Thank you to NetGalley and Kensington Publishing for the advanced reading copy for my honest review.