Every week or so we’re reviewing books that we found interesting. These books may range from nonfiction to fantasy to informative to escapism. Our hope is that we find something for everyone, and to broaden awareness, access, and information pertaining to sex, sexual health, pleasure, and beyond!
This Week’s Book Review
We’re back with another book review! If you’re in the mood for a little history, horror, and some teenage witchcraft, Witchcraft for Wayward Girls by Grady Hendrix might be your next read.Witchcraft for Wayward Girls by Grady Hendrix is a historical fiction horror novel that follows 15 year old Neva, in 1970, as she is sent to a home for unwed pregnant teen mothers in the American south.
As Neva makes friends with some of the girls at the home, through their shared circumstances, they discover a book promising the teach them witchcraft to help their situations. The basis of the plot is rooted in reality, as similar homes were common between the 1940s until Roe v. Wade and abortion rights passed in the early 1970s. These homes served as places to send young pregnant teens until they gave birth and signed over parental rights for adoption. The horror elements of the book are through the witchcraft and the pregnancies of some of the characters.
A trigger warning for anyone interested: a lot of the horror is pregnancy based, specifically giving birth, and some of the teen girls within the story do not become pregnant consensually.
This book is an interesting exploration of autonomy, reproductive rights, coercive adoption, and lack of sexual education (which is especially poignant given the current conversations and restrictions being implemented regarding reproductive rights) in a thought provoking horror set up. This is also a historical event that tends to be unacknowledged, and this novel is an easy way to those unfamiliar with the concept to learn about this time in reproductive history.
If you’re into horror with substance, or looking for a unique way to learn more about this under-discussed piece of reproductive history, Witchcraft for Wayward Girls is definitely worth checking out.