The girls we sent away A novel

In the early 1960s, Lorraine, unconventional, aims to be the first female valedictorian of her high school and dreams of a career in space exploration. Everything is upended when an end-of-summer tryst with her boyfriend leaves her pregnant. He dumps her, and her ultraconventional parents are so ashamed they hide her until they can ship her off to a maternity home for her last trimester. Lorraine was told there would be classes, but these consist of "lady" skills like napkin folding and crochet. A town librarian is able to coach her to prepare for a GED so that college is not out of the picture. The 20 or so young women at the home are not supposed to get to know each other, but alliances are made. The worst is that, prodded by half-truths and outright lies, they are required to sign away their rights to their babies. Outcomes are somewhat predictable, and the young women carry on, but the experience is scarring. Discussion points at the end make this a likely book-group and public-library choice.

It's the mid-1960s, and Lorraine Delford has just turned 17. Not one to sit back and let life happen, Lorraine is a go-getter who likes to be first. She's first in her class and hopes to become the first woman valedictorian at her high school. She's also the first woman to lifeguard at the local pool. But it's a different first that will forever change her life, after a pregnant Lorraine is rejected by her boyfriend and scorned by her parents, who pull her out of school and send her to a maternity home. The residence is not the salvation she's expecting, and its promise to provide residents with the opportunity to get back to their normal lives rings hollow. As her stomach grows, so does Lorraine's determination to keep the baby she's come to love, and she decides to fight for what is rightfully hers. VERDICT In this engaging, shocking, heart-wrenching story, readers are pulled along with Lorraine through the ups and downs of her pregnancy, optimistic for her future but saddened by its likely outcome. Fans of Church's The Last Carolina Girl will be clamoring to read this one.--Vicki Briner