Did anything surprise you about the era or about Laura's experience? Did you learn anything new?

Did anything surprise you about the era or about Laura's experience? Did you learn anything new?

Not really. Her experiences rang true to those I have read about in the past. of course, there were differences, her being from the south where attitudes were not always in tune with those in the northeast (where I am from).

I was surprised and angered that the girls were given no knowledge of what to expect in childbirth. This strikes me as undue cruelty. The home in New Orleans sounded more like a warehouse than a place where girls could safely give birth.

I was not surprised because I had a cousin in the same situation. She went away to "modeling" school when I was young. Didn't know about her son until she told me when I was in my twenties. I was surprised about the total lack of sympathy and support. But it was the South and image is everything

I agree with the earlier post that none of the girls had any idea what to expect for their labor and childbirth experience. Almost like a level of denial on the part of the staff at the home as to why the young women were there.
I have previously read American Baby: A Mother, A Child and the Shadow History of Adoption which is similar…written from the viewpoint of an expectant mother who is sent away to give birth and for the rest of her life mourns the loss of her child. That book included more history and background of the adoption movement in the United States.

I grew up in the Northeast during that same time period. I knew there were such places so that didn't surprise me. But I was surprised by the lack of guidance or emotional support the young women received. Their lives were all about their looks and just passing the time with no concern for how they would manage when they left there. At least they had each other and the bonds they formed while they were there. I'm glad the author shed light on how complicated life was after her son was born. That felt very real.

There are two things that surprised me. I agree with several of the comments above about the lack of education about pregnancy and the birth process. The other thing that surprised me was what happened after Lena Mae encouraged Laura to talk with her mother. Based on what Lena Mae said, I really thought Laura’s mom would respond differently to Laura, especially since Laura started off her conversation with a (very unexpected) apology. Her mom’s reaction, especially calling Laura a whore, took me by surprise. I held my breath throughout the rest of the book each time Laura reflected having a nice conversation with her mom, expecting the yet another outburst of some kind.

Having grown up in this same time period, nothing surprised me. However, I knew girls were "sent away" but I had no idea how bad the environment was. I suspect the "home" Laura described was not unique to the South.

I really enjoyed this book and feel honored the author not only write the book but also reached out share her pain and sorrow.I only had heard about those maternity homes but never heard about any personal experiences. The book was well written and I was able to feel such empathy. I feel I was sincerely blessed to receive this book through Bookbrowse.

It did not surprise me, I had just forgotten that was the way young women were treated. We had a girl in our office that went though exactly this same thing. In reading this book, I now realize how bad it ready was for her.

It didn't really surprise me. I am not that much younger than Laura and remember how things were back then.

I grew up during this time period and can remember a few girls leaving and then coming back in a year. There was always some reason to explain the why, but most of the class knew the real reason. Pregnancy was not a topic of discussion in public in the South.