Member Review
Review by
Richard P, Reviewer
"The Unfit Heiress: The Tragic Life and Scandalous Sterilization of Ann Cooper Hewitt" is, at least for the first first half to two-thirds of its pages, an immersive and intriguingly written work of creative nonfiction that explores eugenics and women's reproductive rights framed by the then sordid court battle between heiress Ann Cooper Hewitt and her socialite mother.
It's only when "The Unfit Heiress" deviates from this framework, and it does so especially toward its anti-climactic chapters, that it begins to falter as author Audrey Clare Farley's fact-finding can't replace early immersion into Hewitt's life and a retro-style of writing that fits perfectly within a story timed within the early 20th century and the early years of America's legalized journey into eugenics.
As noted, "The Unfit Heiress" is set at the turn of the 20th century, a time when Victorian values and traditional gender roles were giving way to women seeking passion and livelihood outside the home. Authorities, and society at large really, began to be alarmed at this development and the potential for "over-sexed" women to taint society by reproducing. Against this backdrop, socialite Maryon Cooper Hewitt had her "promiscuous" daughter Ann declared feebleminded and sterilized without her knowledge.
Many argued the choice was justified, though it would eventually be learned that she did so just shy of Ann's coming of age and reaching a point where she could potentially acquire millions of dollars left to her by her inventor father who had left her this money dependent upon her eventually bearing children. It was 1934 and Maryon had seen the California eugenics laws as a way to preserve her own inheritance while eugenicists saw it as a way to boost their already floundering movement. The court case that would eventually follow captivated the American public and media at the time.
For a good majority of "The Unfit Heiress," Farley captures this remarkable story with a mix of engaging writing, brilliant research, and a way of structuring story that weaves together elements of fact with her creative nonfiction storytelling. As an adult with a disability whose life has been at least modestly influenced by Indiana's own eugenics laws, I found myself most captivated by the exploration of eugenics laws and some of the key players at the time along with Farley's exploration of the attitudes of the time even from those whose very job it is to protect us.
It's worth noting that "The Unfit Heiress" is, in fact, about much more than Hewitt herself as Farley devotes at times entire chapters to other key players in the story including Hewitt's father, Maryon, key players within eugenics, and even other eugenics cases toward the end of the book that help to illustrate how the Hewitt case would eventually influence the future and eventual relative demise of eugenics as a movement.
Trust me, it's still alive just in different forms.
The court battle itself is portrayed rather quickly, though perhaps this is inevitable considering its rather anti-climactic facts and the almost surprisingly timid way in which it transpired. To her credit, Farley doesn't sugarcoat the story or try to turn Hewitt into something she wasn't. The simple truth here is that "The Unfit Heiress" risks coming off as sympathetic in telling its story because Hewitt wasn't exactly a crown jewel of humanity and one could say that she shared with her mother a decided lack of maternal instinct. I'd dare say that more than a few people will read "The Unfit Heiress" and decide that Hewitt experienced the right outcome.
Read deeper.
The closing chapters, largely centered around subsequent eugenics-tinged court cases, are intriguing yet lack the style of cohesion of the earlier chapters of "The Unfit Heiress" and while containing valuable material lead to a weird lack of resolution as the book winds down. It's a modestly disappointing end to an otherwise compelling literary journey.
If I could, I'd like go 3.5 stars here but I can't and I found myself engaged, educated, and even entertained by so much of "The Unfit Heiress" that I'm deferring upwards as I can easily recommend the book for those attracted to its story and subject matter.
"The Unfit Heiress" will be released by Grand Central Publishing in April 2021.
It's only when "The Unfit Heiress" deviates from this framework, and it does so especially toward its anti-climactic chapters, that it begins to falter as author Audrey Clare Farley's fact-finding can't replace early immersion into Hewitt's life and a retro-style of writing that fits perfectly within a story timed within the early 20th century and the early years of America's legalized journey into eugenics.
As noted, "The Unfit Heiress" is set at the turn of the 20th century, a time when Victorian values and traditional gender roles were giving way to women seeking passion and livelihood outside the home. Authorities, and society at large really, began to be alarmed at this development and the potential for "over-sexed" women to taint society by reproducing. Against this backdrop, socialite Maryon Cooper Hewitt had her "promiscuous" daughter Ann declared feebleminded and sterilized without her knowledge.
Many argued the choice was justified, though it would eventually be learned that she did so just shy of Ann's coming of age and reaching a point where she could potentially acquire millions of dollars left to her by her inventor father who had left her this money dependent upon her eventually bearing children. It was 1934 and Maryon had seen the California eugenics laws as a way to preserve her own inheritance while eugenicists saw it as a way to boost their already floundering movement. The court case that would eventually follow captivated the American public and media at the time.
For a good majority of "The Unfit Heiress," Farley captures this remarkable story with a mix of engaging writing, brilliant research, and a way of structuring story that weaves together elements of fact with her creative nonfiction storytelling. As an adult with a disability whose life has been at least modestly influenced by Indiana's own eugenics laws, I found myself most captivated by the exploration of eugenics laws and some of the key players at the time along with Farley's exploration of the attitudes of the time even from those whose very job it is to protect us.
It's worth noting that "The Unfit Heiress" is, in fact, about much more than Hewitt herself as Farley devotes at times entire chapters to other key players in the story including Hewitt's father, Maryon, key players within eugenics, and even other eugenics cases toward the end of the book that help to illustrate how the Hewitt case would eventually influence the future and eventual relative demise of eugenics as a movement.
Trust me, it's still alive just in different forms.
The court battle itself is portrayed rather quickly, though perhaps this is inevitable considering its rather anti-climactic facts and the almost surprisingly timid way in which it transpired. To her credit, Farley doesn't sugarcoat the story or try to turn Hewitt into something she wasn't. The simple truth here is that "The Unfit Heiress" risks coming off as sympathetic in telling its story because Hewitt wasn't exactly a crown jewel of humanity and one could say that she shared with her mother a decided lack of maternal instinct. I'd dare say that more than a few people will read "The Unfit Heiress" and decide that Hewitt experienced the right outcome.
Read deeper.
The closing chapters, largely centered around subsequent eugenics-tinged court cases, are intriguing yet lack the style of cohesion of the earlier chapters of "The Unfit Heiress" and while containing valuable material lead to a weird lack of resolution as the book winds down. It's a modestly disappointing end to an otherwise compelling literary journey.
If I could, I'd like go 3.5 stars here but I can't and I found myself engaged, educated, and even entertained by so much of "The Unfit Heiress" that I'm deferring upwards as I can easily recommend the book for those attracted to its story and subject matter.
"The Unfit Heiress" will be released by Grand Central Publishing in April 2021.
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