I received a copy for review purposes. All opinions are honest and mine alone.


Lena, her infant daughter, mother and teenage brother have all survived horrendous conditions crossing the Atlantic Ocean from Germany in the bowels of a ship. Their first “welcome” to America, Ellis Island, is anything but welcoming. In fact, only Lena and her daughter make it off the island.

Silas gathers the two filthy, bedraggled, very distant relatives and takes them to his home high on a mountain in a remote area of the Blue Ridge mountains of Virginia. He’s angry - two more mouths to feed and not the workers he’d been expecting and paid for. He already has enough trouble and these two are gonna make it worse. Well, at least she should be able to help watch his two kids and learn how to do housework, farming and cooking; give my kids some help.

For the first half of THE LIES THEY TOLD, readers are introduced to the realities of what immigrants faced entering America thru Ellis island and then trying to assimilate into society. Much has been written about big cities but this is a completely different look at government. The towns might be small but the corruption is just as large and it feels somehow, far worse. Please make sure to read all author, Ellen Marie Wiseman’s, notes prior to starting the book. There are a few pages after the Acknowledgements, starting with a poem and moving on to information about Eugenics. After the story ends, there are very important notes to flesh the into out that will help quite a lot, if read prior to starting the story. This includes some links to further reading for those who are interested.

One of the most beautiful national parks on the east coast is Shenandoah National Park. I’ve been from one end to the other many times - hiked there, shopped there, had meals, explored historic sites, visited high holy tourist traps of obligation, been to concerts. You get the idea, I really like the area. In all my wanderings, never have I heard about the land being stolen from mountain people by the government just because they wanted it. Oh, they call it Eminent Domain; that makes it ok. Details are put forth in this story and are despicable. Wiseman has done her homework researching for this book. Be prepared to get involved at an emotional level.

Once the government has destroyed Lena’s family and home, the last part of the story is devoted to her reclaiming herself and finding those who were stolen from her. Excellent characterization will have you cheering for Lena and bearing a rifle on her behalf. Difficult situations are tempered by lovely descriptions of the landscapes, flora, crafting’s, mountain medicine, superstitions and food…very interesting food. Altho’ much of the story is harsh and difficult to read, Lena is a survivor and Wiseman gives her an HEA I found satisfying.

Historical Fiction is best when it uncovers events that are not well known and can help readers understand what was good and bad in any situation. Learning from history allows us to grow as a people and hopefully, not repeat the sins of our forefathers. Eugenics is disgraceful, disgusting, despicable and any other “D” words you’d like to use. I found the catalytic effect America’s usage had on other countries to be horrifying. The government has no business legislating family life and morality; for anyone; ever; under any circumstance.

Very well written, perfect for readers of Historical Fiction, Southern Fiction, 20th Century Political Fiction, and anyone wanting a visit to the Blue Ridge Mountains for a good story about good people fighting for their right to live their way on their land📚

Read and Reviewed from a NetGalley eARC, with thanks

I feel bad saying this is a fantastic book because of the subject matter of the book, but there is no other word for it, it is a fantastic book. To say I knew very little about the events in this book would be an understatement but they broke my heart, and, when I looked more into it, it was more horrific than I could have imagined.
The book is obviously very well researched and is such an emotive read that took me on a roller coaster of emotions. I will definitely be reading more by this author

The Lies We Told is a disturbing story about the active eugenics movement the the US in the 1900's. This focuses on the government's calculated program of imperiously robbing poor rural people of their land by declaring the parents unfit, and removing their children from their care to be left to wallow in orphanages or asylums. Women from these rural areas, as well as female immigrants, were sent to asylums for the feeble minded and forced to undergo involuntary sterilizations. Most never left the asylums and lived in dismal, abusive conditions, while being malnourished until they died. Many immigrants were deported or sent to asylums having been declared simpleminded mostly because they didn't speak English. This is a dark and disturbing history of our country.

Ms Wiseman is a local author for me. I make it a point to read all of her books. She does exhaustive research for each of her books, which is always evident to the reader. She has tackled this particular topic and unveiled a brutal period in our history that many people are unaware of. Frankly-it;s hard to believe we could do this to citizens in the country, and yet it happened. Under Ms Wiseman's skilled hand, she has written a book about the resilience of the human spirit I would encourage anyone to read.

Thanks to Net Galley for this ARC opportunity.

This was definitely a slow burn but I enjoyed it! I've always loved that Wiseman writes about real life issues and this was no exception. Eugenics is a new topic to me and it was so interesting to read about. 5 stars!

Ellen Marie Wiseman never disappoints. She reaches into the dark corners of America’s history and pulls out long-buried stories. Ellen writes her books with such emotion. She uses just the right words to make us feel the way her characters do and her newest book is no exception. The feelings of helplessness, despair and fear of the characters are so real.
I recently heard Ellen interviewed about the book and it was mentioned that the publication of some of her books is so timely. The Orphan Collector, a book set during the time of the “Spanish flu”, was released in the summer of 2020, during the height of Covid. The Lies They Told features the idea of eugenics, and how it affected the lives of many people. People were deemed “feeble minded” for ridiculous, unfounded reasons and were locked up, sterilized so they could not have children (in the minds of the people condemning them, it was to stop the breeding of less than ideal human beings), and even deported to the country they came from. The place our country is in at this time is so unpredictable and unstable. Things are being done that are greatly affecting the lives of people who have no control over what is happening to them, such as deportation of innocent people.
In this book, Lena comes to America after WWI from Germany with her mother, brother, and daughter to create a better life for all of them. They are planning to go to live with a widowed distant cousin to help care for his children in the blue mountains. Life takes a turn when her mother and brother are sent back upon arrival to Ellis Island. It is up to Lena to navigate things and move forward with her daughter, Ella. She soon realizes America isn’t the shining diamond they dreamed it would be. My heart was broken for Lena and Ella as the dream of the America they hoped for disintegrated before their eyes. It continued to break as terrible things happened. I was so drawn into this story and wanted to help the people in it. However, I can always trust Ellen Marie Wiseman to tie up any loose ends and bring her story to completion.
Thank you Ellen, for bringing another piece of America’s dark history to light. One that my schools certainly never taught us about.
Thank you to Netgalley and Kensington Publishing for an ARC of this book. All opinions in this review are my own.

I have always been drawn to historical fiction. While I typically gravitate toward stories about WWII, this story about Ellis Island and the eugenics movement of the 30s had me intrigued. The amount of information I learned is astonishing. I had never heard of the horrific events that took place at Ellis Island or the eugenics movement that took place here in the United States. I've already grabbed several more books on the topic and I look forward to diving in and learning more. This book was very well-written, as all of Ellen Marie Wiseman's books are.

The Lies They Told by Ellen Marie Wiseman is a gripping, emotional novel that kept me turning pages late into the night. As a reader, I was immediately drawn into the life of Isabelle, a young girl trapped in a world of secrets, abuse, and betrayal during the 1970s.

The dual timeline, alternating between Isabelle’s traumatic past and her attempt to uncover the truth years later, adds depth and tension to the narrative. Wiseman masterfully builds suspense while exploring dark themes such as family dysfunction, mental illness, and the damage lies can cause over generations.

The characters are raw and realistic, and I found myself deeply invested in Isabelle’s fight for truth and healing. The story is haunting but ultimately empowering, as it shows the strength it takes to face the past.

The Lies They Told is a powerful, heartbreaking read that lingers long after the final page.
Many thank to the publisher and netgalley for providing this book

The Lies They Told by Ellen Marie Wiseman is an absolutely breathtaking journey into a dark chapter of American history that I didn’t know much about but will never forget. This novel masterfully weaves the story of Lena Conti, a resilient young immigrant mom fighting against the rising tide of eugenics-era prejudice in 1930s Virginia. From the very first pages, I was pulled into Lena’s world — a world full of heartbreak, hope, and relentless determination. Seeing her desperately cling to her daughter on Ellis Island, I felt her fear and fierce love in every word. Her journey from that harrowing moment to life in the Blue Ridge Mountains is a testament to her strength, resilience, and unwavering spirit. Wiseman paints a vivid picture of Wolfe Hollow, a community that feels real and alive — full of warmth and tight-knit bonds, but also shadows of injustice looming large. The depiction of the eugenics movement’s cruel policies, like forced sterilizations and demonization of vulnerable populations, hit hard and stayed with me long after I turned the last page. It’s a stark reminder of how prejudice and fear can be weaponized against innocent people, yet Wiseman balances this darkness with stories of hope and survival. Lena’s ordeal at the Virginia State Colony is heartbreaking but also inspiring. Her fight to reunite with her daughter and her efforts to protect her new community are nothing short of heroic. The characters are richly developed and authentic, making their triumphs and struggles resonate deeply. If you’re a fan of powerful historical fiction that sheds light on social injustice while delivering emotional depth and hope — think Kristin Hannah or Christina Baker Kline — this book is a must-read. Wiseman has written a compelling, heartbreaking, and ultimately uplifting story that will stay with you long after you finish reading.

While escaping poverty, Magdalena (Lena) Conti, her baby daughter, brother and mother immigrated to America hoping to find a better life. Before even leaving Ellis Island, the family was separated and Lena and her child were left alone in this new country. A distant relative of the family took her in and Lena grew to love this family, though they all struggled to avoid the law who wanted to steal their land. When the law succeeded, Lena lost everyone and everything.

This story is full of heartbreak and sadness. Nobody should have to go through what this family went through, especially Lena. Written with compassion and sensitivity, Wiseman draws the reader in and holds you hostage until the last page is turned. This is an easy 5-star book. Thank you, NetGalley and Kensington Publishing for the eARC.

Ellen Marie Wiseman is one of my favorite authors and I was quite excited to read this one! Her writing style is excellent and her topics are so interesting and well researched, as well as uncommon-which is always nice to read about something new. Eugenics is definitely a tough topic, and the book does a good job of bringing characters to life as well as highly this travesty of the US. I appreciate the ARC and our library will be purchasing this book when it's released.

"They Lies they Told" by Ellen Marie Wiseman is a fascinating historical fiction story of a controversial time in American History. It is a story of Eugenics - a set of beliefs and practices that were thought to improve the genetic prowess of the population, by getting rid of the "undesirable" population. This could include lifelong separations of undesirables from the general population, as well as forced sterilization of certain people who were considered not to be up to the desired standard.

This story follows Lena Conti, her mother, brother, and daughter as they try to immigrate to the US from Germany in the 1930's. Their experiences through the Ellis Island Admitting Procedures was shocking, and told in a very vivid manner. Meeting their sponsor who had paid for their fare from Germany and offered a job to them, had Lena and her daughter ending up in the Blue Ridge Mountains. All the while as they adjusted to the mountains, and the mountain people, this Eugenics movement gets closer to the characters.

I could not put this book down. It is a heartbreaking story - all the more tragic because it is based on a very dark, uneducated, discriminatory time in our history. This is a great book for discussion, and I would recommend it to any book club. 5 Stars

thank you to NetGalley, and Kensington Publishing for the ARC of this book. All opinions are my own,

Magdalena Conti is a young German-Italian immigrant who has come to America in 1928, hoping to build a better life for her daughter and herself. Lena, as she is called, is first subjected to the indignity and bigotry she encounters at Ellis Island, before she can start a new life in Virginia with a distant cousin, caring for his home and children. But there is fear in the mountains among the families who’ve lived there for many generations, as the government threatens to take over their land and homes, and even more horrifically, taking away their children. In Lena, author Ellen Marie Wiseman has given us a main character who is strong and resilient, living through very scary times. The eugenics movement in America was one of the most atrocious and shameful things to ever happen in America, and this book brings it to light in a very honest, raw, and personal manner. I was seething throughout the book, filled with despair myself, and at times it was Lena herself who calmed me down, the hope that got her through every dark day wove itself into my own heart. The author gets right to the heart of the mistreatment of immigrants, the prejudice shown toward anyone the government didn’t deem worthy of basic human rights; folks deprived of humanity because they were poor or uneducated. Although this book was at times heart-wrenching, there were beautiful and wonderful moments as well, as family and community came together to care for each other. The relationships that Lena herself established with the children she cared for, and especially the love for her own daughter, were heartwarming and wondrous in a world that could be unspeakably cruel.

In 1928 Europe the future looks bleak so Lena and her family endure a grueling sea voyage to the land of opportunity only to have her mother and brother turned away at Ellis Island. Lena and her infant daughter Ella are set to work for an uncle taking care of his house and children but she is unprepared for life in the close knit mountain community. While they are not starving there are dangers from the government of being found unworthy of becoming an American. A growing cult based on a fake science called Eugenics are taking children away from families and sterilizing women they feel aren't worthy of reproducing. The real horrors of land grabs, forced institutionalizing and families being ripped apart are well illustrated resulting in the reader shaking their head in disbelief that this happened. A sad part of our history comes to light but also a bit of hope. My thanks to the publisher for the advance copy.

This is a heartbreaking story about the Eugenics program that was implemented in the United States in the early 1900’s. I was shocked to learn that “the United States was the first country in the world to undertake forced sterilization programs, and that the Nazi party in Germany took many of its policies, procedures, and theories from American eugenicists.”
Ellen Marie Wiseman has written many well researched and interesting historical novels and I have enjoyed and learned from them all. This story’s main character is a young German women named Lena Conti, who was seeking a better life when she immigrated to America with her baby, mother and brother.
Lena’s suffering started at Ellis Island and continued as she resettled in the Blue Ridge Mountain area with a distant relative. What happened to her and that family was very disturbing. The Eugenics Program not only separated mother’s and children but also sterilized them to prevent future “unfit” children from procreating. I found this historical story to be disturbing and informative and Lena’s story needed to be told. .

A wonderfully written book. All her books are wonderful and very enlightening. A must read for everyone!

Wow! What did I just read?!! This incredible book is a real eye opener about a tragic part of our history. The author tells the story of a family immigrating to America from Germany in the late 1920’s. Through her writing each character truly comes alive. This is not an easy read but such an important part of our nation. Her words brought me to tears throughout the story. It’s a real eye opener about America’s part in the eugenics program. Well written, well researched, what a story, not to be missed!
Thank you to NetGalley and Kensington Books for an advanced eGalley of this book. All opinions expressed are truly my own.
#TheLiesTheyTold #EllenMarieWiseman #NetGalley

This book grabs your heart and twists. Being based on facts of the mistreatment of individuals in our country was informative and unsettling. An extremely well-written and well-researched story that won’t leave you.

Ellen Marie Wiseman never fails to deliver book after book. Her latest, The Lies They Told, might be my favorite. She has such a way of weaving a story, explaining the characters and making a plot truly come to life for the reader and makes it impossible to put down until the very end. I loved this book and highly recommend!

Thank you to net galley for the arc in exchange of an honest review.

In this powerful historical novel, it illuminates the devastating impact of America's eugenics movement in the 1930s through the story of Lena Conti, an immigrant mother fighting for her dignity and family in the face of widespread prejudice. Set in the rugged Virginia countryside, this novel explores themes of survival, hope, and social injustice as Lena struggles against a system that seeks to label her and her loved ones as "inferior." A deeply moving and tragic tale, it sheds light on a dark chapter of American history with both heartbreak and resilience.

Need to start my review with, I am a big Ellen Marie Wiseman fan, I have read every one of her books and all of them have been 5 stars. When I heard she had a new one, I was so excited to be granted an ARC for review.

Oh my goodness, she has notched up the ratchet on this one. I was blown away, rarely, do I get so involved in the story that I shed tears and actually hold my breath during some of the scenarios. I also had so many emotions when the government was removing these children due to their outrageous reasons.

I love Ms. Wiseman’s stories, her writing style is excellent, her research is spot on. She is a wonderful author and I will continue picking up every book she writes. Of all the books on eugenics I have read, this one is by far the best!! This is a high 5 stars.

My own opinion expressed in this review. Thank you to NetGalley.