Donna Everhart's books are always a must read for me. This book was a good read and I learned alot about the shamefulDonna Everhart's books are always a must read for me. This book was a good read and I learned alot about the shameful way young women were treated by our government. To protect the service men and avoid the spread STD's, they arrested young women who the suspected of immoral behaviors and locked them in " schools" to retrain them to be productive members of society. Unfortunately alot of those incarcerated did nothing wrong. Just in wrong place...
story's main characters were a young girl whose father abused her and one who lived alone and worked in a dinner. Parts are very disturbing but I believe probably very truthful accounts of how women were treated before women's rights and equality. How each of the characters deal with the time they are there and how they try to fight back. As I said a good read but leaves me disturbed at the abuse that was considered ok to go on.
I was given this ARC and this is my personal opinion. way young women were treated by our government. To protect the service men and avoid the spread STD's, they arrested young women who the suspected of immoral behaviors and locked them in " schools" to retrain them to be productive members of society. Unfortunately alot of those incarcerated did nothing wrong. Just in wrong place...
story's main characters were a young girl whose father abused her and one who lived alone and worked in a dinner. Parts are very disturbing but I believe probably very truthful accounts of how women were treated before women's rights and equality. How each of the characters deal with the time they are there and how they try to fight back. As I said a good read but leaves me disturbed at the abuse that was considered ok to go on.
I was given this ARC and this is my personal opinion.

Thank you to NetGalley and Kensington Books for an ARC of this novel.

Donna Everhardt is one of my favorite authors. I can rely on her books to always teach me something, be well researched and have characters that are remembered long after reading the book. Her new novel, Women of a Promiscuous Nature is no exception. I read a lot of books and it has been a while since I have not been able to put a book down and this one had me hooked from the beginning. The novel is based on a little known law called the Chamberlain Kahn Act or the American plan, which could institutionalize women for being what was then determined to be "promiscuous" or "immoral", all under the guise of "protecting" service members from being infected with STDs. It is sad to learn that these places existed all over our country and that women were held at these institutions against their will. Ms. Everhardt does a wonderful job telling the story of these women and what they went through, as well as one of the women, running the institution, who thinks that she is actually doing what is right and helpful. If you love historical fiction and learning about little known parts of our country's history, don't miss this book.

An intriguing yet sad historical fiction story about the 1940’s when women were imprisoned under the charge of being “promiscuous.” If you’re paying attention, this book should make you angry and concerned for the way things are going.

Stella was sent to the detention center by her parents at the age of 15, Ruth was taken off the street on her way to her job at a diner. Despite not having any sexual experience beyond a chaste kiss at the end of a date, Ruth is tested and treated for all manner of sexually transmitted diseases and imprisoned.

There are no such detention centers for men.

The narrative allows for secrets to be revealed and things get worse before they get better. The positive aspect of a book like this is that there are many strong female characters. This would be a compelling book to choose for a book club as there are sure to be great conversations.

Some books with similar themes
The Girls Who Grew Big
Wayward Girls

Thank you to NetGalley and Kensington for the ARC. Book to be published January 26, 2026.

This book was very much both informational and enjoyable at the same time. I feltpulled between Ruth’s story at the institution and Stella who was having such a 180 experience. As someone who was very unfamiliar with the American Plan of the 1940’s and sending promiscuous women away, I leaned so much through the 3 strong women we were introduced too. I can’t recommend this one to enough people.

Ruth Foster is minding her own business, walking to work when she is picked up by the police and brought to The Colony, a reform home for women. Charged with being unmarried and living alone, Ruth is seen as immoral and must stay at the Colony until its management allows her to leave. Superintendent Dorothy Baker rules The Colony with an iron fist, and she will do almost anything to make moral women out of all of her residents.

The history that this book is based on is little known and horribly fascinating. The fact that there were laws on the books that could basically snatch women from their homes for flimsy reasons purported to deal with morals is so reprehensible. Forced sterilization, shots purported to get rid of venereal disease and force feeding are just a few of the horrors that occur at these sites. Author Donna Everhart did a fantastic job of giving the reader a birdseye view into the painful history of The American Plan (if you are interested in this topic, check out this article: American Plan

The characters are powerfully written and the despair of the inhabitants and of the Colony itself is palpable. A masterfully written novel about a truly awful period in American history. 4.5 stars.

I received this advance copy from the publisher via NetGalley and am voluntarily leaving a review.

After being wrongfully accused of being promiscuous, Ruth Baker is sent to the State Industrial Farm Colony for Women. "The Colony" is designed to transform the women into upstanding members of society that abide by societal rules - marriage, children, submission. The Colony, however, is a place of rules and severe consequences, where women are punished for asking questions, and where deviance can lead to disaster.

Donna Everhart did a wonderful job of bringing these characters to life. The Colony's women - Ruth, Stella, Josephine, Lucy, Frances, Opal - are so endearing. My heart broke for all they endured. Even Dorothy Baker, the superintendent of the Colony, while a hated character throughout the novel, inspired some empathy for her role in "educating" these women.

I really liked how the story was told in multiple voices. Sometimes for me, this format doesn't work as well, but in this case it was brilliant. It's really three very different tellings of the same story; Ruth who pushes back on the requirements of the Colony, Stella, the 14 year old girl who sees the Colony as a respite from her terrible home life, and Baker, who honestly thinks the Colony, and her role in it, are benefitting society. I think doing it this way allows the reader to see the complex emotions that these women faced, especially relating to some of the more questionable rules and punishments.

My one complaint about this book was that the ending felt very rushed. While I was not expecting a perfectly happy ending, I did feel like there could have been more resolution for some of the characters. The book is 368 pages, and it was only in the last 30 pages or so that the author starts resolving some of the story line. I would have liked to see the final outcome of the Colony, what happened to Frances, what happened to the other women who left the Colony.

The author did a ton of research for this novel. Regrettably, places like the Colony existed between WWI and WWII. The America Plan was passed by the federal government as a way to control the spread of syphillis through the military. These institutions, however, became places of shame and horror as women and girls were subjected to abhorrent treatment, forced sterilization, and incarceration for not abiding by societal standards. I had never heard of these places, and the links the author provides in the afterward provided fascinating, though depressing, additional information.

Overall, 4.5 ⭐s rounded up. If you like historical fiction based on actual events, you will thoroughly enjoy this book.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Kensington Books for an advanced copy of this novel. It's scheduled to be published on January 27, 2026.

WOW—this book hit hard!!

Women of a Promiscuous Nature is told from three perspectives: Dorothy, who runs a government facility, and Ruth and Stella, two young women forced to stay there. During WWII, women labeled as “promiscuous” were locked up to “protect” soldiers from STDs. The thing is, that label was often unfair—sometimes just being in the wrong place at the wrong time was enough.

The story is raw, emotional, and honestly made me mad. I couldn’t believe this actually happened, and that so few people know about it. Donna Everhart doesn’t hold back—she tells it like it is, and that’s what makes this book so powerful.

It’s hard to read at times, but it’s also full of heart and strength. A must read!!

Many thanks to NetGalley and Kensington for the opportunity to read Women of a Promiscuous Nature!

Women of a Promiscuous Nature had me hooked from the very first page. Through a powerful and gripping fictional narrative, it sheds light on the heartbreaking realities women faced in early 20th-century institutions.

Thanks to Netgally and the publisher for an ARC in exchange for an honest review!
This book will probably make you angry, especially if you're a woman. The fact that this type of thing was happening in the United States less than 100 years ago is insane to me! Women who were deemed promiscuous were locked away in a facility to prevent United States soldiers from being infected with sexually transmitted diseases (because of course the women were to blame). There's a character in this story, Ruth, who is brought to the facility because she is unmarried (gasp!) and lives alone so clearly she is a menace to society. This story was good, and I really liked hearing from Stella. Ruth, and Mrs. Baker's perspectives. I would definitely recommend this historical fiction!

Wow! In this unbelievable novel, based on truth, Ruth is literally taken off the street and brought to a “reform” institution, so as not to spread disease to the army boys. Stella, pregnant via rape by her father arrives nearly at the same time. The story of these two women, and many others in the same institution kept me interested and eager to read on. Mrs. Baker and Mrs. Maynard, two key women running the institution, have their own agendas and histories. Well written, this terrible story was uncomfortable, but I’m glad I read it thanks to NetGalley ARCs.

I received an ARC of this novel from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

This is a wonderfully written novel of historical fiction that concerns the unethical locking up of women believed to be promiscuous just because they sought independence rather than marriage.

The story, while fictional, centers around the Chamberlain Kahn Act (“the American Plan”) which allowed prostitutes to be imprisoned or “reformed” in institutions in the early 1900s. Ruth, Stella, Lucy, and others are young women who make their way to The Colony for different reasons, not by choice. They are forced to deal with grueling punishment and medical treatment, and in some cases, forced sterilizations. This is all justified by the U.S. government as a national security issue, as a way of keeping service men from getting sexually transmitted diseases.
There are many themes here, including women’s rights, power struggles, group think, and reform treatment. An interesting sub theme is about the Superintendent of the school, Mrs. Baker. While her treatment of the girls is severe, she passionately believes she is doing something good and the reader also sees a good side in her. It provides an interesting conflict.
Well worth the read. A very memorable book.
Thank you NetGalley for an Advance Reader Copy.

This was a great and intense read. So much of the book is heartbreaking. This is a story that will stay with me for a long time.

Donna Everhart is an automatic buy for me -- I've loved every book that she's written and she keeps writing about unknown parts of Southern history and often about issues that are very uncomfortable to learn about. Her new book is so fantastic that I would give it 100 stars if could.

This book is about the American Plan that was in place from 1918 until the 1950s. It's goal was to protect soldiers from contracting STDs. The enforcement of the act was vague and local agencies like the police could arrest girls that they thought were immoral for various reasons - because they lived alone and worked or because they liked to have a drink with their friends. Many of these women were placed into institutions and this book is about a facility in Kinston, North Carolina.

This book is told by three different points of view
-Dorothy Baker is the superintendent of the facility in Kinston. She truly believed that she was helping the women who were kept there and in her mind it justified the poor treatment and the punishment as a way to help them become proper women in society. She had secrets of her own that began to make her question what was going on.
-Stella is one of the youngest girls and actually sees the facility as a much better place to live than her home situation was. Her father was sexually abusing her and she was pregnant. She was considered promiscuous despite the fact that she had no control over the situation.
-Ruth lived by herself in town and worked at a diner. She had never done more than had an innocent kiss at the end of a date. But because she didn't adhere to what the police chief saw as a proper woman, she was picked up and sent to the farm colony .

This book is a strong and very emotional look at something that happened in this country that few people today are aware of. I spent a lot of time googling the history of the American plan and the more I read, the more upset that I was. To think that women could just be rounded up and sent to a facility because they didn't fit the government's view of a proper woman. This is another example of knowing and understanding our history so that we can make sure that it never happens again.

Reading this book is just another piece of evidence about how deeply flawed the U.S. was. (and still is) It will anger, shock and upset you. Women have been and are still second class citizens in this country.

“It’s like religion, I think. Everything I’ve read says those working in this field believe in what they’re doing. It’s a mission. They belong to many different organizations with many different directives. They don’t, or can’t see it for what it is. They simply believe in it.”

A very thought provoking read. Thanks to the author and Net Galley for the arc.

A very interesting novel, though very upsetting as well as angering...
To a modern person, the American law from the 1920s "protecting" soldiers and the general population (meaning the male population!) will appear incredible and completely not believable! Those poor women who had to go to institutions to be treated so they could become worthy of living within the population!!! Ruth, for living alone was considered promiscuous and a danger to men's health; Stella, for being raped by her father, also considered promiscuous and so many other women for appalling reasons had to be treated!!!! They had to accept their fate with no proper explanation as to what treatment they would receive. I was also distressed and amazed at how their carers were deemed competent to look after them!! Not an ounce of empathy, no psychological approach (in the modern sense), was offered. I am so grateful to live in the 21th century! An important and thought provoking novel.
I received a digital copy of this novel from NetGalley and I have voluntarily written an honest review.

Intense, disturbing yet riveting historical tale of women deemed promiscuous or 'loose' in the 1940s. This story is based on the Chamberlain-Kahn Act or the American Plan. That alone makes this story frightening. This cautionary tale is more like a 1930-1940s Handmaid's Tale when the government decides to 'treat' those it thinks are spreading sexual infections to servicemen.

Told in three different POVs, readers meet Dorothy Baker, who is passionate about reform but hides her own secret. Teen Stella Temple, who is sexually abused by her father, and sent to the colony by her parents to get 'better.' Ruth Foster, who lives independently and is picked up by the sheriff and taken to the colony.

Baker's story is one of a woman who has her own tragic past and finds some redemption in her part of the colony. Her zeal to try to find good in what she does is overshadowed by the thought that some don't agree and that she might lose the only quest she believes in.

Stella's story is beyond tragic, but is realistic because no one spoke out loud about sexual abuse at that time. If anything, it was the young girl's and sometimes the young boy's fault. Some people were thought of as fallen and worse. Stella tries to be the 'good' girl. Anything to not be sent back home.

Ruth's story is one of those who are threatened by women who refused to fit the role society had for them. Add to that those young women who were attractive and confident. I really felt for Ruth as she struggles to find sense in why she's being held. She's strong even when others in the farm colony beat her down.

This story had me glued. What's horrifying is the justifications the government at the time used to round up and send these women to the colony. The treatments were before penicillin and were mercury and materials likened to today's chemotherapies. The side effects are shown in graphic details. What's beyond horrific is that most of those subjected to these inhumane treatments didn't have venereal diseases.

At the end, there is a mention of how the government's stand on eugenics was used to separate the so-called less than from the others in the population.

Haunting historical where women are rounded up and deemed a threat to those men who fight the war, but in reality is a chilling case of the overextension of power and control. This is one story that will stay with me for some time.

Women of a Promiscuous Nature by Donna Everhart is a profoundly moving and eye-opening novel that shines a light on a dark chapter of history—one that highlights the strength and resilience of women fighting against injustice. Ruth Foster’s story is both heartbreaking and inspiring as she is swept into a brutal reform system that seeks to shame and control women based on their circumstances, not their actions. Everhart masterfully balances raw emotion with quiet courage, capturing the fear, hope, and fierce determination of women like Ruth and Stella. Their stories of defiance against a system designed to break them are powerful reminders of the human spirit’s capacity to resist oppression, even in the bleakest of circumstances. The well-drawn characters and authentic dialogue make you feel every heartbreak and every small act of rebellion. While some parts are difficult to read, the novel’s heart remains resilient—showing that even when society tries to silence and shame, the fight for dignity and freedom endures. It’s a story that stays with you long after the final page, urging reflection on justice, compassion, and the enduring strength of women who refuse to be broken. Women of a Promiscuous Nature is essential reading—an inspiring testament to the power of resistance and hope in the face of overwhelming cruelty. Highly recommended for anyone who believes in the quiet heroism of those who fight to reclaim their lives.

I have a feeling this book is going to be stuck in my head for a long time to come! It covers three different POVs of three different women/girls going through a time of mass incarceration of women who are deemed “promiscuous” or “immoral.” This label could apply to anyone from sex workers to simply a woman being in the wrong place at the wrong time.

Based on history, the most horrifying aspect of this book is its truth. Not the fact that it’s based on something that could happen, but that it’s based on something that has already, and is seldom talked about. Put simply, this book is the gasoline on the proverbial fire of feminine rage (pun unintended).

Overall, I’d give this about 4.5 stars. It did an incredible job of covering a few different aspects of the history of things. I do wish there was a little more depth and discussion around race, as it seems it was only white women in this colony? Also, it would’ve been interesting to get some insight into Frances Platt’s perspective, even just a chapter or two. That said, that element worked well enough as it is — I’m just curious about it, as her story would’ve been interesting as well!

Thanks NetGalley and the publisher for this arc. I’m excited for its release.

I have been struggling to connect with a book for months now and once I picked up this book, I could not put it down. I am so excited for the official release of this book and so honored I had an opportunity to read it.

An unforgettable and timely novel, Women of a Promiscuous Nature uncovers a shocking and often overlooked chapter of American history. I was unaware of the American Plan and its devastating impact on women in the 1940s. Readers will find themselves wholeheartedly rooting for the women at the heart of this story. Donna Everhart delivers a powerful, unflinching narrative of resistance, resilience, and the fight to reclaim control over one’s body and future.