Content Warning: This section of the guide includes discussion of child sexual abuse, rape, and suicidal ideation.

This novel engages with the very real history of homes for unwed mothers in the United States. These homes existed until Roe v. Wade guaranteed women the right to safe legal abortions and societal attitudes toward teen pregnancy shifted, allowing teen mothers access to the education and support that would help them to keep their babies. This novel depicts the social stigma surrounding teenage pregnancy, both through its exploration of various characters’ backstories and through the events that occur at Wellwood Home for Unwed Mothers.

Fern’s story illustrates many of the novel’s key issues. She becomes pregnant after a sexual encounter in which she participates only reluctantly, and she endures intense judgment from her horrified parents, who blame her for her “shamelessness” but never fault the father of the child. The keen injustice of this double standard reappears throughout the novel as the other girls relate their experiences. In Fern’s case, the fact that this boy misled and coerced her is never addressed, and he bears no responsibility for his actions. As Fern’s father conveys his deep disappointment during the drive to Wellwood, treating her with blatant disrespect, this interaction drives home the full force of her family’s and society’s judgment against her.