THE LIES THEY TOLD
Ellen Marie Wiseman
Kensington Publishing
July 29, 2025
416 pages
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This is the story of Lena Conti, a young German lady who emigrated to the US in the early 1930s for a better life for herself and her young daughter, Ella. She goes to live with a distant cousin, Silas, a widower with two young children, in the Blue Ridge Mountains of rural Virginia.
After a short while there, Lena and the family become victims of a movement focused on purifying the bloodlines of mankind. Eugenics.
Eugenics: in simple language, it is purifying future generations by ensuring only those with “desirable genes” are able to reproduce. Those with unwanted qualities are taken out of the genetic pool by forced sterilization.
What follows is a story of pure horror. There were times that I felt like throwing the book across the room. I didn’t follow through because I read on my iPad, I did not want to destroy it. I was full of emotions while I was reading it, my stomach in knots.
I’m sure there are parts of the story that would be triggering for some. The story is revealing and informative. I was aware of the Eugenics movement but I never knew a lot about it. I had no idea how strong and ruthless the movement was.
The characters are so well portrayed. Their depth of despair is palpable. But, I love the fact that despite all the trauma and horror the characters experience, they still manage to show resilience. The human spirit triumphs!
As always, Ms Wiseman has done extensive research. I love the fact that the real names of a few of the people involved with the Eugenics movement are used, as is the name of institution where some of the victims were kept.
There may have been a few tears at the end.
Thank you to NetGalley and the Publisher for the Advance Readers Copy.
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