mrs_eileen 's review for:

The Degenerates by J. Albert Mann

5.0

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If you don't know me let me tell you 2 things about me. 1. I only read children's books. 2. I usually read books quickly. There is no reason behind that except I usually get so caught up in what I'm reading I won't put it down. This book caused me to contradict both of those statements. I saw the cover of this book and went to request it immediately (requesting on netgalley). Then I saw it said YA. I paused for half second but requested it anyway. YA is a stretch for me. What made me break my rule? This cover. This cover stopped me in my tracks and still does everytime I see it. Now for my second contradiction this story took me a week to read. Why you be asking? It ripped my heart out and made me cry then put it back together piece by piece and left a space for anyone that has been treated this way. In the first chapter an elderly lady is being beat up by the police and a young girl is being called a sl*t. It is heavy but the kind of heavy you have to go through. Now for the plot. This is the story of 4 young women who live in a school for the feeble minded. However, the more you read you realize these girls are not feeble minded they are physically disabled, mentally disabled, lesbians, promiscuous, anxious, person of color, or just pain unwanted. High school children and older will have their eyes opened to a part of history they may not know about.
Trigger warning: If you have had a miscarriage or lost a baby at a young age this book could be a trigger for you.