Necessary Lies

I was looking forward to reading this book when I was approved to read it for the author for my honest review. It took me some time to get into it though, I started and stopped a few times before I finally hit my stride and couldn't put it down! This book was an experience for sure.

Reading about the lives of Ivy and Mary Ella was touching to say the least. The way they lived, working for practically nothing and living in the era they lived in was interesting if not sad. They depended on social workers to get them the things they needed all the time and I wondered if everyone was like that back then. I had read a short story about Mary Ella and Ivy a while back and though it was shocking it was excellent and really set the story for this book. Mary Ella was fourteen or fifteen and had a baby, she isn't right in the head so they sterilized her without her knowledge. Her grandmother gave them permission.  That was what that book was about, this book however was a deeper look into the life of poor Mary Ella as well as the turn poor Ivy took.  Ivy ends up pregnant and her grandmother makes plans along with social workers and a nurse to have her sterilized after her baby is born just like her sister.  A new case worker is hired and she begins to become obsessed with this family and I can understand why, I never thought it was right that they took something away from someone without their permission and the fact they are going to do it again is insane. When I read this is actually something they did to numerous people back then it made me a little sick to my stomach. Granted not everyone should be allowed to have kids, but it was wrong to lie to so many of these people. The new case worker believes this too, her name is Jane and I really liked her but thought she was a little bit out of her depth. Everyone is against her and her beliefs and I wanted to shake them all until they understood. Even her husband is nuts and I couldn't for the life of me figure out why she married him.  Poor Ivy has some terrible things happen around her and then Jane loses her job because she cares too much.  I can't tell you much more without ruining the book so I won't, I will just say that the ending of the book is so freaking good I wanted to cry. I would rate this book a four out of five stars only because it took me awhile to get into it.