In this electrifying historical novel about coming of age in tumultuous 1960s San Francisco, a pregnant teenager reckons with womanhood and agency after being sent to a home for unwed mothers.
It’s 1968, and the future is bright for seventeen-year-old Elizabeth “Baker” Phillips: She’s the valedictorian of her high school, with a place at Stanford in the fall and big dreams of becoming a journalist. But the seductive free-spirited San Francisco atmosphere seeps into her carefully planned, strait-laced life in the form of a hippie named Wiley. At first, letting loose and letting herself fall in love for the first time feels incredible. But then, everything changes.
Pregnancy hits Baker with the force of whiplash—in the blink of an eye, she goes from good girl to fallen woman, from her family’s shining star to their embarrassing secret. Without any other options, Baker is sent to a home for unwed mothers, and finds herself trapped in an old Victorian house packed with pregnant girls who share her shame and fear. As she grapples with her changing body, lack of choice, and uncertain future, Baker finds unexpected community and empowerment among the “girls who went away.”
Where the Girls Were is a timely unearthing of a little-known moment in American history, when the sexual revolution and feminist movement collided with the limits of reproductive rights—and society's expectations of women. As Baker finds her strength and her voice, she shows us how to step into your power, even when the world is determined to keep you silent.
“I can’t believe we finally get to have this novel from Kate Schatz. Kate (effing) Schatz! The most vibrant person on the planet—the one who has been teaching us all how to live in full color and with joyful integrity—and now she’s written this incredible, unputdownable book about life and aliveness. Her prose is like poetry. It’s like hands in a bowl of candy. Thrilling, propulsive, breathless, and brimming with Schatz’s deep understanding of longing and frailty . . . of humanness. This novel is going to be huge, and I’m going to be sitting here watching, with a massive smile on my face. That’s not even right, though. I’m going to get to my feet and throw my arms in the air and cheer until I’m hoarse.”—Catherine Newman, New York Times bestselling author of Sandwich
“In 1968, where girls fall into two categories—‘good’ or ‘bad’—where abortion is illegal, interracial babies unadoptable, and unwed mothers are locked away, Baker forges a path for herself that is as hopeful as it is defiant. In this compulsively readable novel, Kate Schatz shows the power of secrets and stories shared among women, and creates a world with much to teach our own.”—Domenica Ruta, New York Times bestselling author of With or Without You and All the Mothers
In this electrifying historical novel about coming of age in tumultuous 1960s San Francisco, a pregnant teenager reckons with womanhood and agency after being sent to a home for unwed mothers.
It’s 1968, and the future is bright for seventeen-year-old Elizabeth “Baker” Phillips: She’s the valedictorian of her high school, with a place at Stanford in the fall and big dreams of becoming a journalist. But the seductive free-spirited San Francisco atmosphere seeps into her carefully planned, strait-laced life in the form of a hippie named Wiley. At first, letting loose and letting herself fall in love for the first time feels incredible. But then, everything changes.
Pregnancy hits Baker with the force of whiplash—in the blink of an eye, she goes from good girl to fallen woman, from her family’s shining star to their embarrassing secret. Without any other options, Baker is sent to a home for unwed mothers, and finds herself trapped in an old Victorian house packed with pregnant girls who share her shame and fear. As she grapples with her changing body, lack of choice, and uncertain future, Baker finds unexpected community and empowerment among the “girls who went away.”
Where the Girls Were is a timely unearthing of a little-known moment in American history, when the sexual revolution and feminist movement collided with the limits of reproductive rights—and society's expectations of women. As Baker finds her strength and her voice, she shows us how to step into your power, even when the world is determined to keep you silent.
Praise
“I can’t believe we finally get to have this novel from Kate Schatz. Kate (effing) Schatz! The most vibrant person on the planet—the one who has been teaching us all how to live in full color and with joyful integrity—and now she’s written this incredible, unputdownable book about life and aliveness. Her prose is like poetry. It’s like hands in a bowl of candy. Thrilling, propulsive, breathless, and brimming with Schatz’s deep understanding of longing and frailty . . . of humanness. This novel is going to be huge, and I’m going to be sitting here watching, with a massive smile on my face. That’s not even right, though. I’m going to get to my feet and throw my arms in the air and cheer until I’m hoarse.”—Catherine Newman, New York Times bestselling author of Sandwich
“In 1968, where girls fall into two categories—‘good’ or ‘bad’—where abortion is illegal, interracial babies unadoptable, and unwed mothers are locked away, Baker forges a path for herself that is as hopeful as it is defiant. In this compulsively readable novel, Kate Schatz shows the power of secrets and stories shared among women, and creates a world with much to teach our own.”—Domenica Ruta, New York Times bestselling author of With or Without You and All the Mothers
