Book Recommendation
"Charity Girl" by Michael Lowenthal.
Did you know during WWI in America, prostitutes, party girls, and girls accused to spreading STDs were taken into custody and incarcerated in detention "homes"? "Charity Girl" is a fictional account of this little known piece of history. Frieda Mintz is a seventeen year old who breaks free of her mother's dominance and finds a way to survive by getting herself a job and an apartment in Boston. One wonderful date turns into a nightmare when she realizes the soldier she had sex with passed on an STD to her. Worse still, he has named her as the person who probably gave it to him! What happens next is life in turmoil filled with illness, depression, incarceration, and surprisingly still--hope! I won't give all the details away in hope that someone will be inspired to read it.
What I liked about the book is that Frieda never thought of her sexuality as being a bad thing. But everyone else, it seems, has the opposite opinion and they all take turns punishing her. Lowenthal writes a strong, brave character in Frieda and that is welcoming too. He makes her defiant despite what she has been through.
Here is the Amazon link where you will find better reviews--I haven't written many book reviews since college. But I want people to know about this one:
Amazon link