{"product_id":"the-lies-they-told-isbn-9781496758064","title":"The Lies They Told","description":"\u003cb\u003eA Simultaneous Hardcover Edition—Also Available as Trade Paperback Original\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003eIn rural 1930s Virginia, a young immigrant mother fights for her dignity and those she loves against America’s rising eugenics movement – when widespread support for policies of prejudice drove imprisonment and forced sterilizations based on class, race, disability, education, and country of origin – in this tragic and uplifting novel of social injustice, survival, and hope for readers of Susan Meissner, Kristin Hannah, and Christina Baker Kline.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eWhen Lena Conti—a young, unwed mother—sees immigrant families being forcibly separated on Ellis Island, she vows not to let the officers take her two-year old daughter. But the inspection process is more rigorous than she imagined, and she is separated from her mother and teenage brother, who are labeled burdens to society, denied entry, and deported back to Germany. Now, alone but determined to give her daughter a better life after years of living in poverty and near starvation, she finds herself facing a future unlike anything she had envisioned.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eSilas Wolfe, a widowed family relative, reluctantly brings Lena and her daughter to his weathered cabin in Virginia’s Blue Ridge Mountains to care for his home and children. Though the hills around Wolfe Hollow remind Lena of her homeland, she struggles to adjust. Worse, she is stunned to learn the children in her care have been taught to hide when the sheriff comes around. As Lena meets their neighbors, she realizes the community is vibrant and tight knit, but also senses growing unease. The State of Virginia is scheming to paint them as ignorant, immoral, and backwards so they can evict them from their land, seize children from parents, and deal with those possessing “inferior genes.”\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eAfter a social worker from the Eugenics Office accuses Lena of promiscuity and feeblemindedness, her own worst fears come true. Sent to the Virginia State Colony for the Feebleminded and Epileptics, Lena faces impossible choices in hopes of reuniting with her daughter—and protecting the people, and the land, she has grown to love.\u003cb\u003e\u003cu\u003ePraise for Ellen Marie Wiseman\u003c\/u\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“Harrowing….The fast-paced plot gains momentum as Lena grapples with her sense of powerlessness [in this] clear-eyed and resonant portrait of an ignominious era.” – \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003ePublishers Weekly \u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003eon \u003ci\u003eThe Lies They Told\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“A heartbreaking yet insightful read, this novel will open one's eyes to the evil in this world.” \u003ci\u003e—\u003cb\u003eNew York Journal of Books\u003c\/b\u003e \u003c\/i\u003eon \u003ci\u003eThe Lost Girls of Willowbrook \u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“Wiseman shows how humans are capable of great cruelty but also great compassion in this ultimately uplifting, compelling read.” \u003ci\u003e—\u003cb\u003eShelf Awareness\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e on \u003ci\u003eThe Orphan Collector\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“Ellen Marie Wiseman’s powerful novel will bring awareness to a whole new audience… Grounded in historical fact, it ends like a fast-paced thriller.” \u003ci\u003e—\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cb\u003eHistorical Novel Society \u003c\/b\u003eon \u003ci\u003eThe Lost Girls of Willowbrook\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cu\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/u\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“A portrait of Willowbrook State School that is unvarnished, painful and startlingly clear…Bringing the unquiet ghosts of Willowbrook to life is what this book does best, and if it didn’t do anything else, it would be worth your time…credit to Ellen Marie Wiseman for bringing Willowbrook back to the national consciousness.” \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003e—Bookreporter.com on \u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003ci\u003eThe Lost Girls of Willowbrook\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“Readers will not be able to help making comparisons to the COVID 19 pandemic, and how little has changed since 1918. Wiseman has written a touching tale of loss, survival, and perseverance with some light fantastical elements.” \u003ci\u003e—\u003cb\u003eBooklist\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e on \u003ci\u003eThe Orphan Collector\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“Wiseman’s writing is superb, and her descriptions of life during the Spanish Flu epidemic are chilling…Well researched and impossible to put down, this is an emotional tug of war played out brilliantly on the pages and in readers’ hearts.” —\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eThe Historical Novels Review\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e, EDITOR’S CHOICE for \u003ci\u003eThe Orphan Collector\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“Wiseman chronicles the devastation the 1918 flu pandemic wrought on a German immigrant family in Philadelphia…Wiseman’s depiction of the horrifying spread of the Spanish flu is eerily reminiscent of the present day and resonates with realistic depictions of suffering, particularly among the poorer immigrant population. Historical fiction fans will appreciate Pia and her pluck and determination to survive.” \u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003e—Publishers Weekly\u003c\/i\u003e \u003c\/b\u003e(Boxed Review) for \u003ci\u003eThe Orphan Collector\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“Wiseman’s novel raises relevant issues about what it means to be an American and about the forms that anti American sentiment can take in times of crisis…Reading the novel in the time of COVID 19 adds an even greater resonance, and horror, to the description of the fatal spread of that 1918 flu. The pathos inspired by the sheer scale and indiscriminate nature of pandemic death is almost overwhelming, especially given current events.” \u003ci\u003e—\u003cb\u003eKirkus Reviews\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e on \u003ci\u003eThe Orphan Collect\u003c\/i\u003eor \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“The author masterfully conveys empathy for the characters…an emotional roller coaster that was eerily similar to today’s events. I felt Pia’s strength, courage, guilt, and grief come through the pages clear as day.” \u003ci\u003e—\u003cb\u003eThe Seattle Book Review\u003c\/b\u003e \u003c\/i\u003eon \u003ci\u003eThe Orphan Collector\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"Wiseman's blistering, moving and profound novel, set against the devastating backdrop of the 1918 Spanish flu, hones in on an extraordinary exploration of the plight of immigrants, as two very different women grapple with finding, keeping, and changing their place in the world. Absolutely amazing.\" —\u003cb\u003eCaroline Leavitt, \u003ci\u003eNew York Times\u003c\/i\u003e bestselling author\u003c\/b\u003e on \u003ci\u003eThe Orphan Collector\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"An immersive historical tale with chilling twists and turns. Set during the Spanish Flu epidemic in Philadelphia, this atmospheric novel explores the depravity to which some will sink in adversity, but it also illuminates the strength of family bonds and the resilience of the human heart. Beautifully told and richly imagined.\" \u003cb\u003e—Stephanie Dray, \u003ci\u003eNew York Times\u003c\/i\u003e bestselling author\u003c\/b\u003e on \u003ci\u003eThe Orphan Collector\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"Switching back and forth in time and narration from Lilly to Julia, Wiseman has crafted a can't put it down novel of family secrets involving two young girls who only seek to be loved. Perfect for book clubs and readers who admired Sara Gruen's \u003ci\u003eLike Water for Elephants\u003c\/i\u003e.\" \u003ci\u003e—\u003cb\u003eLibrary Journal\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cb\u003e,\u003c\/b\u003e STARRED REVIEW for \u003ci\u003eThe Life She Was Given\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"\u003ci\u003eThe Life She was Given\u003c\/i\u003e is a vibrant maze of desires. The sharp divide between expectations and painful truths, mothers and daughters, past and present, culminate in a sensational finale.\" —\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eForeWord Reviews\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"A powerful, poignant novel.\" \u003ci\u003e—\u003cb\u003eIn Touch,\u003c\/b\u003e Grade A\u003c\/i\u003e for \u003ci\u003eThe Life She Was Given\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"Wiseman excels at creating an atmosphere...Her characters are all vividly drawn and complex…Fans of Karen White and Sara Gruen will be drawn in by the drama and mystery of Wiseman's novel.\" \u003ci\u003e—\u003cb\u003eBookPage\u003c\/b\u003e \u003c\/i\u003eon \u003ci\u003eThe Life She Was Given\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"Intense and heartbreaking at times, but full of hope. The author's impeccable research into this era makes for a spot on portrayal of a dark time in American history. \u003ci\u003eCoal River\u003c\/i\u003e [is] one of the most \"unputdownable\" books of 2015.\" \u003ci\u003e—\u003cb\u003eThe Historical Novels Review\u003c\/b\u003e, Editor's Choice\u003c\/i\u003e for \u003ci\u003eThe Plum Tree\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“Wiseman eschews the genres usual military conflicts of daily life during wartime, lending an intimate and compelling poignancy to this intriguing debut.” \u003ci\u003e—\u003cb\u003ePublishers Weekly\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e on \u003ci\u003eThe Plum Tree\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“Ellen Marie Wiseman weaves a story of intrigue, terror, and love from a perspective not often seen in Holocaust novels.” \u003ci\u003e—\u003cb\u003eJewish Book World\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e on \u003ci\u003eThe Plum Tree\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“The meticulous hand crafted detail and emotional intensity of \u003ci\u003eThe Plum Tree\u003c\/i\u003e immersed me in Germany during its darkest hours and the ordeals its citizens had to face. A must read for WWII Fiction aficionados—and any reader who loves a transporting story.” —\u003cb\u003eJenna Blum, \u003ci\u003eNew York Times\u003c\/i\u003e bestselling author of \u003ci\u003eThose Who Save Us\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e on \u003ci\u003eThe Plum Tree\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e“\u003ci\u003eThe Plum Tree\u003c\/i\u003e is a touching story of heroism and loss, a testament to the strength of the human spirit and the power of love to transcend the most unthinkable circumstances. Deft storytelling and rich characters make this a highly memorable read and a worthy addition to the narratives of the Holocaust and Second World War.” —\u003cb\u003ePam Jenoff, \u003ci\u003eNew York Times\u003c\/i\u003e bestselling author of \u003ci\u003eThe Ambassador's Daughter\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cb\u003eEllen Marie Wiseman\u003c\/b\u003e is a \u003ci\u003eNew York Times \u003c\/i\u003eand \u003ci\u003eUSA Today \u003c\/i\u003ebestselling author known for the compassion, authenticity, and depth with which her novels explore real historical injustices. Born and raised in Three Mile Bay, a tiny hamlet in northern New York, she’s a first-generation German American who discovered her love of reading and writing while attending first grade in one of the last one-room schoolhouses in New York State. Since then, her novels have been published worldwide, translated into more than twenty languages, and sold nearly two million copies in the United States alone. She lives with her family on the shores of Lake Ontario. Visit her online at EllenMarieWiseman.com.","brand":"Kensington","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":48233700229349,"sku":"NP9781496758064","price":29.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1842\/7735\/files\/9781496758064.jpg?v=1767740224","url":"https:\/\/k12savings.com\/products\/the-lies-they-told-isbn-9781496758064","provider":"K12savings","version":"1.0","type":"link"}