I think the best phrase to sum up this enjoyable read is "Holy Shit!" Like "Holy shit what did I just read!" "Holy shit a man wrote this!" "Holy shit that was well said!" and "Holy shit I can't believe I'm already done with this book!"
Let's start with the what did I read part. Witchcraft for Wayward Girls follows 15-year-old Fern, who finds herself "in trouble" as they used to say, and is sequestered away by her embarrassed family to a home for pregnant girls. There, Fern finds, among other things, relatable girls in her same predicament, a stern and unyielding group of adults who monitor her every move from what she can consume to what she will do with her "bastard" child. Oh! And witchcraft!
This book was excellent and, in my opinion, very timely as we are currently living through another attempt to oppress and shame women for their bodies and for what their bodies are capable of. I hate to admit that I was surprised the author is male, but I have to admit that I was. He did his research, though, and consulted with the women in his family so that he could inhabit the mind of a young pregnant female, and in my opinion, he did a fantastic job of it. The descriptions of the girls' differing experiences with childbirth and what they are subjected to during the novel's time frame were spot on and, quite honestly, more terrifying than the witches. If you're anything like me, you'll relate more to the so-called witches than to the horrific humans who are portrayed as the poor pregnant youths' caregivers.
This book is chock-full of messages about the struggles women have overcome; many of these issues were actually quite recent. And now some of the rights that the women before us have fought for are on the chopping block once again! I highly recommend grabbing your copy of this novel (before it's banned)! The message about the importance of women having body autonomy and not being shamed for something as miraculous as creating life is poignant, and, as I said, timely. And "Holy shit what a ride of a story you will be in for!"
#witchcraft #nosuchthingaswaywardboysthough #gradyhendrix #readmorebooks
