The Lies They Told
- Judith D Collins
- 2 days ago
- 11 min read
Narrator: Elisabeth Rodgers
Recorded Books
ISBN: 9781496741509
Publisher: Kensington Books
Publication Date: 07/29/2025
Format: Paperback
My Rating: 5 Stars + (ARC)
In 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.
When 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.
Silas 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.”
After 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 face impossible choices in hopes of reuniting with her daughter—and protecting the people, and the land, she has grown to love.
My Review
Master storyteller and NYT bestselling author, Ellen Marie Wiseman (favorite) returns following The Lost Girls of Willowbrook (5 stars) with her seventh novel, another powerful and gripping tale, THE LIES THEY TOLD.
A heart-wrenching page-turner as relevant as ever— Top Books of 2025!
This profoundly powerful story explores the shocking reality behind one of the darkest times in recent American history—the eugenics movement.
While the book vividly tells the story of one young woman's dream for a better life in America, soon shattered by eugenics, the author also includes and connects the process of immigrants at Ellis Island and the displacement of the Blue Ridge Mountain people, where eugenics was used against both the immigrants and the American citizens.
Does this sound familiar today?
About...
Ellis Island, 1928:
Lena Conti, an immigrant from Germany, and her two-year-old daughter, her mother, and her teenage brother flee to America for a better life.
However, little does she know the dangers awaiting her on the other side of the Atlantic. Once here, she is trapped, surrounded by the heart-wrenching cries of terrified mothers and children and shouting men—the abuse and mistreatment of humans in unspeakable ways.
Had she made a terrible mistake? But what choice did she have? America was supposed to be an endless opportunity.
However, the mother and brother, who are labeled burdens to society, are denied entry and deported back to Germany. Now she is left alone and scared in a new country with her young daughter.
Silas Wolfe, a widowed family relative, reluctantly brings Lena and her daughter to his rural, weathered cabin in Virginia's Blue Ridge Mountains to help care for his home and children.
She soon learns she will not be paid a wage, only a roof over her head and food, while worrying about the safety of her mother and brother. How will she be able to send money to help them?
At the Wolfe Hollow Farm, she meets his daughter, Bonnie, and son, John Henry. Even though there is a language barrier, Lena connects immediately with the children and learns the ways of the Americans as they work together on household chores.
Rural 1930s Virginia:
Lena is concerned that the children are told to hide when the sheriff comes around and soon learns the government (State of Virginia) wants to take away their rights, their land, and their children.
Manipulating the system to label them as slow, backward, feebleminded, and without morals so they can evict them from their land, take the children, and cease the "inferior genes" from passing them on (ability to continue their families' reproduction) while enforcing their new eugenics policy.
With the father away at work, Lena is left with the children and their safety, and soon she becomes a part of this tight-knit community. Still, unfortunately, she cannot prevent the horrific events about to unfold, destroying her life and this family, among others, in the area.
Soon, she is separated from the children, and her own daughter, taken away at the Virginia State Colony for Feebleminded and Epileptics, with little choice and actions forced upon her. What happens at these facilities?
How will she reunite with her daughter and find the family she was separated from, and help protect those she loves?
My thoughts...
A heartrending story about a young mother's fight to keep her daughter, and the terrible injustice that tears them apart. The characters step off the page and into history. An utterly gripping tale from start to finish, THE LIES THEY TOLD is storytelling at its finest—another masterpiece to add to Wiseman's epic collection.
Richly drawn characters, beautifully written, heartbreaking, and historically accurate situations combine to make a powerful reading experience. Wiseman unfurls an emotionally rich narrative, and readers will be riveted.
Meticulously researched, the author brilliantly explores this horrific time in our history as we follow the heartbreaking, haunting journey of Lena, her family and daughter, Ella (to adulthood), as well as Silas Wolfe, and his children Bonnie and John Henry in THE LIES THEY TOLD
The author does not hold back as she uncovers the horrors of eugenics movements through the multi-generational stories of these women. A powerful tale about the love between mothers and daughters and so much more.
Not only are they taking the Blue Ridge Mountain people's lives, their children, the right to reproduce, but the land, their homes, their livelihood, farms, food, and breaking up families in a government's effort to form the national park project.
It is difficult to comprehend that the US was the first country in the world to undertake forced sterilization programs, and the Nazi party in Germany took many of its policies and procedures from American eugenicists.
Law enforcement officials were allowed to seize children from their homes and take them to institutions to undergo an appendectomy or other unspecified procedures before giving them vasectomies and tubligations without their knowledge, only to find out later they cannot bear children.
A timely novel which may remind you of our troubled world today, ICE, horrific detention centers, separation of families, children, and the events taking place now with immigration, and even American citizens. Abuse of power.
From imprisonment and injustice, prejudice, and forced sterilizations based on class, race, disability, education, and country of origin, this is a tragic, yet ultimately uplifting novel of social injustice, survival, resilience, and hope.
Intense and heartbreaking (difficult to read) at times— you will need to have some Kleenex handy. The author's impeccable research, combined with vivid descriptions and well-developed characters you will come to care for as they face tragedy, abuse, and trauma from those in power.
THE LIES THEY TOLD is a powerful and heart-wrenching story of fierce strength, forgotten history, autonomy, and the places and people we ultimately call home.
I have been a fan of the author for many years, and each time you pick up one of her books, you are assured to learn something and taken back in time while experiencing some of the toughest of challenges.
For the vast majority of immigrants, Ellis Island truly was an "Island of Hope," the first stop on their way to new opportunities and experiences in America. For the rest, it became the "Island of Tears," a place where families were separated and individuals were denied entry into the US.
A reminder of the cruelty of power and humanity, and how lives are affected even for generations to come. An ideal pick for book clubs and further discussions (questions included).
The extensive author's note includes a wealth of information and resources for further reading. You will fall in love with these memorable characters as they linger long after the book ends.
Thank you for bringing this story to life! I could not imagine how difficult it was to write about the darkest time in our history and how some of these things are still ongoing, like the 2020 forced sterilization at the US (ICE) detention center in Georgia that attracted media attention, and what is currently ongoing in Florida. It will break your heart.
A reminder that we all have a moral obligation to speak out against governments doing despicable, horrible things. We all have a voice to help those who cannot speak for themselves.
Audiobook...
I had the honor of reading the book and listening to the audiobook narrated by the talented Elisabeth Rodgers, who delivered a captivating performance, bringing the characters to life. I was hanging on her very word for an engaging, highly emotional, and powerful listening experience.
I highly recommend this masterpiece, which is told with emotion, intensity, compassion, empathy, and sensitivity, as well as all of Wiseman's books, which offer strong take-away messages.
Recs...
For fans of Wiseman (The Lost Girls of Willowbrook) and her others and those who enjoy historical fiction works by Diane Chamberlain (Necssary Lies), Meagan Church (The Last Carolina Girl), Susan Meissner (Only the Beautiful), Adriana Allegria (The Sunflower House), and Dolen Perkins Valdez (Take My Hand) —all favorites.
Thank you, Kensington Books, Recorded Books, and NetGalley, for providing advanced reading and listening copies for my honest thoughts.
@JudithDCollins | #JDCMustReadBooks
Pub Date: July 29, 2025
My Rating: 5 Stars +
Praise for Ellen Marie Wiseman
“A heartbreaking yet insightful read, this novel will open one's eyes to the evil in this world.”
—New York Journal of Bookson The Lost Girls of Willowbrook
“Wiseman shows how humans are capable of great cruelty but also great compassion in this ultimately uplifting, compelling read.”
—Shelf Awareness on The Orphan Collector
“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.”
—Historical Novel Society on The Lost Girls of Willowbrook
“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.”
—Bookreporter.com on The Lost Girls of Willowbrook
“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.”
—Booklist on The Orphan Collector
“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.”
—The Historical Novels Review, EDITOR’S CHOICE for The Orphan Collector
“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.”
—Publishers Weekly(Boxed Review) for The Orphan Collector
“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.”
—Kirkus Reviews on The Orphan Collector
“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.”
—The Seattle Book Reviewon The Orphan Collector
"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."
—Caroline Leavitt, New York Times bestselling author on The Orphan Collector
"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."
—Stephanie Dray, New York Times bestselling author on The Orphan Collector
"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 Like Water for Elephants." —Library Journal, STARRED REVIEW for The Life She Was Given
"The Life She was Given 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."
—ForeWord Reviews
"A powerful, poignant novel."
—In Touch, Grade A for The Life She Was Given
"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."
—BookPageon The Life She Was Given
"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. Coal River [is] one of the most "unputdownable" books of 2015."
—The Historical Novels Review, Editor's Choice for The Plum Tree
“Wiseman eschews the genres usual military conflicts of daily life during wartime, lending an intimate and compelling poignancy to this intriguing debut.” —Publishers Weekly on The Plum Tree
“Ellen Marie Wiseman weaves a story of intrigue, terror, and love from a perspective not often seen in Holocaust novels.”
—Jewish Book World on The Plum Tree
“The meticulous hand crafted detail and emotional intensity of The Plum Tree 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.”
—Jenna Blum, New York Times bestselling author of Those Who Save Us on The Plum Tree
“The Plum Tree 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.”
—Pam Jenoff, New York Times bestselling author of The Ambassador's Daughter
About the Author
Ellen Marie Wiseman is a New York Times and USA Today bestselling 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 twenty languages, and sold more than one million copies in the United States alone. A mother of two, Ellen lives on the shores of Lake Ontario with her husband and dog. Visit her online at EllenMarieWiseman.com.
Check out my fun & fascinating #AuthorElevatorSeries Q&A ride with Ellen Marie Wiseman and THE LOST GIRLS OF WILLOWBROOK. Interview
