Where the Girls Were: A Novel
Mar 2026 · Sold by Dial Press
star
2 reviews
Ebook
368
Pages
Tools
info
family_home
Eligible
info
About this ebook
They were sent away to be forgotten. This is their story.
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.
"Thrilling, propulsive, breathless, and brimming with a deep understanding of longing and frailty . . . of humanness.”—Catherine Newman, New York Times bestselling author of Sandwich and Wreck
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.
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.
"Thrilling, propulsive, breathless, and brimming with a deep understanding of longing and frailty . . . of humanness.”—Catherine Newman, New York Times bestselling author of Sandwich and Wreck
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.
They were sent away to be forgotten. This is their story.
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.
"Thrilling, propulsive, breathless, and brim...
Discover more
Ratings and reviews
2 reviews
Linda Dossett
- Flag inappropriate
March 3, 2026
And history repeats. This is a heart rending read and happened many times during my youth. We meet eleven young girls who must be “hidden” due to their “condition” and so the story goes. The youth of today, won’t appreciate what we had until it is gone and unfortunately it is going the way of the past. Most of these girls worst problems, besides the partner that helped put them in the untenable situation, are their own family and the system. This is an excellent window into the past.
Paula Pugh
- Flag inappropriate
March 4, 2026
The story related in this novel is heartbreaking and very true for the many young women of the 50s and 60s that found themselves pregnant and unwed. The sentiment of that time period was that the status of the women created humiliation and shame for their family and was to be hidden at all cost. Homes existed for that sole purpose-to house the women until the child was born and adopted. This novel deals with the circumstances of a seventeen year old in 1968 whose family sends her away and of h
About the author
Kate Schatz is a feminist author from California. She's the New York Times bestselling author of Do the Work: An Anti-Racist Activity Book, with W. Kamau Bell, and the "Rad Women" book series (including Rad American Women A-Z, Rad Women Worldwide, and Rad American History A-Z). Her book of fiction, Rid of Me: A Story, was published as part of the cult-favorite 33 1/3 series.
Kate Schatz is a feminist author from California. She's the New York Times bestselling author of Do the Work: An Anti-Racist Activity Book, with W. Kamau Bell, and the "Rad Women" book series (including Rad American Women A-Z, Rad Women Worldwide, and Rad American History A-Z). Her book of fictio...
Rate this ebook
Tell us what you think.
Reading information
Smartphones and tablets
Install the Google Play Books app for Android and iPad/iPhone. It syncs automatically with your account and allows you to read online or offline wherever you are.
Laptops and computers
You can listen to audiobooks purchased on Google Play using your computer's web browser.
eReaders and other devices
To read on e-ink devices like Kobo eReaders, you'll need to download a file and transfer it to your device. Follow the detailed Help Center instructions to transfer the files to supported eReaders.
