The Unfit Heiress
The Tragic Life and Scandalous Sterilization of Ann Cooper Hewitt
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3.3 • 24 Ratings
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- $11.99
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- $11.99
Publisher Description
NAMED A BEST BOOK OF 2021 BY THE NEW YORK POST AND BOOK RIOT
NAMED A BEST TRUE CRIME BOOK OF 2021 BY CRIMEREADS
For readers of The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks and The Phantom of Fifth Avenue, "a sensational story told with nuance and humanity" (Susannah Cahalan, #1 New York Times bestselling author) about the sordid court battle between Ann Cooper Hewitt and her socialite mother.
At the turn of the twentieth century, emboldened American women began to seek passion and livelihood outside the home. This alarmed authorities, who feared "over-sexed" women could destroy civilization, either by crossing the color line or passing their evident defects on to their children. Set against this backdrop, The Unfit Heiress chronicles the fight for inheritance between Ann Cooper Hewitt and her socialite mother Maryon, who had her daughter sterilized without her knowledge. A sensational court case ensued, and powerful eugenicists saw an opportunity to restrict reproductive rights in America for decades to come.
This riveting story unfolds through the brilliant research of Audrey Clare Farley, who captures the interior lives of these women on the pages and poses questions that remain relevant today: What does it mean to be "unfit" for motherhood? How do racial anxieties continue to influence who does and does not reproduce? In the battle for reproductive rights, can we forgive those who side against us? And can we forgive our mothers if they are the ones who inflict the deepest wounds?
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Historian Farley debuts with an intriguing account of socialite Ann Cooper Hewitt, who filed a $500,000 lawsuit against her mother in 1936 for having her sterilized in order to deprive her of her inheritance. According to Farley, Cooper Hewitt's lawsuit "spark a nationwide debate on the changing nature of womanhood, the purpose of sexuality, and the merits of allowing doctors to decide who did and didn't reproduce." Farley sketches the history of the eugenics movement and fears over the emergence of the "New Woman" in early 20th-century America, but the narrative is at its most immersive when delving into the exploits of Cooper Hewitt's mother, Maryon, who got rich by marrying well and often. Eleven months before Ann's 21st birthday, Maryon, claiming that her daughter, who had suffered from "bronchial trouble" as a girl, was "feeble-minded" and "over-sexed," bribed two doctors to remove Ann's fallopian tubes during an appendectomy (if she died childless, Ann's inheritance would revert to Maryon). After Maryon attempted suicide and the doctors who performed the procedure were acquitted of criminal charges, Ann settled the lawsuit for $150,000. Later chapters covering more recent cases of women sterilized without their informed consent feel more obligatory than essential, but Farley sets a brisk pace and persuasively reimagines the dynamic between Ann and Maryon. This is an eye-opening portrait of an obscure yet fascinating case.
