The Degenerates
In the tradition of Girl, Interrupted, this fiery historical novel follows four young women in the early 20th century whose lives intersect when they are locked up by a world that took the poor, the disabled, the marginalized—and institutionalized them for life.
The Massachusetts School for the Feeble-Minded is not a happy place. The young women who are already there certainly don’t think so. Not Maxine, who is doing everything she can to protect her younger sister Rose in an institution where vicious attendants and bullying older girls treat them as the morons, imbeciles, and idiots the doctors have deemed them to be. Not Alice, either, who was left there when her brother couldn’t bring himself to support a sister with a club foot. And not London, who has just been dragged there from the best foster situation she’s ever had, thanks to one unexpected, life altering moment. Each girl is determined to change her fate, no matter what it takes.
2023 IBBY Selection for Outstanding Books for Young People with Disabilities
Massachusetts Book Award 2021 Honor Book
Bank Street Best Book
Texas TAYSHAS Best Book
Awarded the Disability Visibility Grant for 2020
“Respectful, unflinching, and eye-opening.”
— Kirkus Reviews
“While there have been stories written about the time period, little has been published that is as historically accurate and scrupulously researched about this kind of widespread institutionalization”
— SLJ
“Mann effectively renders the details of a time and place, but more important, has created four complex characters who draw strength and inspiration from one another. With its examination of disability, prejudice, abuse, and resiliency, this will change the way readers look at how labels are used, as well as how they’re wielded”
— Booklist