I give this author credit for bringing to light a dark part of American history. During World War I, the government rounded up thousands of women of "ill repute" to help stop the spread of veneral disease to soldiers. They did not follow any due process rules and there was great opportunity for injustice and maltreatment. However, exposing this wrongdoing isnt enough to sustain a work of fiction. The main character seemed two dimensional and I didnt pick up a good sense of how she had been transformed by her experiences. Still, the front half of the book is interesting--even if the second half is a bit of a letdown. ( )

I really enjoyed this book. It's hard to believe that women really were locked up during World War I to keep them from spreading venereal disease to the troops. It's even harder to believe that some were locked up just for dressing provocatively or doing other things that made people believe they "might" be a prostitute. This book was very interesting. I wasn't aware of this before now, so I was shocked that this type of thing actually happened in the past. This was a very good book until the end. It seemed like the ending was rushed and didn't flow well with the rest of the book. ( )

In all honesty, I did not know about this historical time in our country where thousands of women were held in reformatories and detention homes, behind barbed wire, for months at a time. It is reported that the U. S. Government detained close to 30,000 women. There were no charges of a crime, no trial, and they were forced to endure medical treatment for venereal diseases. Many of the women were prostitutes, but a significant number of the women were not. They were called "charity girls". Hence the title of the book, the author describes "charity girls" as " those who "picked up" men for the sheer fun of it and for the attendant perks of nights on the town—and who by our contemporary standards, were doing nothing illicit or even unusual. " Frieda was considered a "charity girl". These events are truly shocking and mind boggling to realize that they actually occurred. Also, it has been reported that these actions did not cause a decline in the military's infection rate.

I was angry that the men were not held accountable for their own actions in spreading venereal disease in the story and during the real events of World War I. The women were blamed for "infecting" the men when often it was the other way around, especially for the "charity girls". Due to the men being needed to serve in the war, they were not detained in detention centers or reformatories while they were being treated.

I found this novel, engrossing and it grabbed my attention from the start. I read it in 2 days as I couldn't put it down. In reading the story, I could envision this historical time period with the wonderful details and descriptions that the author shared through his writing. I wanted to know what happened to Frieda. I was hoping for more in the end but in a sense the choices that Frieda makes are relative of that time period. Frieda may not have had many options after her experiences in the detention camp. I was hoping for Frieda to find that "true love" and passion that she deserved. I guess that I wanted Frieda to have a happily ever after story but that is not reality. I did like how in the end Frieda found her strength and intelligence as a women. I was very impressed that Michael Lowenthal, a male author, could capture so accurately the female characters perspectives and feelings.

Read my whole review on my blog at
Redlady's Reading Room

A story of a young girl who, in an attempt to escape her controlling mother, ends up detained in a house for unsavory girls. This is based on actual events that occured during WWI, where the US government arrested girls found with or suspected of being with US soldiers. Some girls had STDs, some were pregnant, some were prostitutes, and some were just visiting their boyfriends before they shipped out for war. An OK coming of age story. ( )

Really different, great characters, about young women with VD during WW I, and how they were rounded up and put in homes. Who knew? Good storytelling here. ( )